, 1875-10-21

.Aelr Jo,t StH, Ntt ~,
The verdict Of the Coronsra Jury which ant ie
HackeststowD. i. j.. yestcrdAY morning, over
tho ramatuS OF thn Children, John and Otto
Ritter, w1o werc hilled On Saturday 1ant, VIA
tint they met doAth al lie hands nj their father.
1otIu Iittor. hy "wilifu1 and fn1nnIous murdor."
Tho testimony upon which this verdict MAS
renJerei Was given by neven nr eight Witnesses,
tic ,nuri important Of whom ucrn Mrs. Ritter,
tho wi'e of ahn accused nun, and Dss.
t:rsne and Cook, WHO examined tt.e wounds
Of the children bofore and altar thor dted. Ac-
eord''G to The tostlmony al bis wife, JOHN Iit.
t"r, who IL German l,o,lHo+paintcr. had beou
without employment for Rix weeks. AZ tito
rnrod of ,dleucs. lcngthenod. ho became
.'ast'nho1t t"oh /" drinking heavily aud waa
mnrosG when alone, and abusive when with
her. On Satnr5sy morning ho arose ut Il
o'clock. aud busici h,tnsolf about tue houHe,
lighting thu kltrllap.trn md drinking n1ean-
while very frequently from bottle he had
thought into tho hos,se OIL tie day before AZ
ter the fire was started. Mrs. Hitter dreraed hor.
self AMI prepared breakfast. H'io called hoa
husband whom tho iaeal wa4 renlY. sni he re-
hponded by cnFsfi'. hor, smashing the furniture.
md throwing tAe fsagments into tho Gre.
Aware that her preaeuce usAdtlsred him. sle
dod ffnnl tls Ao,lso and crusaed tho rond to
feighbor's cattnae leaving hce t1o Itt:lo boys.
+ Af:cr t1ia. at nl.out hal. past
| toun. who was passing }htter's lousc.
heard two or three p1Etoi-shots. and moment
nfterwattl "a" tho door Of ths house thrown
! open. and inari another sim,tsr report. Mr..
S1dncr ras too frightened to en.er the house;
but Mrs. Ritter, who had Beeu tue door Of hor
house opsn aud had lleard the final e.,ot. hur-
rcd hack md looked through window of het
honsc.
Upon the floor 1.;ttos Eat. holding tho limp and
apparently iifoloss body Of Otto, the youngest
| enid. and 10 coruas. lying on his lace, al It
he had fallen from the cnair behind him. 's.a
! the other boy. Tho three were red with blool.
| Blood ran fIou, their faces over tho ciothea IT
tho father and tho child by biz side, and the
head of tho Oldest boy vas stepped in pool OF
blood that had oozed from hiA wounds. As tho
! terror-strickrn wife looked into the room. Bhn
saw ter husband fontlle tho little body with hiA
hand and heard him calling to It sondeTly.
Alarmed for tho children, yet not daring to enter
tbs ho1se, Mrv litter ran screaming to fo'1n-
DRY ntAr by. Tho mprlmpu returned viii, her
and entered the hot1ee. hitter was still fondlinR
the li,tla hoy. wlIo4o ite-blood mingled With h4
own for hc hal shot h,mBon -coursesi down hie
clothiuK. and spread out Oil the ioor. The tuen
spoke to him. l''tt he TnH TOO weak ftom ioss OF
blood 10 heed them or tn st,r bnsclf. and hia
only worjs wore. "OA, ny child my child /"
Stas,ri? st thom from tin wall. tho men saw.
written in black upon tito DlnAtor, these words ::
"My wife and tho vito Of S11'i hre to blame for
tho death Of Inv children and n:Bolf." In q
former trlai Hitter had threatened to kill bis
wifo and Mrs. Emil. who ~ \ neghbor, had
complained OF HIM to jHBtice.
Willis come OF tue men who had entered
tho room re!asael the sonugest child from
Lii fathcr'n grasp, aud did villa. could be
done toward restoflng all tllrco to cn,lBcions-
ne.E Others ran to tho village for phyhtciat
md Coroner. Drs. Cook and Crane hastsned
to the hoase mud examined tho wounds. III.
fathcr Lad shot hinlsclr in the back OF tue bead
bat tho bullet old NOT penetrato tho skull, aot
Il Wa plain flat he could recover. Both ehil
dre1I. however. WE'RE fatally wounded. both hav
inn h1pft fhtGrnlj ftfn h3kd bRtlfDH thA lHf
car, ard the youngest had received All addittona
| bullet Il. the centte at lie farollena.
A. II o'clock tito littie one coaArd tn breathe
The a!es. lid not dc until o'clock in the even
inz. Afte: n Jury ilatl heen impaneled and hat
We've, tho bsly OF tht Youngest ct,lid, and th'
! utmost lf.|rss bn2y Of tho other, the three vic
tins wore waHhed, the chiidron were laid OIL bod
;; aud lttter was left unon tho tlnor corose'
. with eioshing. he recovered consciousness b
, | degraes, aud rallied about h1A Mife at one INC
| apoke entirel" In t;ermau, snti 70 fellow
. | cot,ntrynian, wltu asken l,ul why he had con-
. nalt.cd r,.ch crime ts said "tho cause "a
/ ruin aaI tho NonAn.
7ns:;e" Carr. ia the village, anbwas ennonero'
. to commit him to the County Jail at BtlTidere
| wher,. lie iH eoIfne1.
/. Mia R,:tsr remained with hcr children uut
: ato in tho evening, mud waA thou taken to
neighbor's house, but slc returned. early q
SUNDAY morning and remained all day. weepin
= nud rocking heada tho bed In whieh the it'll
j b0ttlea lay.
g The children wete buried In tho Union Csm
/. ctery, near IackettsteW7i. Yesterday Afternoon
= The burial eessleo was pronounced Ill tho Meth
:. ods: Church ellacs b. the HeT. G. E. Lstlt
" and he preached at earnest temperance hekuot
:; Tho editcs WIS thrnngcd. Mn. Hitter Accom-
/. panied By ler brother followed the hearso I
!. The church door, moaning and wrinRiuE beE band
i When the collins wcro taken In tia church dot
+ eha thtt9Ae1 and 6Cfstnled in ApaHu3s.