The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-03-31
HI o R R O R!
A Mother and Her Children
Murdered. ..
They are Drained with an Axe In
the Hands Of the Husband
and Father, Who Then
Puts an End to His
Own Existence.

fnt
shadow P' so says Shakespeare, and snake.
speaIe is right. Not 10 speak OF the oralnS Siyy
casualties, sn1 ne dsiiv disannearsnee OF host
whose name Is legion from this lower sphere,
thst mania for deens OF mGraerOus @ neS
try is taking of It's daily scores Hard upon
the Girad Hall tragedy mas ioowea snPvnet o
ever, there Is no mystery; the vlcClms OF Tue
deed and Its perpeLfator are an wen known.
The executioner TOO, In this latter instance
will be unneeded, for the madness wnlcn
prompted the commission OF the horror
prompted likewise the self-destruouon OF the
murderer An entire family Is counted OUT
Ia this city's census. -,
For about n year past Mr.. James j. Black
stone of the drm of FunBtou Il Blackstone,
giIders, No. 9l2 Market street, has resided AZ
No. SIS Judson street. His family consisted OF
his vile, Isabella L Blackstone, and two chill.
dren. one boy, named Lee, aged eight years;
and the other G girl, , nsmga snar Oatharine' aged
It may be- well TO describe Judson street as
running south OF Parrish street and west OF
Refuge being at the north end of the street.
No sis Is on The east side of the way, and lone
of a row of two story brick buildings
Shortly after o'clock yesterday, afternoon
Mr.. Funston received q telegram from Madi-
son, Cenn., which read as follows:-
"i have received letter from James, saying
thai his vile and children are killed. Teie-
siAaStui Aotins ui upon this telegram. he al once pro.
ceeded 10 Mr.. Blackstone's house. No. Sl5 Jud-
son snd S so e az Sen S Wen to &
station house at Twenty third and Brown
streets for police aid. % snd POLICEMEN & ns Ell +;
consequence of what was seen by him, word
was communicated by telegraph to the Central
station. Chief OF Police Muiholland and Cnief
Detective EEeu, with Detectives Levy and
Gordon, immediately proceeded TO the place.
The room in which the bodies were discovered
Is very small; IL is not carpeted; has window
on the south side, and door on the east side.
On the west side of the room, just to the right
hand as you passed from the back parlor into
the kitchen, Is a email oven-range. One lid of
the range was lying upon the floor smeared
The body OF Mrs Blackstone was lying about
two feet from the range, her head to the south
and her feet to the north, the body being
straight Her right hand was across the left.
She wss fully dressed. Lying just below her
his stomach, the lett side of his face being on
his mothers dress; his left arm was under him.
east and the feet TO the west, and very near to
the door leading TO the back parlor. Lying
upon his arm, her head also resting against and
above the mothers hip. was the little girl, her
face inclined to the south. The boy had on q
TSer feet were close tossner The
poor mothers head was almost severed from
her body, aEd the @ wounds in the children's
OF course q very lake of blood had collected
sie 'te aewares " sne door, the @ life aid ran In
that direction, and would have found Its way
through the insefstce M over the ISL siil ] put for
Here was the only thing looking like an at
tempt to prevent the speedy discovery OF the
A, table cloth, carefully folded. was packed
not drop escaped from the room.
On the north side OF the furnace. resting
against It and the j9m6 OF the e, door o1d on tht
handle being very little stained and hardly
on the east side OF the back parlor, and close
to the door leading into the kitchen. is a man
telpiece. Immediately beneath it is lounge
with the head towards the north, nearly
touching the kitchen door. A pillow, covered
with blood, is upon this, and the crimson fluid
the the lounge. and dropping on to the floor
where the carpet has partially soaked it up
The little boys clothing Is upon this lounge
circular table sets In the southeast portion
~ OF hs
number OF dishes. high chair is on the south
side. in which is the clothing Of the little girl
teaslops. showing they had been used, On the
east side of the table, and between 1t and ths
The liable was thimble and spool Of cotton
and in front of 1t. upon the floor and near the
Containing the Usual articles incident 10
iady's work-box. Folding doors lead to th'
taininS Certificate of first honor to issbelii
E Lee for excellence in scholarship. and th'
thew the Winter ef 1852, at the Young Ladies' Col
legiate institute. New haven; Conn', sia signet M (
afs chiidss M three. & Wheel veiocipede also Ait it'll
hoop, which Is placed near the head OF hobby
horse. There are no marks OF blood In thu
In the back parlor there are spurts OF bloot
arched upon the door leading to the entry, anC
this door is some nine feet away from tn,
lounge Upon the door leading from the bacl
room to the kitchen is a smear OF blood, a.
though bloody cap had pressed against it.
DIR. ShapleIgh having arrived, he proceeded
10 make an examination of the three bodies
with the following result
The following wounds were found upon tint
mother:-A confused wound on the back OF the
head, left side, over the left ear. made with the
pole OF the axe. A confused wound, one and
half inches long over the right ear A con.
fused wound, one and quarter inches long, OF
the back OF the head upon q level with the ear
four inches long, cutting Through the jaW-bont
In the middle. and extending down the nech
diagonally from the left side of the mouth
downward under the ear, cutting the root OF Tn,
Beneath this and further to the left wount
four inches long and two and half inohe
deen dividing the windpipe aud gullet, Ther,
were also two or three WS.aHSi.. WS..s.i.. ..hiie neck
cutting through the dress. but Of a slight char
aeter.
The body OF the little girl was then examined
The night-cap was removed from It's littl
head. horrible hole was in the right side O
the forehead. DR.. Shapleigh inserted his hnge
IN the mole, and IL went as far back as TN
length OF the finger. Tne hole was one and
half inches long, over the right eye, tn
bones OF the skull being driven into tn
brain. The other size OF the head is mashed Il
pieces. Then there are two marks of blow
DR.. shapieigh took his needle and attemp.e,
10 draw up the hole In the head. but IL coult
not be done. as the bones moved about beneath
the scalp and prevented the ortfce from bein
Tne child was laid upon its mother, and tn
body OF the boy raised to the table. The llLtl
fellow was perfect gore OF blood. In the righ
temple there was the mark of an axe, the bon
being fractured badly large confused woun
was st the back and top OF the head two and
half Inches long, the bone being fractured b
meath. the axe having glanced downwards: o