The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1871-06-01
MURDER IN RICHFIELD,
SUMMIT COUNTY.
Father Mother and Son Shot-The Mother
Instantly KiI1ed-The Father MortaIly
wounded-The Sons life in Danger-The
Murderer Arrested.

Father. Mother and Son Shot-The Mother
Instantly Killed-The Father MortaIly
wound ded-The Sons Life in Danger-The
Murderer Arrested.
The most attrocious and horrible murder that
has ever occurred in Northern Ohio, was per-
petrated at West Richfcld, Summit county, on
Saturday afternoon last. The details of the
bloody tragedy we find in the Cleveland papers
of Monday last, but to accommodate the account
of the affair to our space we are compelled to
omit much of the minute.
Itseems that young man named Hunter, aged
some twenty y-eight years, while living at his
enamored of a Young lady named Chloe Garrett,
of Richfeld Summit county, aged about twenty
two wears She returned to this State something
over year ago, and last fall he paid her visit.
being well received by the family His visit IN
the family was the and 6e
intensified. When he returned home to Michi-
gan he kept up correspondence with her and
to his marriage with the daughter. The winter
passed and in the spring he was informed that
dered to desist from all further correspondence,
and to give up whatever pretensions he had to
Miss Gargetts hand IhiS aroused @ sea-, tnS S qemon non
to execute his threat.
to obtain her in marriage would be useless, and
he set about to take her life. He arrived at
Saturday took the stage for Richfeld, where he
arrived in the afternoon of that Gay and repaired
to ths h ~ r
no difference where she is y answered the father,
.'you cannot see her."
The father hereupon ordered him to leave the
premises, and Hunter drew revolver and fired
hitting the old man in the head.
The old man fell, rendered insensible by the
wound, and the mother who was standing near
by cried out to her daughters:
- He has killed you father, ny nyP'
The daughter ran up stairs and the murderer
aimed at the mother, shooting her IN the head
and causing instant death. As the last echo of
the report of the pistol mingled with the dying
air, the iend shrieked that he would kill all of
them, and rushed forward toward the staircase
where the daughter had disappeared. The
a violent struggle ensued. one employing every
energy to iberate himself to slay defenseless
ergy to save the life of a sister. In minute the
blood thirsty man triumphed. lie leaped forth
revolver fired at him a shot that put him beyond
the power of interfering. Rodney rushed into
s about fiIiing the air with shrieKs and screams,
the life blood trlckling from his wound. In an
instant he was a good distance from the scene OF
the tragedy. A large crowd gathered about him
totally unable to comprehend the meaning of the
cries, and soon moved towards the house where
In the meantime, the daughter, hearing the
second report of the pistol, and seeing her
maniac brother stagger through the street, leap
ed from a second-ssory window into the street
and sought refuge in neighboring house. An
old lady in whose house she entered, secreted
her in q cellar and then returned to her front
door just in time to meet the bloody murderer on
the threshold. He demanded admission and was
refused. The brave woman stood before her
door, barring the passage way and stoutly re-
fusing admittance. He here again declared his
threats with the most unseemiy oaths and say
ing that she should either wed him or die. The
crowd gathered around, and he then said he
would Shoot himself, and raised the revolver to
his head to let it fall harmless to his side. He
then aimed the weapon at young man in the
crowd, uttering threat but did not fire. He
reeled about for o moment or two pointing his
revolver at every one who came near and final
ly moved away from the house.
1t became evident now that Hunters plan was
| TO assume insanity, and he at once began to play
a An mother lay dead, bathed in her blood, father
was mortally wounded, son was rendered
wild and insane from a shot. and the author of
| all this crime now began to enact the role of a
| madman. With the seven shooter in his hand,
four barrels loaded, he mingled with the excited
| ing his bIood-stained hand to all he met 'shake
hands with me-" said he, " see how it seems to
mined mined to to XIII l or r marry her.; "if you don't
shake hands with me Pll shoot you" Hurrah
staggered about the streets, compelling every
| one to shake hands with him, and finally wan
dered back to the house where lay the dead
| tempts were made to arrest him, but to all who
4 approached he presented the deadly barrel and
Here in front of Mr. Gargett's house a man
| from the crowd slipped behind the murderer and
| threw him to the ground An instant later he
| was bound. the revolver wrenched from his hand
and all power of doing harm taken from him.
In this position the murderer asserted that he
had drank a great deal, and was even then un-
I der the influence of liquor. He tried to vomit,
and said he had taken poison from remorse, and
1 wanted to kill himself Neither assersion was
listened to- for it was clear that he was not un-
! der the influence of liquor, and if he had de-
| sired self destruction it could easily have been
| attained by the loaded revolver.
| The excitement existing among the crowd
| was intense, and q strong disposition was mani
iested to hang the murderer at once without
trial. The friends of lazy and order, however,
prevailed. and Hunter was placed in confne-
| ment to await o Judgment for his damned
| crimes from twelve jurymen. The wounded
son, on beholding him and understanding the
| terrible crime that gtated the bosoms of those
around him, attempted to grasp the murderer
of his mother and destroyer of the peace OF
| his family. He was restrained, and the thoughts
of the crowd turned to the wounded and the
dead.