The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1871-09-15
THE KENTUCKY MURDER.

THE KENTUCKY MURDER.
The Family ofOld John Harper Killed in their
Beds-Their Heads Split Open with Hatch
eta Horrid Work.
The Louisville Comfe'-JoWnal of Tues
day gives the details of the terrible murder
of the Harper family, at their home in
Woodford county, on Sunday night last, of
which telcgraphic mention has been made
in the JOURNAL. 1t says:
The brother and sister Of old Mr.. John
Harper, the owner of Longfellow, were
murdered in their beds, at their residence,
in Woodford county, just before daylight,
yesterday morning. Who did the terrible
deed is not known. Mr.. John Harper and
his old bachelor brother and maiden sister
were the only white persons who lived on
the place. They were born there, and had
lived there together until the youngest was
over seventy years of age. 1t was an
immense estate-one of the largest--and
the owners the most wealthy farmers in
| Kentucky. 1t is about three miles from
Midway, and fifteen miles from Lexing-
ton, adjoins the great Alexander stocklarm,
and is in the heart of the Blue Grass re-
gion. Mr.. John Harper was not at home
on the fatal night. lie had gone to the
Lexington races, at which the famous Long
fellow and several others of his horses were
to run. Mr.. Jacob Harper and Miss Betsy
Harper were the only ones at home, except
about twenty or thirty negroes, who are
employed upon the plantation.
DISCOVERY OF TIE MURDER.
Judging from appearances the bloody
work must have been committed about 3
O'Clock in the morning. 1t was not discov-
cred until after sun up. Mr.. Jacob slept
in room adjoining that of his sister upon
the first floor. About half-past five O'Clock
the housekceper, a negro woman, went into
the room of Miss Betsy but noticed moth
ing wrong, but she remembers of hearing
the old lady groan once or twice but as
she was very feeble and had been almost
bedridden for long time, no particular at
tention was paid to it, A half hour after
this Mr.. I1arper's man servant went in to
wake him. He first called, and then took
hold of the old mans shoulder, but still no.
ticed nothing except he was unusually hard
to wake. He then left the room. The first
discovery was made by the woman servant,
who, having gone in to wake Miss Betsy,
noticed blood upon the bed clothes, and
upon looking closer, found that the old
lady's head and face were horribly gashed,
and that she was lying in a pool of blood.
The bed was literally besmeared with gore.
The woman ran out screaming and the
alarm was given. Word of the terrible
tragedy was sent through the neighborhood
and soon excited people began to flock from
all directions. MIR. Harper was found with
his head almost beaten to a Jelly and dead.
He was cold and stark and stiff. Miss
Betsy was unconscious, but still living. She
was not dead at noon yesterday.
ARRIVAL OF JOHN HARPER.
A messenger was sent to Lexington for
Mr.. John Harper, and he arrived about 8
O'Clock to find his beautiful home in an up
roar, and his aged brother and aged and
| feeble sister the victims of crime SO hor-
rid and brutal and bloody that the shock of
it almost overcame him. The whole neigh
| borhood had assembled and crowded the
rooms and the halls in mute horror. The
negroes stood around the doors weeping,
and the old house-servant, the nurse of
Miss Betsy, knelt at the bedside of her old
mistress, crying as if her heart would
break. What reception for the man of
70 years! His grief, it is said, was inde-
scribable. He cried like a child. 1t was a
terrible moment, and many who had feared
the consequences of his arrival, now be-
lieved that he would not survive the shock.
| OBJECT OF THE AssAssINs.
It seems that, on Saturday last, Mr..
Jacob Harper went down to Frankfort, and,
it is thought, drew five hundred or thou
| sand dollars out of bank. Upon his return
to Midway, he offered to bet large amounts
on the Longfellow race, and exhibited
money, and this came to the knowledge of
the assassns. 1t was not the habit of the
family to keep money about the house.
Money was undoubtedly the object Of the
murder, but whether the murderers OBJ
tanned any or not, is not known. A
pocket-book that Mr.. Harper generally
carried was missing from his body, though
nothing else about the house was disturbed.
The murderers forced their way into the
house through window. The weapon
used was hatchet. Mr.. Harper's head
was cut and beaten to a jelly. Miss Betsy
received seven frightful gashes over hel
head and face, and the back part Of her
skull was crushed i'll. She became con.
scious on Monday, but was unaware that
anything had happened. Upon being asked
who had been in the house during the night
she replied nobody. Who struck her; no.
body. Who killed Jake; nobody. She
was concious of everything except the tel.
rible deed which had been so fatal to her
Physicians say that she may live for eigh
or ten days yet, but that she is so old an(
feeble that she can hardly recover.
Subsequent developments point witt
strong suspicion to several negroes, as thu
murderers and they have been arrested.
oMINOUS EXCITEMENT.
The whole bluegrass region was in ter
rible state of excitement yesterday. Abou
Midway and in Lexington people quit worl
SO greatly was the whole community ap
palled by the horror Of the thing. IL il
hoped that there will be no lynching or Ku
Kluxing, but the people are excited an,
there is no telling what may come of it all
Mr.. Harper has telegraphed for seyera
Of the shrewdest detectives in the country
and the matter will be sifted to the bottom
1t is as appalling as the famous Nathan
J murder, and more bloody. The victim
| are among the most wealthy people in th
State of Kentucky, and the murder, iron
! its cruelty, will attract the attention from
7 the close connection of the murdered with
0 man whose name has so recently been i
the mouths of everybody in the country.
The Rogers Locomotive Company.
| n T. 1n1 ts.ftt I