The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1869-04-10

Particulars OF q H0FriOio muFuet
Committed in AinnesOta-Eunerai
Of the Victims Statement OF tne
MurdereF-0theP Matters.
Chicago, April 9.-The funeral OF
Mrs. Gray and her four children,
murdered by the insane father, took
place at Oakdqle, Mimi, to-day, and
was attended by the people from the
surrounding country in large numbers
GRAY is strongly ironed Ia jail. lie
has lucid intervals. and when IN tna5
condition, is terribly borne down by
his crime.
The St. Paul papers Of yesterday
contain the following additional par
ticulars of the Gray tragedy at OAK
dale. Mimi: Upon entering the
Dwelling a most shocking scene met
the eyes. In the back part of the
room are two beds, one on each side.
That one on the right was occupied
by the father, mother and little girl,
and the one to the lett, directly IN
front of the door, by the other
children. The pillows of the latter
were saturated with blood, and the
bed was so tumbled as to indicate a
considerable struggle. The other
bed was no more disarranged than 1t
woald naturally be In the morning.
Upon the floor, between the
beds and the door, lay the
murdered children, placed in
a row. the largest nearest the foot
of the beds. and the smallest, a sweet,
mild faced, light haired little girl be-
tween two aud three years OF age,
nearest the door. Each one of them
had their throats cut 50 thoroughly
as to almost sever their heads from
their bodies. These wounds were OF
the most horrible description. They
were at leass three or four inches IN
width. and extended clear across from
ear to ear. Besides the gashes in her
throat. there was ao ugly one in the
lower left Jaw of Maggie. the eldest
grl The horrible gashes were glven
while the fasher was kDeel5ng upon
| the breast of his children, with the
blade Of an axe in his hands. jammIug
| the thumb down their throats. TINS
accounts for the cash IN Maggie's left
/ law. as we'll as for the depth OF the
| wounds in the thr0ats Of his victims.
| The blow of the axe that killed She
| little Girl went crashing through the
bones OF the breast and neck, SO that
one could look under the breast bone.
In the granary lay the CORPSE of
/ the wife and mother. This IS an old
shell Of building, entirely empty, IN
desoIaie and lonesome place. Mrs.
Gray lay with her feet to the door and
her face to the floor In a puddle OF
blood. with her left arm extended
parallel to the body. The only cloth
ing she had on was a coarse cotton
night dress. and a short rough coat
belonging to her husband, which she
had evidently put on to protect her
from the cold morning air while she
acc0mpanied her husband to the barn
yard. and a pair OF coarse shoes,
which. in her haste, she had left uD-
tied. She was a middle aged woman,
with a pleasant c0unteRance, and
about thirty years of age. Her night
dress was open in front, and upon her
breast and other parts of her body
were seven wounds her husband
F had given her with the carving knife,
through one Of them her intestines
Drotrudcd. Her throat was also cut
from ear to ear, and her face and the
front part OF her body was covered
} with blood, presenting an indeseriba-
! blv revoltipg and sickening sight
TIE manner of her death is fully ex-
plained by the statement of the pTls
? oner, which may be found below.
The reporter of the st. Paul PiO
aeer visited the cell of the ill-fateC
prisoner, and took down his state
ment, as follows:
D Il had not felt we'll for several
? days, and on Tuesday night L was IN
: easy about one of my cows that was
= about coming in, aud was up anC
down several times to look after her
e Just before daylight [ went out again
5 and nay wife went with me. Oa ar
i irving at the yard, [ found she had :
l. calf, but it was dead, and another wa
sick that | thought would die. Thl
: existed only in his disOrdered mind
as no dead calf or sick COW could b,
found yesterday I When foun,
this | thought l was coming to power
K ty; that | was sick and would di
e soon, aud my family would be iei
destitute, and | thought it would be
e better to send them to heaven a
!: once. [ at once took the grubbin
J hook and struck my wife on the hea
a, with it. This did not kill her, an,
st she screamed terribly. l then stat
/, bed her seven times, and she wa
!, dead. | took her up and carried he
!, to the grain house. and laid her dow
!; on the floor.
l. Her screams wakened the children
# and Maggie came out of the door.
1T had hard time killing her. III
y stopped to exelaim, - o. L tell you,
) was the bloodiest murder on record.
n g then took the axe and placed th
/ other children down on the floor, an
- put my knee on their breasts, an
~ took the head Of the axe so, descrlt
y ing the acknowledging the axe
II both hands, and chopped down an
= cut their throats, and almost cut the
~ heads of, then put them side by sid
IT on the floor, and got rope and trie
Oh to hang myself, but [ coulin't suC
Of ceed
II This was the substance ofhis stor,
4 but it was mixed up with other ma
ts ters, about its being a bloody murde
nc that they were IN Heaven, aud he W,
a going to he'll, and that ne wanted
he be hung. SC. He said he did n,
c. know them, and that he was sorl
nc Le had done it, &c.
of In the Macoupin County Court,
t. the case of the eleven persons und