Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1874-05-07
THE HOMESTEAD TRAGEDY.
Especial Telegram.l

- THE HOMESTEAD TRAGEDY.
Especial Telegram.I
ARREST OF THE MURDERER.
PITTSBURGH. Pa, May 2-Thc muir
dercr of the Hamnett family, five in
number, was arrested to-day, in AL
legheny City, and he made q full con-
fcssi0n of the crime to the authorities.
When the news of his capture was
made known an immense crowd gath.
cred about the Tombs shortly before s
O'Clock. Intense excitement prevail,
ed, and for a time it was feared that an
effort would be made to take the pris-
oner ont of the hands of the anthori-
ties and hang him to the nearest lamp
post, even before it was definitely set
tied that he was really the murderer.
Threats of this character were freely
made, and a strong guard of police
men was placed in and round the pas
sage ways leading to the cell in which
the murderer was confined. After his
breakfast the prisoner gave his name
as Ernst Mintzing, and made the fol-
lowing confession through IN inter-
@ THE CONFESSION.
He started out with the assertion
that the murder had been entirely UNI
premeditated. He then proceeded -
II left Hamnett's house Just after sup
per, on the evening Of the murder,
and went directly to Homestead. 1
called at a saloon and drank two glass
cs of beer. That was all ] had that
night. After leaving the saloon 1
went to a grocery store kept by Ger
man, and purchased some cigars and
five cents worth of candy for the chill
dren. / don't know the name of the
store keeper, but / had been there sew
eral times. think was at the store
about 8 O'Clock in the evening. Just
as ! was leaving, it CAME into my head
| that must have Hamnett's money. /
thought he had great deal Of money
| in the house, and as felt 80 queer all
at once in my head, I thought must
get il. 1 went directly to the house,
but don't know how got there. I
suppose ] must have been out Of my
mind. After getting into the house i
found Mr.. and Mrs. Hamnett had not
come home. 1t occurred to me that to
get the money must kill the children.
| found an axe in the kitchen, and ia
king that with me, went up into the
room over the kitchen, where Robert
Smith and myself slept. Tho bed was
in . corner of the room, and I saw
that Robert was sleeping soundly, with
his face toward me. took . position
at the front of the bed, and with one
blow killed the boy. He never moved.
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 went into
an adjoining room, where Ida and lit
tie Emmie were sleeping. There
were two beds In the room-0no In
the corner, and the other the one &C.
cupied by the children, near the CEN
tire. Both of the little girls were
sleeping. I struck Ida and she never
moved. / then raised the axe and
| struck at Emmie. She uttered . cry,
and / hit her the second time. She
did not gIoan again After this went
down stairs and took q position just
inside the door of the room adjoining
the kitchen, and waited for Mr.. and
| Mrs. Hamnett to come home. They
| came between 10 and IL o'clock. Mr..
Hamnett came into the room first. /
was standing so that he could not see
me, and struck him from behind,
[ using the same axe. He fell to the
| floor. Mrs. uamnctt then came rush
ing into the room, and ~ she passed
through the door, / struck her, but
did not kill her. She shrieked once
or twice, sOh, God, John 2 and then I
struck . second blow, which Killed
her instantly. Mrs. Hamnett and the
baby were the only ones I hit twice.
The others were killed with one blow.
used the axe all the time. '-
Il committed the deed to get Mr..
Hamnett's money Il searched Mr..
Hamnctt's pockets, and obtained his
pocket book. 1t contained only SIS
In paper. money. found Mrs. Ham
nett's pocket. book on The sewing ma
chine. There was only SO cents in It.
looked over the house, but all the
money got was SIS. The silver
fmOieS spent on yesterday r brought
with me from Germany. 1 did not
| get il from the house. Is I'D ~
9NEu outx, vv,n4s ~ 70, 4 ~ :, n <l,so Had
8. ~ 80 - $500 ~ 49,. 49,. LaS 49,,
4, A. = ~. tvy n.s ~ .,,a 20" uo "ry
na.4,ssa r '.i.-.,-. al, ~ ~. ,s.s,. ch;l-
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-ha1, 1. nsss 80 ssn "c6s mr. ~.
S;th ..o = II ~ q Frs.,,d. "a Az
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-. . No. ~ - ,.,.n >" onros ~ H.
,r"rSar w. o. spa. .n ry ~ hn,sa i
n,,t an IL, ';omn n Sha Attn r.rnc S !
ND whar rnsh;nr a aweu trom 'tha
n n ~. ~ s nn.s,,.s m I.bonr u
- mn,,sa - ~ |" ~ a. v.o . J;d mc, .h;nL ~
ho,,se ,roniS S0r, , N.Y. 1N $50
v sWs " soan I,as. az hr,,a,nr :
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- ' p;ttshnr ~ 'nu 'cr. t soo o ~,
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InnI Lnn,y .ha ,naa,;n, ,.rv -.i1 .
80 rauo. !. p;.tshrrnh 80. 49,
tnree ulnes. AIper leaving Daers
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