The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1871-06-01
SUMMIT COUNTY TRAGEDY.
Father, Mother and Son Shot by
Discarded Lover.

|
A terrible tragedy was perpetrated al
Richfeld, Summit county, Ohio, twenty
miles from Cleveland, on Saturday
evening last. Robert Gargett, aged
seveaty-one, and his wife Elizabeth
aged sixty-seven, old and respected resi-
dents OF Richfeld, were shot down in
cold blood by one John II. Hunter, 8
disappointed sutton Of their daughter
Their son Rodney, aged twenty-five, was
also severely wounded by the fend in
human shape, and the daughter, who
was unwittingly the cause Of the TRACE,
dy, only saved her life by leaping from
a chamber window and seeking refuge
in the house Of neighbor.
Miss Chloe Gargett, while on visit
TO her married sister in Michigan, last
winter, became acquainted with Hun.
ter, and it is said marriage engage,
ment was entered into, but she subse-
quently discarded him. Miss Gargett
returned to her home in Summit county
a couple of weeks ago. Hunter follow
ed her, and arrived at Cleveland on
Friday last On Saturday morning he
took the stage for Richfeld. where he
arrived at five o'clock in the afternoon.
The tragedy that followed is narrated
by the Cleveland Herald:
At the village Hunter fell in with
Rodney Gargett, brother. Of Chloe,
who was on his way home from the saw
mill with wagon load of lumber, a
house for his occupancy being in course
of erection near the old homestead
Hunter greeted young Gargett cordially,
and mounting to the top Of the load
rode with him to his fathers, the dis
lance being about a mile. Arriving at
the pleasant farmhouse near, Mr.. Gar
gett, senior, stood talking with Mr..
Waldo, a neighbor, Hunter sprang
gaily to the ground, exclaiming, Good
evening, Mr.. Gargett!' A civil reply
was given. As Hunter advanced
toward him he slowly retreated within
the yard. Hunter asked him where
Chloe was, and replied: at don't mat
ter where she is; she does not want to
see you, and you can't see her" Hun
ter declared, with an oath, that he
would see her, whereupon Mr.. Gargett
ordered him to leave the premises. As
quick as thought the cowardly assassin
drew a revolver from his pocket, aimed
at his head, and fired, the ball entering
squarely near the left temple, about an
inch above the eye. Without uttering
a word, the victim, hoary with age, fell
in his tracks upon the grass. Mr..
Waldo and young Gargett were for a
moment transfixed with terror, and be-
fore they could recover themselves the
murderer whose fierce passions ofrage,
hate and revenge had full sway, dashed
into the house 10y the side door Mrs.
Gargett, who has been rather intirm for
several years, arose from her seat at the
sound OF the pistol, and cast her eye
into the yard. A single glance told her
OF the terrible crisis that had come At
the same time she heard her daughter,
who was in her chamber, dressing for a
party, coming down the stairway, she,
also, having been alarmed. Mrs. Gar
gett had only time to cry out to her,
Run, run tor your lifeW when the
rutfian, revolver in hand, confronted her
in a small hallway, near the stairway
door. What words passed between
| them. il any, is not known, except that
he was heard to exclaim, Where is
the girI?' With a diabolical fiendish-
ness that conld not be exceeded
by the veriest demon from the
Internal regions, he placed the revolver
within a few inches Of the head Of the
aged and helpless woman and fired.
The ball entered near the left temple,
also, and she sank upon the floor In
five minutes she was corpse. Mr..
Waldo states that not more than min
ute ELAPSED between the shooting OF MIR.
and Mrs. Gargelt 1t was evident that
the assassin was bent on dong his
deadly work swiftly and surely. BY
the time the second shot was fired Rod
ney Gargett was in the house and crap
Piled Hunter with all his strength. A
fierce but brief struggled ensued. Gar
gett received shot in the head, just at
the base of the left ear, which for the
time crazed him. The ball passed out
and entered panel of the door. Dur.
ing the minute or two since Hunter had
entered the house fourth shot had
been heard by the persons outside, but
afterwards its mark could not be found.
The villain evidently thought he had
finished Rodney, and then, having shot
three ofthe family, there being none left
to oppose him, he started upthe stairway
to find Miss Gargett Had he sue
ceeded he would undoubtedly have
killed her also, but she had escaped
The vengeance of her discarded lover.
Terrified by the fearful events that were
transpirirg. and needing the warning
that her mother had given her with al
most her last breath, she leaped from
her chamber window to the ground, a
distance of thirteen or fourteen ieet'
Fortunately she was not injured by the
fall, and fled in wild alarm to the house
of Mr. Poole, neighbor living on the
opposite side of the road, and concealed
herself in the cellar.
Fooled in his efforts to find the young
woman, Hunter descended the stairway
having almost to step over the body OF
Mrs. Gargett, which lay upon the floor
and emerged from the house. By this
time two or three Of the nearest
neighbors had been apprIsed OF wha'
was going on and FASTENED to the scene
\ hired man named Abrams, employed
upon the farm, was milking the COWS III
the BARNARD when the shooting oc