The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1875-11-11
A MADMAN'S FATAL FREAK.
THE HOWARD COUNTY HORROR.
The Details Of the murder Of the
Robinson Children and the
Mysterious Death Of their
Murderous Father.
A sICKENING SCENE.

WAY-HE SUCCEEDS BUT TOO wELL-HI5
FLIGHT AND DEATH on THE RAuL-THE
WIDOW REFUSES HIS REMAINS BURIAL
BESIDE faRIR MURDERED CHILDREN.
The Robinson bu;chery, in Howard
county, which was briefly reported for the
Sentinel of yesterday, by special telegram,
becomes one of the most incomprehensible
tragedies ever enacted when the many little
circumstances connected with it are made
known. Yesterday a Sentinel reporter
| made q visit TO the scene and worked into
the true inwardness of this, the most horri-
BILE affair that ever brought disgrace upon q
civilized and Christian community. David
Robinson was q type of the well-to-do
farmer, rather more intelligent probably,
and with his family, consisting OF rather
bright wife and three children, the Oldest
but eight years of age, lived on forty acre
farm eight miles from Kokomo. Robinson,
who was about thirty years old, and his
wife, now twenty-seven years old, were
married in illinois. where they were born.
Soon after their marriage they moved to the
farm in Howard county, and for a
while they lived happy life, and
managed to save enough to pay for their
| humble but neat and clearly cabin home
| and the 40 acres of land. For seven years
at least their domestic life was blessed with
| peace and contentmeDt. Both were zsslous
church people and walked 10 the fear OF the
Lord. Three children blessed their union,
| the eldest, Willie, now eight years old,
Daniel six years old and bright little girl,
| Jennie, three years old. The father was
| happy in his children, and all who visited
his house remarked the fac, that he was
exceedingly proud of his family. He was
| always contriving for their pleasure and the
only thing tn At ever seemed to trouble him
was fear that his children might by some
unlocked for means become poor, and the
often said he would rather be dead than see
/ hia children DauD6T8. tie
| brOOded over this until II became a mania
| with him. Upon every other inject he was
/ sane, and seemed to take q more sensible
view of business affairs than most men OF
his circumstances in the community. Until
year ago he was regular attendant at the
country church, but since that time, while
| he was always kind to his children, he was
occasionally cruel to his vile without cause.
During the last year the fear OF poverty, al
luded to above, has grown on him. although
| he was com paratively free from debt and his
farm was in good condition. One day last
week, while the two boys were on their way
| to school, he met them and gave them some
cane beer which he had made. The younger
one OF the two drank considerable OF the
| poisoned beer, Us it was stterward learned
| to be, and went home from school quite
sick. The mother thought the child was
suffering with the ague, but the father &C
knoWleCged that he had poisoned the chill
6ren and told his wife to give them an anti
dote which was done and the children rap
| idly recovered. Last Wednesday evening,
THE NIGHT OF THE RUTcHERY,
after the children had been put to bee, the lit
tie girl and the youngest son, Dsnnie, in one
bed and Willie in another, the father
and mother began conversing about
| the welfare OF their children.
Something was said about the poisoning,
| and Robinson made the remark: eli was
4 - lrNnll IN
woods until died" He was not excited,
AMI had not been after returning home from
Kokomo az hour or so previous. He bad
gone 10 town in the afternoon and tried To
| get a revolver from a cousin OF bis vile, but
| was refused Aferward ne bought a sell
cooking four barreled pistol from a small
boy, and loading it, went to his home, riding
| horseback. He pitched his horse to the
| fence, and after being home an hour or
more the conversation, as stated above,
came up. After msSing the remark quoted
| he got up from his chair, and taking the
murderous little weapon from his pocket,
shot at Dannie, the youngest boy. and al
| most simultaneously with the report the
child screamed once. Then the frenzied
father turned about and fired at his wife,
who lodged his aim, and picking up a
chair, tried to stop him, but be pushed
the chair to one side. The wife
Their ran out of the house
just as her husband called out "Anns, you
are fOOliDg with a crazy man." AS the poor
mother got outside the door she heard two
more shots and another scream. After
| shooting Dannie, who was in bed with bis
| little sister, and after shooting at bis wife,
| the man shot at Willie who was in another
| corner of the room, the ball passing through
| the cheek, but not causing necessarily
fatal would. But one more load remained
| in the revolver and this was fired without
effect at the little girl who, it is supposed,
was still asleep and had not been awakened
/ by the former shots. By this time Willie
| had got out of bed and started for the door.
| The father seeing him running away picked
up stick of wood and threw 1t at him,
4 striking the poor boy IN the back OF the
bead, causing fracture OF the skull, and
of course, knocking him down. He got up,
| however, and started through the intense
darkness after his mother. The poor wo-
man bearing them coming through the dry
/ leaves though Robinson was following her;
that all the children were killed, and was
Fastening on the faster when she heard
Wilie's voice calling out
"MA, ARE you SHOT, Toor Amt"
The boy did not actually know that he
had been shot, but thought that the wound
| In his cheek came from a splinter of the
stick OF wood with which his father had
struck him. The mother picked him up aud
ran with him TO the nearest neighbor's. a
distance OF three-quarters Of mile. The
men folk at this place Immediately went
over to the Robinson place, and there their
eyes met sight which caused them to
fairly hubble together. Dannie's throat was
cut from ear to ear, his head almost severed
! from the body and his SKULL mashed In
Jennie was lying just as II still asleep, on
her right side, and with peaceful and
Q happy light on her pretty little face, but on
. | the left side OF her neck there was the awful
work of the razor, extending about three
inches. The two children had bled pro
, fusely, the he'd clothing being saturated
Z with blood. The inhuman father had, after
Q the mother and Willie had left, gone into
? the next room aud got his razor. which h'
, used In cutting their throats. Dannie evil
5 IDENTIFY fought for his life alter being shot
. as the disarrapgement of the bed clothing
, indicated. That the father should then breah
!. a chair up and use the arms and legs OF th'
< same to mash in the skull of the boy is on