The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1874-02-25
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A Father foisonS His Three Children and
then Shoots llimScIf.

! A')etter from Rutlcdgc, Ga. to III
atlanta II era id, dated the ldtl
gives the following particulars of tn
carnival of death briefly referred t.
in our teleeraphic column:
! Tho blood y tragedy enacted her
last night will scnd thrill of horro
to the hearts of our renders, an.
cause the blood to crrdle ut the bru
tai and ipbuman act which it il on
sud province to chronicle. John w
Woods, farmer living about a mil,
and quarter from this place, OF
Friday night, administered morphine
to his three children, aged respective.
| " fourteen, ton and. four years, and
then deliberately y SHOT himself.
Mr.. Weod and his wife had been
married about fifteen years, during
which time they had not hvod very
happily together. Hc was in the
habit OF coming home drunk, and
when under tho influence of liquor
would beat and abuse her terribly.
sometimes pulling her from one room
to another by tho hair of her head.
They separated several times, but for
the past year had been living pcucea-
ply together. On last Saturday,
Wood camo home drunk aud com
menccd threatening aud abusing her.
lie hnally made rush at her and
sought to seize her, it is thought, with
the lnteution Of killing. She clubb-
cd him, and fed to neighbor's, aud;
did not return ill this morning,
when the horrible news reached her.
Wood went TO Madison, Monday
last, procured morphine aud returned
home, intending TO accomplish his
dark deed Tuesday night. A friend
whom he ipd not seen for several
years, and whom he thought was dead,
called upon Tuesday, which delayed
the execution Of his fell purpose.
Abon % o'clock Friday nj gh., he
sent negro girl to this place, to
procure more morphine, which sho
cd i'll getting from DR.. Mont,
gomery, and returned home. On
going t. the house early this morning,
she found the doors haired in such II
mannor that she could not open them.
She uIscorcrcd 'Woou lylug upon tho
carpet, with pillow under his head,
and discovered blood upon his breast.
She Immediately raised the alarm,
and soon the doors were forcoh open
by somc Deigbbors, and Il sight met
their gaze which, might we'll appall
the stoutest heart. Lying on tho
floor was Wood, the life's blood still
o, 7ing from his ,broust, quito dead.
LII the same room, lying upon a
bod, with his head resting upon the
pillow, looking as though IL in pencc-
full slumber, was his youngest son,
George, also dead. Ia an adjoining
room, in the samo bed, were his old.
est son and daughter, both sleeping
the sleep Of death.
The coroner hold an inquest over
the bodies this afternoon, at o'clock,
when the following verdict was re-
turned: "Wc, the jury, Gnl that
the deceased, Chas. Wood, and the
other children came to their death
by morphine, admin istcrcd by the
father" The same verdict was rem.
dercd upon all the children. "We;
the jury, find, upon examination Of
the wounds, that the dcce ased, John
W. Wood, came to his death by a
pistol shot from his own hand"
On the 9;h instant Wood wrote a
letter to bis mother in regard to his
past miserable life, stating that he
preferred death to continuance of
his present life Of misery, and asked
her not gricve when ho WAS gone. lie
said he could not bear to leave. his
children behind, and would take them
with him. In his letter, he request
I'd that his body, and those Of his
children should be buried in the same
grave, and that Of his youngest son
to bo buried in tho, same collin with
him. The murdered children were
bright and Intelligent and beloved
by the whole. community.
Th mother is represented as being
good and affectiona'c wife. She
loved hor husband and children AZ
only fond mother can love, but tho
demon drink reared its hidcous form
between her aud happiness, aud at
last has left her a childlcss widow,