Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1869-11-12
Shocking Tragedy I'm
Marshall County.
Three Children Murdered and
Mother Missing.


A shocking tragedy occurred at
Edenville, Marshall county, OF the
I'd inst. We CLEAN the following par
ticulars from the Marshall County
Times:
On Tuesday morning last the alarm
was given and sounded through our
neighborhood and vicinity, that
Charles T.. Clark, aged years and o
months, Frank Clark. aged year
and III months and Ivanor V. Clark,
aged months, were lying dead i'm
their beds, with their heads shock
ingly mutilated with an exc, and
the mother, Mrs. Mary Clark, no.
where to be found. | arrived at the
house, situated on the Edenville and
Newton road, two and half miles
south of Edenviile, in about 20 min
utes after the alarm was given-and
such u scene! / pray God deliver
me from over witnessing again,
Here, Oh, God too true, lay wei
little childen, asleep in death Yes,
dead dead !! Even by the hand
who had thus far reared them, and
she, forsaken them to take her own
life!
We Immediately placed the bodies
In charge of proper person, and or
dered an Inquest to be held Mt II
O'Clock NJ. The intervening time
was spent in searching the adjoining
corn fields, ravines, creeks, &c, for
the missing wife and mother. Mess
engers were also started for the hus-
band and father. who had left his
family only the morning before, all
i'm healtb-his wife seemingly happy
his darling little ones climbing up
on his knees, prattling with their
tiny tongues of future joys, and law
ishing upon him their fond parting
kisses, alas which proved to be a
final adieu-to attend to his labor
threshing about three miles distant.
Poor man! He arrived about 8
O'Clock A. M. at his residence amid
relatives and friends, their host, the
pride of his life, the great hope of
his future, gone! gone!! Sir, the
very strongest Eeart did melt-tears
were wrung from the dryest eyes, as
we rendered our sympathy to the
poor fellow a. he lay groaning-"M
poor Charlie My dear Frank! Oar
ling babe! o, where is my poor
Mary ?" I'm the greatest distress. May
God help him i'm his bereavement,
and indeed he his comforter.
The search for the mother was con-
tinued until dark, and at this writ
ing, 2 \ nj. Tuesday, we are patient
~ waiting for daylight. AS am
writing, FL. Bash, wife, and family,
parents of Mrs. Mary Clark, have
just arrived, and mingle their grief,
o, sad grief! with ours. May heaven
sooth their hearts, and bind up their
wounds, is our prayer.
Yours sadly,
A. LACRoIx.
We get the following additional
particulars, from the Newton SEMI,
mel:
Silas Axtel ard ". J. Morgan re-
turned about half rast two this
| Thursday afternoon from the scene
of the terrible affair The woman
had not been found wien they left
| The husband end father is about
|
credit for an instant the suspicion
that she committed the iced.
The opinion prevails that the MUIR
der was committed early in the even
ing,-it is certain that it happened
before Mrs. Clark went to bed, as the
large bed had not been disturbed, ex
fceptiug i'm one small place, which
| looked as though the infant had been
laid there.
The usual evening work had all
been done. The dough for the morn
ing biscuit had been placed under
the stove to rise. Kindling- wood
had been prepared for the morning,
and everything goes to show Mrs.
Clark was i'm a sound frame of mind
ana ready TOR her duties next morn
ing. The neighbors. some of them,
were ut the house early i'm the even
ing, and everything then appeared
right. AT about eight O'Clock ole of
the neighbors who passed noticed
that there was no light i'm the house.
| This fact strengthens the opinion
that the bloody deed was COM
mitted early in the evening, before
eight o'clock.
Mr.. Axtel rer brts that A. J. Berry
saw n woman wandering on the open
prairie, north of the College farm, on
Tuesday evening, ut about dusk
| She had on u sun. bonnet, and so far
her appearance corresponds to that
of Mrs. Clark. 1t was too dark for
him to distinguish the color OF her
clothing. She was going i'm the
wrong direction to go TO any house.
| Her manner was hesitating and rath-
! err strange. They were going in diff
ferent directions. and Mr.. Berry had
no opportunity to speak to her,
Whether this was Mrs. lark or not.
is part of the as yet unsolved mys.
terry.
The last reports differ in some par
ticulars from the first.
Various horrible reports are i'm cir
culation-sOme people suspectiug the
Indians of having done the work.
Another suspicion is based upon the
ing in front of the meat-market, be-
tween daylight and sunrise on Tues
day morning saw n two-seated buggy
containing two men and n woman,
drive by westerly. The woman wore
heavy shawl, and had something
over her face-probably a veil, and
she sat alone on the back seat. The
horses appeared to be jaded. AS be-
fore stated, the people OF Edenville
will send word this Thursday might
whether they have found any trace
of the woman and if she should not
have been found, the people general.
ly are requested to turn out aud scoul
the country i'm search of her. l
Let every man who has mother,
sister, wife or daughter, respond to
this call.
$500 ISeyyard!-The ciLi-
zens of Eden Township, Marshall |
county, Iowa, will pay the above re-
ward for any Information that will |
lead to the discovery and conviction |
of the person who kidnapped Mrs.
Mary G.. Clark and murdered her
three children on Monday night,
Nov. ] 1869. Mrs. Clark is about five !
feet three inches in height, heavy |
built, is about twenty-one years of
age, complexion swarthy, eyes dark |
and sparkling, hair dark and very
long. When last seen she had on a |
blue checkered dress, dark Bingham
sun bonnet, neither shawl nor cloak,
and pair of coarse calf'skin shoes,
No. 5.
LATEsT.-Advices from Edenville
state that Mrs. Clark has come home.
She opened the door to come in, and |
on seeing her father. who was there. |