, 1873-12-30
TIE TRAGEDY III THE PINES.

A Farmer Murders fnis Wife and -Four
Children, - 'rhcn Cuts Eais own
.'rhrOnt With nn AK.
ooasto~s tDee. ny corres.9dc''rf Of th' Ao"treal
Yesteraay our llsually-quiot town WINS moved
to q fearful state OF excitement by report that
Timothy Topping, faralar living iu West Ok
ford, a.,l kuowp by nearly every person horo
lad killed lis VITO and four childrcr, aud tl1cn
cut his own threat. The story vas too appalling
to be credited, and during The AFTERNOON oyc1y
orig " that could 10 secured VAS brought into
rc1utsitiop. aud hundreds visited tho sceno OF
CRIME to SEQ and learn The particulars. The dis
tnnce il i mics from Woodstock and s from
swcabor;. on q ridge Of lnnd called 1.-THE
Pines, of West Oxford. Tho land wns formerly
covered With pine timber. but apparently fire
but pipc stumps and huff deca,ed timber. I is
one Of the rouSllcst farms iu the county. The
louse is frame md very uncomfortable.
Topping IL the youngest son Of a laiEo family
Of tia. naMc, was bGtn near here. anu IL now
about 40 ycars Of ;ngs. Hls wifo was daughter
Of tAe late Adam Dodge, WHO waa oua al tho
pioneer settlor6 Of tue township. and whose nll-
1nerouB brothers and sisters arc retilod ,u tho
Neighboghoud mud in good circumstances. Top
ring toll III old cleared farm q few years ago,
and moved further south to tho now place nell
toned, hoping 10 beltor his circumstances, but,
us lie remarked to d friend lately, to ~llom llo
appealed for advice: lie was getting further
bcAnd every ycnt, md he wus afraid Lis wife
anu ll1ully WUHlu tot CuIut u uHbhAly AuA
starvation" He Aas two sons, aboat 90 to
"a ,years old, to whom he intl1.sted tho
work OIL Tho farm, and he attended TO tho duties
Of a,,ctioncer, md once or twice US Assessor Of
Collector for tho township. l1o belonged to a
sect that bolioyo. ut lcast profoas to believe.
that there is neither reward or punishment be-
you'd tho grave. HENCE without tho fear
OF Gua before his eyos, ho felt it to bo his duty
TO place lis helpless wife and fatnllY beyond tic
possibility Of starvation bore. and his only
ia nj hal fhoH nfAck lila
in killing two more whom la supposes cannot
proy 10 for themselves.
During tho past week he seemed to he brood
ing over something TINT troubled him. aud II is
wight. hboat i o'clock on Sunday saotnlng the
tllroo eldest aons aud daughter about II ycn't
old, who were sleeping up stalrs, wore awakened
ty something; they bupposcd, IT WIS thal'
1aottscr, calling suddenly, "Doyo!" and nothing
more was heard by them, but on proceeding te
tho head Of the stairs they saw thor fatne'
comiug up with d k,.ifa in Lis hanu. which tue,
succeeded in Wrestling from him.. In tho ncai
time boy of H. WHO was to 10 his noxt victim
splung down tho ladder and lan into tht
caught mp the ax and given chnse. but fortu
nately for the boy l,o was swlfter Of foot. Fiud
ing tint tho boy Ind escaped, aud the other il
tending victim WAS gualdod by hor brothers, III
tLloat and would have comploted his blood:
work, but the CONS wore loo quick for him. naV
iug suatolleG tho Ak away anl secured his arms
lte WIZ p!ac.d in chur aud guarded ly thrc'
constahleH, where he still cut whom eoen by ri,
at 4 o'clock. Hisniad-pipe waH cut 10 tlnt ~
could not speak; but llo employed himself al
day in that bloody condition writing with zen
Gil. lie expressed deBire to have a corta!!
lawyer brought from Iugorsol to mako lis will
During tlo holding Of the inquest il lila pres
enee III Ecpls to questions, he stated IL wrltinl
TINT ho Was not sarry for what he had dono bu
regretted that ho llal fal!ed to kill tha otael
two; that ho thought tho two oldoss could d.
for themselves, uni did not intend to touct
them. In ono coluor of the room stands bDt
6tcad. on which tue two murdered girls woro loi
by the trutal fathor, having driven the sharp ax
into tlle brain OF aaeh On q truudte-bcl lav tl
two boys, tho yonugeat aged +, With hia l,oa,
severed from lIis body; tho other II years old
with Ills head half cut In two. Ju tle aa3otniuJ
room luy tho wife, with her head 10 foarrul
gasllod that recognition cyen by hor frlond
would bo d.lloult. The most sickanlng sight 0
all was tho criminal, sitting upright III clair
with his head clottod with blood mud all III
olothea raturatod, . holo 80 1argo In his ti,roa
that the cavity Of tho windnipe was dsceruible
Ills breath escaped through tho aperture. Ut.
articulation was impossible. a number Of dot
tors wore Ia attendance, and, when loft, wol
proceeding to Sow up tile gap, with Homo oonl
denca Of saving lifo. Circuit sympathy iB felt fo
tho connections Of the wretol.ed family, who a1
Industrious aud respectable.