The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-04-08
A HORRIBLE CRIME.
A Man Murders his Wife and Five Chill.
dren, and then COmmits Suicide.

A Man Murders his Wife and Five Chill
dren, and then Commits Suicide.
letter from Stone Fort Saline county, Illinois,
furnishes the following particulars of crime that
rivals in aocity the hendish murders OF PrObst aud
Traupmann. The letter is dated March 26:-
This morning our little community was thrown
into intense commoton by the intelligence that an
entire family OF the name OF Dakins had been mur-
dered last night at a point some three miles SOUTH
east or this place. AS soon as / heard the news
mounted my horse and visited the scene of the
Tragedy, small log hut OF one room on the land o
Mr.. Jerry Foley.
1t stands in the midst OF small clearing of,
should Judge, an acre and a half in extent sur
rounded on all sides by an almost unbroken forest
1t lies about three hundred yards from the county
road, from which 1t is reached by bride path On
reaching the hut found about dozen men OF the
neighborhood, sl terribly excited, and looking the
@ horror each enc felt, Dismounting and hitching
my hCrse, entered the nut, aud hope that it may
never be my fortune to look upon similar spec
on and diagonaIly across some old ou,lts and
blankets, stretched upon q rude framework in the
corner OF the right-hand you enter the door, was
the body OF woman apparently thirty-four or
thTy-ve, with her throat cut and hacked In fear
ful manner, the Jugular veins, windppes arteries,
everything severed, and the head only held to the
trunk by the vertebr8. There was deep inclsion
across the palm OF the right hand as though sharp
knife had been suddenly drawn through the clenched
list.
Several deep aud long cuts were upon her shoul-
ders and breasts, but nowhere could be discovered
mitted with sharp-pOinted instrument. Near the
fireplace with her head partially In an old skillet
lay iaiT-haired little girl OF some ten or twelve
years OF age with her tn raat cut from ear to cav
In the corner farthest from the door and on the
same side or the room where the woman was lying
on a pallet, evidently where the children sientt
as nights, lay the bodies OF two little BOYS one
across the other aged respectively about seven and
nve, Dotn with their throats cut. On the floor, near
and partially under the bed where the woman Law
was The body Of another little girl, apparently not
more than three years old, her head nearly severed
from her body. Such was the horrible spectacle
that gre eted my sight on entering the hat.
ne moor, the wa is, the few arLcies of furnit1re
everything IN and about the miserable Apartment
were deluged with blood. From indications the
Womans struggle for life must have been protracted
ana furious until she succumbed from loss OF blood
OF disabling suoke or the Instrument OF slaughter
BIZ ody tracks on the doOr-sil, aud trail OF blOod
leading IN northeasterly direction from the honse
pointed out the course Of the murderer's night
Pursuing parties started on the trail. but did nor
proceed more than one hun0red yards before thev
came upon he second sequel and end of this terrIDe
tragedy OF the night.
Ihe body OF an infant not more than A wear old
having shared the fate OF It's motuer brothers. and
sisters. The man, who was no other than Dikins
was also dead, with ghastly wound across mis-
throat Bis blood stained shirt, pants, aud razor
lying the body, where It must have fallen from
his hand the moment after iniicting the fatal
wound upon his throat, proclaimed him to be the
suthor OF the wholesale Dntchery OF his family
despatchlng his own guilty soul TO the other world
swiftly after the shades OF his victims.
AS the man died and LEFT no sign, the causes that
led TO the commission OF the murders can only be
cOnJectured. The Dakins haf only been living here
about six months, having come understand from
JEFFERSON county, ana little nothing Is known by
any one here OF their former history. Dakins was
about forty-two OF fortythree and in the habiE OF
The suspicion is that the poor wretch. from long
nursing OF jealous fanees, and DrOOding over rea
and Imaginary wrongs, ana moved doubtless by
drinking pretty freely, Ia a moment OF R54ne fury
committed the rash acts which Obli63Hted his
en11e family and LED him 70 suicide.