The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1874-10-22
A MOTHERS CRIME.
She Cuts the Throat of Her Little Child
and Kills Herself.

and Kills Herself.
An elegant and comfortable brown
stone house on Ninth street, in Cincin-
natl, was the scene of domestic trag-
edy that has few or no parallels in hui
man annals.
About five years ago Mr.. Charles l..
Perkins married Miss Julia Smell at
Saville, Ohio. Mr.. Perkins has always
held an enviable position in life.
Though not millionaire, or very rich
man, he was in comfortable circum-
stances. He had q good business as
partner in the firm of De Camp, Per-
kins & Leroy, manufacturers and deal.
ers in saddlery, at 81 Main street. He
has brother who is Judgein Covlng-
ton, and belongs to a much respected
Kentucky family. His wife is daugh-
ter of Judge Smell, of Weston, Platt
county, Mo-, where she was born. She
was beautiful, high-spirited girl.
Judge Smell was a Kentuckian who
enligrated to the rich Platt country of
Missouri many years ago, when the ex-
traordinary hemp growing facilities of
that section were attracting many other
Kentuckians with their large retinue
of slaves. He was highly esteemed
among his fellow emigrants, and they
elected him to several offices. He was
Probate Judge of Platt county for fif-
teen years or longer. He sent his
children back to his native State and to
Ohio to advanced educational institu
tions. His daughter Julia made the
acquaintance of her husband while she
was a school girl.
After their marriage they lived hap
PLY, to all outward appearance, in Gov
ington, until about two months ago,
when they moved to Ninth street.
Their Cincinnati home, as already init
mated, was elegant without being os-
tentatious, and was about the last place
in the world where one would look for
such as met the Mortified gaze of a
coroner's jury.
One evening Mr.. Perkins came home
from business and found there Mr.. J.
Claire, a saddletree manufacturer of
Bethel, Ohio, with whom he had bust
ness relations, and who was accus-
toned to make the Perkins domicil his
stopping place when in the city.
A quarrel lasting all night ensued be-
tween the husband and wife, the cause
of which has not yet been ascertained,
although it is coniectured that it was
jealousy. While the quarrel was at its
height, about one o'clock, Mrs. Perkins
seized razor and attempted to cut the
throat of her daughter Clara, an only
child, not quite three years old. Mr..
Claire seized her, and with the help of
her husband took the razor from her
before she done any damage with it.
When daylight came the quarrel was
not over, but Mrs. Perkins had become
calmer, and at an early hour her hus-
band and Mr.. Claire left the house, with
an understanding that at II o'clock, or
thereabouts, carriage would be sent
to take Mrs. Perkins and her child to
some place to which she had expressed
a desire to 60. The carriage was sent,
but the driver found the house closed,
and his ringing and knocking meeting
no answer, he went away. Mr.. Perkins
was uneasy, and about eleven o'clock he
left his store and went to his residence.
He found the doors closed and could
net readily effect an entrance. Think
ing, as he says, that his wife had
carried out her declared purpose to &c
off with the carriage, he returned to his
place of business.
AT one o'clock his uneasiness and I'M
certainty impelled him to go again to
his home. He took with his brother,
Henry Perkins. TLey found the house
closed as before, and the husband,
desiring to relieve his mind of ali
doubts, sent for Mr.. Hasselberg, his
landlord, who lives near by, and asked
him to force an entrance. Mr.. Hassel-
berg broke open kitchen window in
the rear, and entered through it, ac-
companied by Mr.. Henry Perkins, while
the unhappy husband and father waited
outside. The two men found all the
inside doors unfastened, except the one
opening into the front room, second
story, which was the room in which Mr..
Perkins and his wife and child slept.
This door was locked and bolted. Mr..
Hasselberg procured stepladder, and
with its aid looked through the transom
over the door. The room had two beds
in it, one small, for the use of the child.
On the larger Mr.. Hasselberg saw Mrs.
Perkins and her daughter lying seem
ingly lifeless, covered with blood. He
retreated in dismay, and communicated
his discovery to the husband and his
brother. The husband swooned. Tho
brother assisted in breaking open the
chamber. 1t was found that Mrs. Per
kins was still alive, but her child haC
evidently been dead more than al
hour.
From subsequent Investigations by
the coroner and a jury, it was ascer
tanned that soon after the departure ot
her husband and Mr.. Claire in the
morning, Mrs. Perkins told their only
servant, colored woman, to shut uI
the house securely and go off for holi
day. Mrs. Perkins then arrayed little
Clara in her best clothes. The dress
was of white Marseilles, prettily EN-
broideIed and trimmed around the
bottom, overskirt and sleeves with ricl
lace. Her feet were encased in a tiny
pair of bronzed kid CATERS. The child
being thus prepared for sacrifice, Mrs
Perkins proceeded to dress herself il
faultless style. Then she smashed the
glass of an elegant mantel clock, and
with one of the pieces she cut the
child's throat, making q deep gasl
three inches long. The child was heard
to cry, "Mamma, mamma don't Kill
me !" Then she turned on the gas,
without lighting it, and commenced
saving at her own throat with the same
piece of glass. When she thought she
had succeeded in making fatal wounds
she took the child in her arms and lay
down to die. She was still alive wher
discovered, and after medical treatment
recovered sufficiently to speak. She ex,
pressed great regret at her failure tc
compass her own death, and declared
her purpose to kill herself whenever
she could get an opportunity. In this