The Indiana State sentinel., 1875-07-29
A FRANTIC FAMILY

ATTEMPTED SUICIDE ALL AROUND.
A TRAGEDY IN JAIr-MFsERIEs oF = RA1T1-
MORE FAMILY-FATHER AND MorHER ,r-
TEMPT TO SLAY THEMSELvEs-THE SON Of
FEIis HIHsELFro TIE FATHERS KNIFE.
special from Baltimore to Saturdav's Sun
relates this almost incredible story: In one
ot the cells of the city jail Yesterday A f,tber
and son, both supposed 10 be insane. tried To
! terminate their lives, the son, without
word or mnrmur, submitting to be made a
sacrifice by his father, who fatally cur the
young mans throat and then cut his own.
For three years past Ludwig Scharf. his Wife
and son, have lived in small
back building in the rear of
East Baltimore street. near Canal
Scharf st first supported his family bv tailor
ing, but afterwards, when it was vvith
great difficulty that work could be obtainaj
the family began life of seclusion. For
several months they lived in almost total
darkness, the suns rays bsing never all owed
TO illuminate their small room. The doors
we're boarded up, as were also th- windows,
and even the key holes closed. Neither the
man or tpe woman ever appeared outside.
but sometimes they could be sen ia "a
yard before daylight. The son, vino is bout
tWenty-four years old, occasionally vent
out 10 the BsIalr street market, and by dint
]
i0od, which furnished the means of subsist
enTe to the family. On going and return
ing the boy leaped over the fence They re-
fused 10 answer when any one raped. and
the landlord had to push his monthly bIu
Tor rent under the door When thew were
ready to pay 1t they handed the money over
the door. They seemed to be Insane. and
had apprehension that some one was seek
ing To murder them. The bov. when nuce
stopped in the yard by some neighbors. be
gan TO shrek murder" The cries brought
| the old man and his wife into the ward. he
former being armed with carving knife.
I ne neighbOrs had to
FLEE FOR THEIR LIVES
Last Sunday man and woman tried to
force an entrance into the room, but the old
couple were on hand, and the invaders were
but too glad to leave, not, however, until
both had received some hard blows. Scharf.
his wife, and son were arrested last Tuesday
on charge of assulting the persons who had
endeavored to interfere with the solitude Of
their home. When the room wbers these
people lived WIS entered an almost intoler-
able stencil emanated from it. A black gnC3
filthy bed lay on the floor, and chests and
bags were piled up in the corners of the
room. manuscript book, in the hand
writing of the old man, contained a record
of his talks with the "angels." The man is
is about sixty years of age, below the me-
dunn height, wears long gray hair and a
long gray beard. Justice Morse decided TO
send the woman to Bayview, and Ludwig
Scharf and his son to the jsil. The woman
was placed in the cell to await the arrival of
the van OF the Bayview Asylum. While
alone in the cell she became respondent
and made desperate attempt to commit
suicide. She tied handkerchief to the door
OF the cell, and made knot around her neck :.
and while she was trying to give a full swing
TO her body and straDgle herself, the turn
key approached and extlicated her from her
terrible position. She seemed to be pos
| sessed with the idea that her husband and
son had been murdered. On Wednesday
morning she was taken to the Bavview
Asylum. Father and son were taken TO Jail
on Tuesday evening and placed together in
cell No. 90. The youth seemed full of ap-
prehension on account of his mother, and
kept saying, "Will they kill nv motbeI?"
what will they do to my mother?" Yes
terday about IL O'Clock a son OF Scharf by a
former wife, a respectable aud industrious
tailor, went to the Jail to take measures TO
get them out. While waiting for admission
TO the cell the discovery was made Of the at
tempt at murder and suicide. The deputy
warden. on approaching the cell, saw the
elder Scharf standing with razor in one
hand and in the act of
CUTTING HIS SONS THROAT.
The son was kneeing, with his head thrown
back, Is though Offering himself as a sacri-
fee. When the warden reached the door OF
the cell the razor had done its work, and the
blood was flowing copiously from the boys
throat: He could not speak, the Yindpipe
being severed, but he kept the officers az bay
with heavy iron bucket, while the father
spoke in threatening tones forbidding ap-
proacn. One OF the deputies was sent for a
club, and while he was gone the old man
raised his long white beard aud drew the
razor across his throat several times, infiict-
ing deep wounds, from which the blood
poured in streams. At this moment pris-
oner in an adjoining cell struck with a bot
tie on the slse OF Shcnts' S cell, and attracted
their attention, as they turned around the
officers seized them. The son was laid upon
bed weak from loss OF blood, but the father,
after getting quieted, talked with his othe:
son. Ii was tben asertained that the mines
OF both being worked up to frenzy by the
separation fiom and fears of harm to their
vile anc mother, the father had by consent
OF the son, held the latter's head back
against the wall OF the cell and drawn the
razor across bis throat, gasbing the neck
horribly and completely severing the wind
pipe. He then cut his own throat, but not
quite so deeply. DIR. j. w. Houck, physi-
clan to the Jail, sewed up the wounds of
both, but such was the cash in the sons
throat that hewas obliged to leave the hole
at the windpipe open to permit his breath
ing. He can take subsistence, however, by
swallowing. DR.. Houck is very doubtful of
the sons recovery but thinks the father will
get over his wound. He thinks them de-
ranged in mind, though the sons mental
weakness is of an idiotic character. The
following was written by young Scharf on
the wall of his cell previous to the attempt
st suicide: They went and murdered my
mother yesterday, and to day they want to
murder us. We can't get any help; the
whole country is den of robbers. They
murdered my mother yesterday, and to-
day they want u.s."
Wondering what becomes OF all the lead
pencils is in order. In one week of last
month a firm near New York received or
dars fo- AIS r,,ilo- ~ l,n .,orail