The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-06-01
AN AWFUL TRAGEDY.
MAN BEATS HIS WIFE AND CHILD TO DEATH WITH
STONES, THEN KILLS HlMsELF-HIs ExTRAoR-


A MAN BEATS HIS WIFE AND CHILD TO DEATH WITH
STONES, THEN KILLS HIMsELF-HIs ExTRAoR-
DINARY CONFESSION.
Ta1oTa the Cincinnati Commercial May 80.
The terrible tragedy that occurred last Thurs
day, in Perry county, Ind. in which man beat
his wife and child TO death with stones and
ineh I'm dn SnUS 6orror About ave Years ago the nur
derer, Francis j. Smith, of New Albany, pur-
chased and removed to farm Of 800 acres, near
Rome, Perry county, lnd, In lo0o ne marrleu
In the latter part OF the year his wife gave
birth to a male child, which almost from lts
first breath became the victim OF It's fathers
vile and cruel nature. On one occasion, AFTER
beating his wife, he seized the infant and held
IL over q blazing fire until its cries of anguish
softened even his stony heart. HIS Wlfe pro-
cured divorce and Went TO live with her
and Smiths nealth began to fail, and fearing
that death would soon overtake htm, he became
much alarmed, and, according to a subsequent
statement of his wife, wrote TO her that II she
ever wanted to see MIN alive. to hasten imme-
diately to the place of his confinement She
came, but was met very ooldly by Smith, who
denied that he had ever written such letter
as "the above mentioned" and expressed the
greatest surprise at finding her at the door.
She passed from house to house, dragging
through a miserable existence, until last We'd
nesday morning when she was at the residence
OF ii. Groves, not far distant from Rome, con-
templating visit TO the Trustee OF the town
ship, to obtain shelter for herself and child.
Her husband arrived and expressed his desire
to accompany her to the Trustees office She
readily accepted his offer, and the two set off on
the journey, taking the child with them A
drizzling rain set in, and under pretense of
finding shell er under large tree standing two
or three hundred yards from the roadside, up a
deep rsvine, Smith invited the mother thtther,
and after arriving at the designatedspot, pelted
the mothers brains out with large stones, and
with one blow on the head of the child killed 1t.
Many stones were lying near the victims, red
with their own blood. Smith took the strings
from the shoes of the mother, tied her feet
closely, and then her hands over her breast,
laid the child beside her, covered them with
light shawl, and then left them. The next day
Smith was at his brothers., Commodore
handed it TO his sister-in- law, and told her to
take it to one of the neighbors houses and read
had not time. He told her II she did not go he
would have to tell her what was in the letter.
He told her that he had killed his'wife and
whereupon he seized a loaded gun belonging to
his brother, and walked out into the yard and
shot himself through the heart,
Smith was formerly from New Albany, where
some years ago he killed man, and was cleared
on the plea of insanity. In his statement of
the cause OF the murder, he says:-"Her brother
again, for he was sure that we were both to
blame (and so we were). ! answered him by
telling him the state OF my health would not
allow me to marry, If l were ever so willing to
take her, and L did not expect to live three
months. The next thing heard of them
and my boy, therefore l killed them. and
such horrid way to kill any person Poor
Mary, after had knocked her on the head with
stone, begged me to stop, for she would die at
that, and she wanted TO have some talk with
me. Ibid so. told her that did not kill her
or the boy through anger, hatred. or spite 1t
about they had been for the last three
months, She says, God bless you, Frank; be-
y6 ee e sne hope a d me and
Mary and my boy may be buried near each
other. 1 hope 1t may be many years hence
PEELED by such crushing misery TO do as 1 have
done."