The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1869-04-02
Horrible Tragedy an philadelphia.
"A Triple Murder and Suicide.
A Nun Stays his Wife and children

| afternoon. A mother and her two child.
rem were discovered to have been muir
dered by the husband and father, Jas
l.. Blackstone, OF the firm of Funston
IL Blackstone, picture frame makers al
912 Market street. The family resided
at No. Sl5 Judson street, running north
from Brown, and west of Twenty-third
street. The horrible tragedy, which
evidently took place early on Sunday
morning, was revealed through the fol-
lowing telegraph dispatch by Mr.. Funs-
ton:
"Have received letter from James that
wife and children are killed. Telegraph
Immediately.
ISignedl ZELAH LEA"
| MARCH, 30hh, 1869.
Mr.. Funston, Immediately on re-
ceipt of the above, went to his partners
residence, and, being unable TO oDtaln
| admission TO the house, visited the
police station at Twenty-thlrd and
| Brown streets, and after informing the
| officers of the dispatch he had received,
requested assistance. Inc police, on
visiting the premises, got over the
fence into the yard and found the
kitchen window shutter bowed and un-
fastened. The window was opened and
the officer entered, and, on stepping to
the floor, discovered the bodies of Mrs.
Blackstone and her children lying
upon the floor, their heads ana parts OF
their clothing covered with blood. The
floor was also covered, and the flow OF
blood was stopped from running into
the yard by roll OF muslin, which had
| been placed in front of the door, as if
purposely intended to keep all evil
dences of the crime within the room.
The kitchen is very small one, and,
from appearances, Mrs. Blackstone
was about kindling fire in the range
when she was deprived of life, her
hands being stained with coal dust.
The coal had been freshly put on. She
lay Mt full length. on her back, in the
middle of the floor, the head to the south.
Resting against her knee lay her son,
with his face to the floor, while the
daughter lay with her head upon his
shoulder, both in their night clothes,
and all having evidently been killed II
number of hours. An examination OF
| the body of Mrs. blackstone disclosed
| that the wounds were made with the
| sharp part OF an axe, there was sasn
through the middle of the chin, extend
ing to the right and dOwnwards four
inches, and 2Il inches deep, severins
the root OF the tongue, jaw-bone, &c;
| Immediately below this, on the throat,
was another cash, inflicted by the same
| instrument, four inches in length, d.
viding the windpipe and outlet, aud
reaching the spinal column; there was
another, but very slight, cut on the low
back of and above the left ear, WAS Il
very severe confused wound; above the
| right ear, on the back of the head, was
y wound g inches long; directly be-
hind the head was II triangular wound,
made by the corner of the blunt part of
the axe; the bone was depressed anu
fractIred: on the right cheek there was
also II Sigh. confused wound. The
other portions OF the body bore no
marks of violence.
The body OF the lite girl was next
examined. On the upper part OF tho
right side of the forehead blow had
been given with the lead of the axe
that had broken through the skin,
| crushed the bone in pieces down upon
the brain, and driven one piece through
| the skin on the left side of the forehead;
on the other side of the front part of
| the head was another confused wound
OF similar character; there was II
wound near the right eye, and another
near the left temple; the head, back as
well as front, was crushed almost to a
| jelly; no other wounds were discovered.
The boy had been struck with the
butt of the axe upon the right temple,
and the bone fractured, AT the back
| and top of the head the skull was trac-
tured, and Il wound discovered two and
half inches long. On the left side,
| over the ear, was a wound an lncn
long. Back of and little above that
| "Ouuu WAS 1illOlhS4 OIS anu u AuAA
inches long. Behind the left ear the
skull was also fractured. On the ri ght
side of the neck there was Il cash, evil
IDENTIFY made by two chops with the
edge of the axe, three inches in length
cutting oil piece of the jaw bone, and
severinG the juSulnr vein.
All the circumstances indicate that
the wife and one of the children were
murdered in the kitchen, and the other
child as it lay on the lounge in the sit
| ting or dining-IOOm. a pillow on the
| lounge was covered with blood, and the
| carpet was saturated with blood I'M
| derneRth. 1t was believed that the girl
had been there killed, as she partly lay
upon the boy. That an axe had been
used in initiating the deep gashes on
the wife's face and neck, and upon the
| neck OF the boy, was manifest, as it lay
close to them, and was very bloody.
The wounds indicated Il state of frenzy
on the part OF the murderer, as the
heads were nearly severed from the
bodies. And yet nothing else on the
premises betokened Il diseased mind.
Everything was in order so far as could
be expected in a house in which tho
| family had arisen but II short time
before. In tho sitting and dining-rOom,
between the kitchen and parlor, was n
table with IL few plates, IL goblet or two
upon it, and child's chair was close
to il, which contained the girls clothes
AS they had been taken from her on the
| evening previous.
The occupants of the adjoining house
heard them talking in the kitchen at
about six o'clock, and it Is supposed
that the murder was committed about
that time. Mr.. blackstone was not
seen to leave the house, and the fact
that the family was not heard on the
premises after the time stated did not
excite suspicion. 1t was thought that
they had gone out to spend the day
and evening.
So far as could be ascertained, Mr..
Blackstone was Il temperate man, and
seemed to live happily with his wife.
What led him to murder his wife and
itably supposed that he was not OF
sound mind. The wife had only u few
weeks previously told a friend that in
sanity was hereditary in her husbands
family. After committing the muir
ders, blackstone wrote a letter to his
father-in-law in Connecticut, inform
| ing him of what he had done, then came
down to the city, visited the office of q
real estate broker, made an assignment
OF some property and then walked to
the Delaware, intent upon putting an
end TO himself. When at Third and
Market, he was seen by one of the otli-
GERS of the Sixth Ward behaving i'll a
singular manner, and surprising him
to be insane he arrested him, but he
broke away and continued towards the
river. Upon reaching Chestnut street
wharf he pulled Oft his coat and hat,
threw them overheard, and jumped
after them. Police Odenheimer got
the articles out, and in examining the
pockets of the coat found handker-
chief, on which the name Of Blackstone
WAG