Columbia democrat and star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1867, 1866-05-16
Extracts from Anton Probst's
Confession of the Murder of
the Dearing Familys

The morning was dark, raining and cold,
and Dearing went to the city then made
up my MIND to do-it that day calculated
TO kill bearing as he came home l did not
know whether the money was In the house
or not; / did not know whether he had it.
Me and the boy were working out on the
bank we went to work that morning about
u or o'clock, guess Mr. Dearing went
up to the city before we went out he said
he would be back about l o clock; we went
to work in The meadow about one hundred
yards from the hay-stack; we took the horse
and cart and went, to work together IL took
with me to kill him the axe, the big axe for
cutting roots out also.
We were standing under the big tree
when killed him it was raining O. little
he sat down under the tree, and i stood
above him, behind him, with the axe in my
hand he sat there and talked of something
about work while / stood right behind him;
| was going to kill him, and drew my hand
back three or four times | hit him on the
left side Of the head; he did not holler he
fell down; / gave him one or two more
blows, and then cut his throat; he bled
much (the prisoner stopped, looked down
on the rosary, and ran his fingers over the
small beads of the rosary on the tree |
lifted him up, and put him on to the cart
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keep his coat up; that was all in full view
of Mr.. Wiles' house; / was not afraid of
them seeing me; | looked first; then |
drove the horse up, and lifted him up, and
laid him in the hay stack, and covered him
up with hay, there was a little blood on the
cart, took little hay and wiped it off;
took some outside hay and threw it over
him.
Then went, took the axe with me, to the
house and also took the horse with me; this
was about 10 o. clock in the morning; / came
to the house with the horse and cart, and
had a little wood on the cart, and put the
wood down in the yard; j left the horse and
cart stand at the machine house; did not un-
hitch the horse; | went to the stable and
laid the two axes and the hammer in the
corner, right on the left corner, near the
narrow door that faces the ditch; we'll then
| would go over in the house and had lit
tie blood on my pants; | took hay and took
it off; then | went over in the house and the
children were all in the house, and the
woman was out at the ditch for water.
| took the Oldest boy, John is his name,
and told him to go over in the stable and
help me with something had to do; he
goes; | stood inside the door, got my axe
in my hand, the little axe, and then he
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comes, right on the corner; | knocked him
down and he fell inside, where the little
blood was he did not holler; | gave him
one or two of the same, and cut and chop
ped his throat; brought him in, hauled
him III through the hole, and put a little
hay on him; then | put the axe to the same
place at the door then | came out In the
house and told the woman to come over,
there was something them with the lit
tie horse, the colt, could not tie it myself
/ went over /; she comes in two or three
minutes, alone F.; | said nothing to her she
comes in hestable l stood inside and struck
her on the head she did not holler | gave
her two or three more blows, and chopped
her throat / took her on my shoulder and
hauled herin; had to crawl In first and
then pull her in /; then put the axe in the
same place as before, at the door.
Then go over and bring the boy over
there Thomas is his name, the next Oldest;
/ told him to come over, his mother wanted
him he said nothing at all, and comes over
right away he came III the same place ; he
walked right in the stable when he comes
there killed him by striking him in the
same place nobody did holler hit him
on the head when he laid down / hit him
once more !; / do not know whether mash
ed hiswhole skuilin; did not examine him;
| brought him in the same place with his
mother then left the axe in the same
place.
Then went over to the house and took
Annie | told her her mother wanted to see
her in the stable ; she did not say word
then [ took the little baby | took it on my
arm the little girl walked alongside of me-;
left the baby on the first corner as you go
into the stable ; / left the little baby there
l. = IL, II
place where | killed the others /; she looked
around like for her mother, who was in the
hay (smiling) was not warm she did not
say anything | knocked her down at the
first blow, and cut her throat the same as the
others then | went back and got the little
baby, and struck it on the head in the same
place; then L hauled them in the same place
Then took the new axe and washed it
off, and put it on the bench In the porch and
left the little axe in the stable, by the door
on the left side /; then [ went over into the
house, took the horse out of the cart and
put it into the stable then [ went over in
the house, and stayed there watching for
him to come; | did not search the house
then.
/ guess about halfpast l o'clock, / do not
know the exact time, saw him coming, out
of the window; | looked through the win
COW ana saw MIN coming, ana went out
down stairs and saw Miss Dolan in the car
riage, and then was worried: then / go
out of the house and stay outside until he
come; when he is come with the carriage |
stepped out to the carriage and told him
that the steer is sick over there in the sta
Bile / told him he looks very bad, he had
better see him, would like him to go over
and see him; then he comes right away,
walking over there; he left the horse stand
ing there; Miss Dolan then went into the
house with all her clothes
Then | went to the stable, and walked
behind him; l took the axe behind him in
my hand / walked behind him and hit at
him right on the head with the small axe
he fell right on his face l turned him over
and gave him one or two more ON his head