The Brookhaven ledger. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1878-06-13

a Wholesale va urder Sfu Fam.
iiy and Suicide of thc E'crpe-
trasor-ebne Of ahc EE0~s HEART
&ics9cnist. Carniyals Of Eeesss1i
0ss Record.
We publish the following account of
q terrible tragedy near Davison's mills,
near Americas. Ga:
Mr.. John W. Caldwell, who was re-
gnrled as a hard working. quiet indus
trious citizen, proceeded apparently in
the most methCdlcal manner to butcher
his entire family.
Caldwell first proceeded to kill his
wife with a smoothing iron by beating
out her brains.
Not content, he attacked his children.
and with the same weapon dashed ont
the brains Of three of them. Still not
c~outent with the harvest of death.
which he had renped, he rushed into
the garden where his sister-in.la law,
Miss Francis Mitchell. had fed for
safety when the bloody work com
merced, and seizing a grubbing hoe,
with repeated strokes mutilated her
skull fearfully, almost instantly killing
her. He then turned his attention to
himself.
He climbed upon the roof of his res
lidence. This, is the first that was
known of the affair. Some negroes
were at work in a field near by when
they heard the screams, and when they
turned they saw Caldwell on the top OF
the house gesticula ting violently and
calling for help. They fastened to-
ward him, but as they approached they
saw him leap from the house-tnn. He
fell on his breast and body He WIS ia
ken up insensible and carried into the
honse, whore the CHASTITY sight of the
murdered mother and children met
their gaze.
One of the negroes then started for
assistance. leaving two others to watch
the man they were now convinced was n
rasing maniac. Caldwell soon revived
and the negroes asked him, ''what have
you done? Are you in your senses?"
He replied eyes L have killed nv fam
ily and want to kill myself" an | begs
ged The negroes to kill him.
They of course refused H then
sent one of the negroes for a npielibor,
leaving but one with him. The muir
derer then started toward the calored
man. telling him if he did not leave he
would kill him. The negro fed.
Caldwell then proceeded to the gins
house near by. climbing to its top
One of his sons. about twenty years of
age, came up and asked him what was
the matter. He replied That he had
killed his family and was going to kill
himself. Bysthisstime the alarm had
been sounded through the neighbor-
hood and they began to approach. and
in full sight Of them he plunged head
foremost to the ground, a distance of
thirty feet, striking on his head and
died in a few moments.
Those killed were three children
Alice, aged ten, Robert six and Leila
two years OF age; his wife Nancy, aged
forty, and his sister -in-law, Miss. Fran
els Mitchell, t~hirty-eight years OF age.
He wns a man of f~orty>seven wears.
q farmer, q consistent member of the
Primitive Baptist Church, and the clerk
Of his church. He was mild in man
ner, and regarded As a quiet. indus
trious peaceable and iEoffensive citi-
zen.
Two theories Of the cause of the
murders and suicide have been formed
-one that he was insane at the time
Of the tragedy. Our latest advices,
however, assure us that it is clear
that he was not insane, but that the
cause of the great crime was his
improper relations with his sister-in-
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