Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1871-11-30

THE PARK FAMILY MURDER.
Dca:l lis OF the Horrible Dutchrry.

TIE PARK FAMILY MURDER.
Details OF the Horrible B,,tchcry.
The Louisville Courier-J Journal gives
the following details of the murder of
the Park family in Clark county, In
diana:
The house in which the murder was
committed is a small frame dwelling,
thirty feet front, containing only two
rooms, each about fifteen feet square.
There is small bedroom in the rear of
> tue Eortil end, and i, small kitchen at
,"chcd to the rear of the opposite end,
while Il porch extends from one to The
other. The mouse has two front doors,
one leading into each OF the rooms;
/ the room in the north end Of the house
! hrs an exit on the porch, and is also
] connected with the south room by a
door in the Partition. It was in the
south Or lcit-hand room that the father
and mother lay OH that fearful Saturday
night. A key was found on the outside
: Of the front door of the south room,
! but whether it was left there by Mr..
/ Park on Saturday night, or was brought
, there and used by the murderers, is
not known; but It would seem THAT the
latter is the most plausible theory, for
| Mr.. Park would not have been likely
to leave it on tho sOutsidc. Had he left
/ it III the door at all, he would have left
it on the inside. It was at tins door
the murtlcrcrs entered to do their
! bloody work.
| THE SCENE OF BLOOD.
| Tho bed sat in the northwest corner
, OF the room, but just far enough from
the back door to allow it to swing
open. The murdcrers evidently open
ell the back door, most likely for the
purpose Of ready exit, for the blood
from the unsuspccting victims spurted
upon the outside panels of the back
door, and was still on them yesterday.
Mr.. Park lay on the outside of the bed,
facing his wife. Mrs. Park was in the
inside, facing her husband. Park, rn-
doubtcdly, never moved; he never
knew his danger or suffered pain from
the blow which destroyed him his
death was instantaneous with the
crushing, cutting blow of the axe-edge
as it penetrated half way through his
head. When discovered the next
morning he lay with his head sunk
deeply in the pillow, and literally COW
cred with congealed blood that stood
like a stiff Jelly all over his face and
head, a friyhtful spectacle indeed.
; Els WIFE
had evidently moved after the fatal
blow was struck, for she turned and
rolled against the wall; the blood
! ::i'';,s,eI up against the wall and ran
down to the floor, leaving red, mcander-
ing marks upon the wall, while the
carpet below was clotted with gore in
such quantity that it was scoopel up
with shinglc. Such a scene would
indeed horrify the stoutcst heart, and
make the bravest start back at it's ter
rihlc ghastlincss.
LITTLE JOHNNIE,
as he was familiarly and endcaringly
called, slept in the northwest corner of
the adjoining room, in a common, old
fashioned, corded walnut bedstcad.
When found OH Sunday morning he
! lay in :.n easy sleeping posture, with
his left eye blackcned and closed by
the blow that killed him, and the other
standing open and CLASSY. The sight
j Of this slaughtered innocent and be
! loved boy excited the deepest sympathy
and brought forth many tender expires
i sions Of pity and grief, and condolencc.
! When first discovered, his head, like
that of his iather and mother, was
thickly sme:reti with clotted blood and
brains. He apparently never moved
after the fearful blow, for the express
sion Oh his face was that of sound,
quiet, and peaceful sleep.
THE TWO SISTERS
Lay in bed opposite. The side of the
bed was against the rear of the wall,
and the head against the partition
They had been removed into the next
room. Their bed prcsentcd one OF the
most sickeninS sights it is possible to
imagine. Two thirds of the long feather
bolster was literally soaked in blood.
The lower sheet hal large, shapelcss
splotches of blood ut intervals from the
head Of the bed to the foot. Such Il
fearful flow Of blood seemed almost in
credible; it looked as if nearly overy
drop of blool in the young girls bodies
had been exhausted, SO extensive was
the bleeding from the wounds.
TIE GIRLS STILL ALIVE
We found the girls still alive, lying
on lounges in the room where their
parents had been so brutally butcher
ell. Helen, the youngest, lay near the
door. Her head was all covered with
bandagc$; she lay quietly, not con-
scious of her condition, and cnly know
ing that she had been struck. A fever
set in at an early hour yesterday morn
ing, and continued to rise all day. Yes
terday evening beautiful pink tinged
her checks, and she seemed like a beau
tiful rose just at the zenith Of it's beat
ty, ready to pass to the a>hy palencss
of dissolution. Ever and anon she
raised and turned in her bed, striving
to gain an easy position for Ler poor,
battered head and dazcu brain. Dur
ing the day she was cnablcdto converse
with and recognize some Of her friends,
Notwithstanding the fact that mem
brancs Of the brain are broken, and
fragments of her skull are lodged in it's
substance.
The physicians say that Helen can
not possibly recover, and her death
may be looked for at any moment. It
is but a question of time, and very
short time.
EvELISE, THE ELDEST,
Lay OH another lounge in an oblique
direction from Helen. She will proba-
bly, survive ten to twenty days. She
had no fever up to this writing, and
could converse occasionally, but in u
very low and feeble voice, and evident
ly with great mental effort. Her recol
lection seems to leave her al times, for
she has several times stated that she
saw man in the room with light;
but last evening she contradicted this
statement, anl said she saw nothing;
all she knew was that she was struck
TILE DEAD IN STATE.
Arriving at the door Of the south
room, VIC entered oppressed with the
feelings Of dread and horrnr. The
room was filed with weeping men and
women, who stood around taL.,i'Ig in Il
low voice, and moving about siieutly
looking ut each other with expressions
that betrayed their agitation and sor-
row at the awful fate of the Park FAM
lily. The three bodies were lying side
by side in the south east corner of the
room, set upon rude planks, covered up
with white sheets, their faces and heads
bandagcl. The father was lying next
to the wall, the boy in the center, and