, 1875-02-12
The Murder Of Deacon John Nc.
COrmicls, Mt Mount Vcr-
non, q.
The Misery Eccentricities Of the De.
ceased the Supposed Incentive.
Tho Mur1erors Fail to Discover Noarly
$4,000 Hidden In tho store.
THE MT. VERNON, O.. MURDER.


kremlin Building, Ind boon murdered In Lis
store Oil the night previous.
HOW THE MURDER wAR ntscnvEREp.
Mr. fiarvey Drapyan, blacksmith. on Front
street {who WAS ono Of Mr. McCormics's Gus
tomota), won't to tho store about 8 o'clock on
Saturday morning for tho purpose OF buying
horseshoe nails. knowing MIR. McCorlnick's
habits OF carly rising, ho WAS surprised to find
that tho blinds had not yet boon removed from
the front door and window. I1o noticed, how
ever, that the door was a1ar, put his hand OH tho
knob aud pushed 1t open. All was darkness
inside. lfe entored and parssd a motnont to
ascertain If any perBon was in the room. 1'y
this ttmo hls eycs adapting themselves to tho
darker atmosphere Of the Btoro, discovered What
appeared to bo tho body OF q man lying on tho
iloor, about tho centre Of the room. near tile
stove. Ho approached, aud WAS amazcd md
Mortified to find the dead body Of tho tnan Ao
WAS looking for atrotched on the floor. lis skull
broken, and his hoad lying in pool Of bIood
A1r. Drnnyan ran out md communicated tho nw-
fnl nowB to George 15unu and others. and in i
moment ths atoro-soom wa. crowded with peo~
pie.
wnES last asEv ALIVE.
Tue last person who saw and convorsed with
RrocoTy-sto1o next door. lIoro alr. HlcUor~
mick sat and chas.ed for abort hhff an hour ar-
roaring to be in unusually goou spirits. Iie
then went Into his nt0ro and closed, but did nos
lock, his door, aud procceled. it is nupposest, to
read his tlay paper {thc Cincinnati Gtixcite), ~
has bcen Lis custom for years..
how AND WHEN THE MURDER WAs COMMITTED.
As tho deceaaed hns always been very regular
in his habits, leaving his atorc-room about
o'clock III the evening for his boast1lng-l,ouso,
mud thon retiring for tho night, tho murder was
unqaeHtionably committed betweon the hours OF
7'80 and o'clock on Friday evening. From tho
appearance of things in tho morning, the con-
clusion in irresistible that Que or moro perBons
entered lilo store between tho hours mentioned,
under the pretenBe Of buying SONS IRON, but
rcAv to commit robbery. Tue newspaper
which tho deceased had boen reading was found
thrown catclossly Oil q ritG OF iron, back Of the
spot whero LIS chnir stood. near the stove, nj
though hc had laid 1t there while whiting rcou
customers. Two bps Of hight Iron lone q
rouud ard tho other fiat bar) wero found Oh
tho Hcalcs, which were balanced On tho irnn
block OF which the iron il cut WAS fouutl rod Of
hnlf-inch ronnd iron, II piece OF when was partly
cat of. Thcsa facta 80 to proye that the MIR.
dere,b did not 60 to buy lron but to commit
robpery, A. It was generally undcrstood that tho
dccoused had large sum Of money, supposed to
ho from 81. 900 to "a, O00, III d pocketbook which
ho kept concealed somewhere ln tho store. This
pockotbook probably boing produced to mako
change whom tho slips Of iron On tito acales were
weighed, tho 1nufderers pretended to want q
littlo more iron III order moro succeaaf,illy to
carry out their purposo; and /. is believed that,
while Slr. Mccormick wan stooping down one knee
on the floor, in the net Of cutting oil the other
slip Of iron, he WAS struck on tie head three or
fonr blows with hammer, broaking he skull
aud producing instant death. Ulood WIS found
Oh the loor near wllero The cutting was done,
as II it had Bpurted III IL small stream from
a wound, and blood and hair were found Oil two
hammers c!oHo TO where the dead body reBtel,
-one small co1d-chscl Hammer, aud tlie other
sledge Weighing about o1ght pounds, tho very
QUO uhud by deceased in cutting iron, Which was
f1fs1 1nU11t linn 10 Hr.k
blows Ind boon given with tho small hammer.
When discovered, tho bnay VIVA stretched MI The
floor, the head toward the frunt {or west) cn-
trnice, aud the feet about two yards froin tho
the blows lad becn given by the Bmaii hammer
(each ono OF which broke the akull and would
have produced deati). the deceased struggled
md fell over OF the tioor ut tho spnt mentioned
work, q naayy blow was giyon On tho top of tho
head with slelga, which mashed tho skull In a
horrible manner, the blood and braiua pouring
out upon tho floor.
!, THE nonnEnY.
Deacon Mccormick hlways kept largo sum OF
mouey-sb $40, go, $50. and S1U0 notca-in
tarKo pocketbook which be deposited III Lis su!a
during business hours. Which Il Is supposed, ho
tSoIsesa o tore s @ h p s S 9p ess1 ns M
and It Ia believed Il wan Tho only thing valuable
tue 1nurde.itig robbors obtained. Various small
sutns Of lnouey, watch. and othcr articles, waro
,oaoa 9ssa Il .,p H. pockets nss o Of t4o so. aee9asa
In the safe, mud about s3o III
small currency In 4 drawer behind tho counter,
whtol wore undfsturbed. I1le safo, Witch was
found unlocked 10 the morning, indicated that
it had been searched llastily, but not thoroughly,
as tho small change WAS nntouchcd lu t4o
drawers. The safe Ia All old-fashioucd ohe,
which was not considered burglar. proof, aud for
this reason Alr. Mccormick did not make 1t tio
depository ofhta mouos, bonds. or other valuable
property.
WEALTH. or TIE DECEASED,
Tho deceased WIS otla OF the Hoa!ty c!tlzens
Of alt. Vernon, autl. al ho owl,od bnt litto real
estate, his lncAua wora mostly in ready money,
toltss. aud notes besides . heavy stock OF lion.
We haro heard his wealth yarIo,lalY estimated
from S5o00U to s80, 900. All tAis las bceu accu-
nlniatrd by d long life Of industry and economy.
When ho carno to Knox County, i'll 1885, Lie waH
quite poor young man. mud for several years
supported himself by manual labor After No.
cu'nnlating about $190, ho bought fow plowa
and small lot Of iron, and With these he laid
the foundatlon OF his future wealth. 1te was
very close and attentive to business, never en-.
ployed clork Or assistant, and yory seldom ovon
called fer asslatalco In carrying great loada OF
heaTy iroh Into hia etoro-ronln.
HEWAs MANNED,
about tho year 1928 to d Indy near Oakland, Va,
By whom he bad three children all SONS, two OF
whnsh aro ntll living, md aro carrying OIL FARM
ing opcsationb In Iowa, lug having bought each Of
them valuable firm. Ills 1narringe did not
Bhort time betcra he camo to HI. Vernon. 1t,s
wife obtained divorce and waB married again.
lie Gialtett hl1 HOnH IN Iowa occasionally, nud a-
ways spoke onooAragtngly OF ther prosperity,
HE ECcEATII1c uAulIB.
Deacon Mocoriulck, although fond of money
and boarding. u away, waa by no tneanH miser.
lilo Was al$ayH ready to loan Ills money and assist
ltts frietds it, THAR buaiuoaa operations. lle
never WAS without money, and could mako
chsnge cath draft, or mako Ioau, to nj
Mgst any amount. wheneysr csiied upon. lie
DID not mike monny-lendins or note-shavlng D
bnklnnHs, aid It xas moro 10 accommodate his
porsoaa! friends tlan anything elso that be
loaned EnouRy At all. lla soeniod to hase but
little faith III bankH, aud haace he did bit little
buslness through them. Still lie kopt staadiug
aanost accotint, which was but seldom tncrea1ea
or diminished. Ills surpiuA money, bonds, ste,
hs alsAys kept hldoE Iii his hto,e-:Ae gold and
small ohanBs IN bags, sonic bank notea il, atl old
wallet, aud hts bonds rolled ut, and placed In t,u
tuoe. which were deposited On The floor behind
several tons OF iron wllicA etoaI upright OIL tue
north s'de u the store. hls. Charles Cooper ap-
Nhun 4R iutrAYtaI tia knanln1iaa af