Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1874-05-13
KILLING FIVE PERSONS FOR FIFTEEN
DOLLARS.
a Fiendish Murder-Mow It was Done.

blendlsh Murder-H0w IL Was Done ?
On Thursday the 3Oth ult, near Home
stead, Pa, German named Ernest Ment-
ing Killed Mr. and Mrs. Hamnet and
three children in most brutal manner.
de was arrested in Allegheny City on the
I'd inst, and made the following confession
Of me crime:
lie started out with the assertion that
the murder had been entirely unpremedi-
lated. He then proceeded: Z" / left Ham
nets house just after supper, on the even
ing of the murder, and went directly to
homestead. | called at a saloon and drank
Two glasses of beer. That was all had that
night. After leaving the saloon | went to
grocery store kept by a German and pur-
chased some cigars, and five cents worth
Of candy for the children. / don't know
the name of the store-keeper, but / had
been there several times. l think / was at
the store about 8 o'clock in the evening.
Just as L was leaving it it came into my
head that / must have Hamnet's money
| thought he had great deal of money in
the house, and as ] felt so queer all at
once in my head, / thought must get it.
| went directly to the house, but don't
know how l got there, ! suppose / must
nave been out ofmy mind. After getting
into the house, l found Mr.. and Mrs
Hamnet had not come home, and it
occurred to me that to get the money |
must kill the children. ! found an AK in
the kitchen, and taking that with me,
wentup into the room over the kitchen,
where Robert Smith and myself slept. The
ted was in corner of the room, and saw
Robert sleeping soundly, with his face to-
ward me. l took a 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. i may have
struck him twice, but he never groaned.
After the boy was dead / went into an
adjoining room, where Ida and little
Emma were sleeping. Both of the little
she never moved. l then raised the AK and
struck at Emma. She uttered cry, and
| hit her second time. She did not groan
again.
After this / 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. ! was
standing so that he could not see me, and
/ struck him from behind, using the same
ak. He fell to the floor.
Mrs. Hamnet then came rushing into the
room, and as she passed through the door
[ struck her, but did not kill her. She
shrieked once or twice, "Oh, God, John!n
a
killed her instantly.
Mrs. Hamnet and the baby were the
only ones / hit twice. The others were
killed with one blow. l used the AK all the
time.
committed the deed to get Mr.. Ham
nets money. / searched Mr.. Hamnet's
pockets and obtained his pocket book. 1t
contained only fifteen dollars in paper
money. L found Mrs. Hamnets pocket
book on the sewing machine. There
was only fifty cents in it. ! looked over
the house, but all the money / got was fif-
teen dollars.
The silver money / spent yesterday
drought with me from Germany. j did
not get it from the house. My only motive
for doing this deed was to get money.
never had any ill-feelipg towards any
of the Hamnets. | always liked the chill
dren, and always bought them candy when
went to the homestead. The boy Smith
and were good friends, and always liked
Mr.. and Mrs. Hamnet.
did not fire the house, and it was not a
part of the plan to cover up the murder.
When searching the house, / put an oil
lamp in the sitting room, and when rush.
ing away from the building, it was over
turned. l thought it would go out. / did
not think the house would burn.
The prisoner then detailed his escape and
whereabouts until arrested NIentzing
gave the following sketch of himself:
My name is Ernest Mentzing, l was born
in Stuttgart, Wurtemberg, and am twenty
eight years of age. My mother and father
are both dead, but / have two brothers and
three sisters living near Stuttgart.
i was in the Bavarian army, and served
IN an infantry regiment. / participated in
the battles OF Woerth and Leichtenberg,
and participated in the siege of Paris.
i served out my time in that army, and
escaped without a wound. My father and
mother died in 1870. l came to this coun-
try about Is months ago, and worked with
Peter Ramsey, at Oakdale, New jersey, as
farm hand, which was my occupation in
Germany. / came to Pittsburg in January
last, and obtained employment at Ham
nets, where L have been ever since.