Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes Co., O. [Ohio]) 1870-1895, 1874-05-07
THE HOMESTEAD TRAGEDY.
The Murderer ught---AStartling Con-
Restorative Murders for SIS, 900.

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The Murderer Caught Con- |
Restorative Murders for SIS, 900.
PITTsBURG, May 2.-Mintzing,
the fiend who committed the
murder at Homestead,
Pennsylvania, ,on Thursday morn
ing. was arrested last evening at
Wachter's saloon. in Allegheny
City.
He gave, III substance, the fol-
lowing details of the damning
me,answering questions with
out the slightest hesitation.
He started out with the asser-
ton that the murder had been
entirely unprecedented. He then
proceeded: II left Hamnet's
house just after supper, on the
evening of the murder, and went
directly to Homestead. l called
at saloon and drunk two glass
es of beer. That was all l had
that night. After leaving the
saloon l went to a grocery store
kept by a German and purchased
some cigars and five cents worth
of candy for the children. l don't
know the name OF the storekeep
er, but l had been there several
times. / think was at the store
about nine O'Clock in the even
ing. Just as l was leaving it
came into my head that l must
have Hamnet's money. l thought
he had great deal of money in
the house, land as l felt so queer
all at once in my head l thought
1 must get it. went directly to
the house but don't know how ]
got there. l suppose l must have
been out of my mind. After get
ting into the house l found Mr..
and Mrs. Hamnet had not came
home, and it occurred to me that
to get the money l must kill the
children. l found an axe in the
kitchern and, taking that with
me, went up into the room over
the kitchen, where Robert Smith
and myself slept. The bed was
in a corner of the room, and ]
saw Robert sleeping soundly,with
his face toward me. 1 took a po-
sition at the front of the bed, land
with one blow killed the boy. BE
never moved. l can't say how
it was that the boys throat was
cut. / may have struck him
twice, but he never groaned.
After the boy was dead l went
into an adjoining room, where
Ida and little Emma were sleep.
ing. Both of the little girls were
sleeping. l struck Ida first, and
she never moved. / then raised
the axe and struck at Emma. She
uttered a cry, and 1 hit her a sec.
ond time. She did not groar
again.
After this l went down stairs
and took a position just inside
the door of the room adjoining
the kitchen, and waited for Mr..
and Mrs. Hamnet to come home
They came between 10 and II
o'clock. Mr.. Hamnet came into
the room first. l was standing
so that he could not see me, and
l struck him from behind, using
the same axe. He fell to the
floor. Mrs. Hamnet then came
rushing into the room, and,as she
passed through the door, l struck
her, but did not kill her. She
shrieked once OF twice, "Oh, God
Johnw and then l struck a Sec
ond blow, which killed her in
stantly.
Mrs. Hamnet and the baby
were the only ones l hit twice.
The others were killed with one
blow. | used the axe all the
time.
l committed the deed to get
Mr., Hamnet's money, searched
Hamnet's pockets and obtained
his pocket book. There was on
ly fifteen dollars in paper mon
ey in it. l found Mrs. Hamnet's
pocket-book on the sewing ma
chine. There was only fifty
cents in it. Looked over the
house, but all the money l got
was fifteen. dollars.
The silver money l spent yes
terday 1 brought with me from
Germany. l did not get it from
the house. Ny only motive for
doing this deed was to get mon
ey.
l never had auy ill-feelings to-
wards any of the Hamnets. Ial-
ways liked the children and al
was brought them candy when l
went to Homestead. The boy
Smith and myself were good
friends,and / always liked Mr. and
Mrs. Hamnet.
l did not fire the house, and it
was not a part of the plan to COW
er up the murder. When search
ing the house, l put an oil lamp
in the sitting room, and when
rushing away from the building
it was overturned. Thought it
would go out. Did not think the
house would burn.