The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1876-01-07
DEVILS isCARNATE.
Ihey Supplement- Murder by Robbery
hnd Aroma widow aud Two
children burned 10 Death.
.I1rom lhe ClneInnatl Ilnnnror

a brief mention was made I'm yester
DAYS Enquirer OF startling rumol
lhat ma reached Lawrence Durg In,
preceding evening to the effect thnt d
Mrs, Gordon and her three children
living near enterprise, Switzerland
county, Indiana, about ten miles west
OF Rising sun, had been burned q
death Christmas night. II was also
suggested that the burnlDg was the
horfid work of an ineendiary. Tho
facts, as further ELECTED Yesterday.
melamorph0se this rum0r and sugges.
ton into n most horrible mystery, apd
the mere thought of that which is sus.
pecled and even believed IL slckening
In the extreme.
Inc facts az given were learned from
the only surviving daughter of the
woman, who il supposed to be one OF
-FOUR Victims to this damnable crime.
The daughters name IL Matte Allen,
ana she lives In the home of Mr..
Charles Stevens, on the Elizabethtown
pike, in Indiana, near the Ohio State
Inc She is u young woman Of intel
ligence, evidently about twenty years
OF age, and sustains II good reputation
Tor truth and respectablity. She had
Out just returned from the scene Of the
horror yesterday, and was, therefore,
very much excited. Between her con-
vulsive sobs she told her awful story t.
About Il year ago her mother, who
was then the widow Abbott, and about
torty-siN years old, was married TO Il
widower 10y the name of John Gordon,
who had four children, two sons aud
two daughters. This was her third
marriage, she having been by n former
marriage united to man 10y the name
Of Charles Allen. or this first union
there were two children, one of
whom alone survives, and this one
Is Matte Allen, our grief-stricken In
lormant. In Mrs. Gordon's second
union, and while her name was Alb.
Oott she became the mother OF three
bright children, Hattie, Robert and
Nathan. BY her last marriage she had
no children, and about three months
ago her last husband, John Gordon,
died, since when she, with Hattie,
Robert and Nathan, aged, respectively,
twelve, ten and eight years, has been
trying to exc out living on a small
farm at the place above designated.
In this same vicinity Gordon's four
William John, Lydia and
Mary have also been living. They are
all grown, and are said not to have
been on good terms with their step
mother. But of this Miss Allen knew
only u little, she having been absent
from home tor a long time. She knew
her mother, however, to be peaceful,
frugal woman, with whom no one
need have any trouble.
LAST MONDAY MORNING,
while at her home in the house of
Charles Stevens, Matte Allen received
a dispatch stating that her mother had
been burned to death. Has
tenng to the desolate place, she found
chat the neighbors We're all ready to
confirm the truth of the dispatch. The
day before Christmas Mrs. Gordon had
sold valuable COW and u lot of chick
ems, and had received the money for
the same. She was also in receipt OF Il
Government pension for the support
VI hGi anu StlC IiGu thtlClOIC
quite quantity Of money in the house.
Of this her neighbors knew, since she
had not been at all backward in max.
ing known her financial condition.
Christmas day, In honor of her COM
parative prosperity, she had several of
her neighb0rs in to eat Christmas din
ner with her. She then seemed in al
unusually happy frame of mind, and
conversed freely upon her plans for
working her little farm next summer.
During the afternoon her visitors left,
and toward night she went with her
to spend the evening with her
family, that of John Good
ners, who lived nearly half mile
away. About eight o'clock, Mrs. Cor
ion and children started for their
home, and, the night being very dark,
some of the Goodners accompanied her
to her very gate, where they left her,
still feeling very cheerful and happy.
Her house, which was rather small,
having only six rooms, was
A FRAME BUILDING,
ocated little back from the road,
md so surrounded by hillocks AS to be
1ut of sight and removed from any of
he neighbors' houses, n fit place for
,ome hellish crimes. About 500 or
900 feet from the house was located
he barn, in which Mrs. Gordon kept
. horse, for which only few days
since she was offered $3.50. The Good
lers even saw her as she ard Der chill
lren entered safely into their little
home, since when no trace of them,
lot even the slightest clew, has been
discovered. Early Sunday morning
Mrs Goodners had occasion to so over
o see Mrs. Gordon on some matter of
business, and when, after reaching the
lace where she could always see Mrs. |
iordon's home she saw none, she at |
irst thought she had missed her way
She thought this but q
moment, however, for instantly after
The discovered the smoke arising from |
he smouldering ruins of both the
lorse ana barn. Quickly returning to
Ter own home she gave the alarm,
her own folks and sent
word to other neighbors, aud then re-
urned to the Gordon farm. 1t requir-
I'd comparatively but a very brief time
'or the wondering country people to
at these ruins and to begin |
search for the remains, if there were
any. Both the house and barn were
IN complete ruins, nothing at all being |
left of them but the ashes and a few
lying embers. These were carelessly |
examined, but the traces of the re-
mains of human bodies were not
found. 1t was thought that at least
some human tones would be left to
settle what was fixed as an awful
mystery, but the casual search was
made in vain. /
ON MONDAY NIGHT,
nearly Tuesday morning, when Mat
tie Allen had arrived, another search
was made with the same result as be-
fore. Search was made among the
.t,o - tha harn IN GOO " N af hpr Or |