The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1878-02-23
HORRIBLE CRIME.


| 4 Debaucheai Sou XIII. His Meahes
Sister sna Brothers. FIees 50 rexal
as.d Thence 10 Mfssssssppi. Whers
he - Captured.
| Yesterday evening the reporter mel
Mr.. John 4. Liutei of ST. Paul, Min
nesoia, aud deputy sheriff of Annas
county, " ho arrived IN this city Friday
night looking for fugitive from jus
tice, named Henry Summers, whom
be expected TO find in this place, bii
yesterday he received adviees from
/ Canton, Mississippi, stating that Sum.
meIs had been captured in that place
The reporter Intercepted Dir. Lintel
concerning the matter, and learned
from him the following story, which is
almost too horrible for belief.
There lived some five miles from ST.
Paul tue Summer, family, consisting
of John f. Summers. his aged mother,
two younger brothers and sister
Their father years ago was u lumber
merchant, and had by hard iieks
amassed quite fortune, which
at his death he left To the sole
control OF bis wife, all the
children at that time being minors,
while John, his eldest SOB, was u wild,
hayward, no-account youth, who
seemed 10th TO settle himself down to
any of the steady pursuits OF life. AT
Tar hs Of "a. fail I,l
the oldest son, took charge td the At
fairs of the place, acting liz the capa,
eitp of an age1t for his mother. IL was
not long, however, before he had
gained a fonduess Tor city life, aud he
would sometimes spend weeks in st
Paul, associsting with fast women
and unpriDeipled men.
Though he was time and again re-
preached by his friends for his negli.
genee of his mother, yet he needed
them not, but kept on his wild
spent SO much OF his mothers money
that she had to have RECOURSE to law
to restrain him. After ,ihis he never
spoke good word of bis mother, bu,
treated her and his brothers and sister
with the utmast contempt, ridieuling
what he termed their Old fogy ways
One morning ia Lass Septetuoe The
asigh boEhood in which the family
lived, was thrown into tue widest
state of excitement hy the body OF his
m0thet, sister and two brothers
being folad iyiug dead 10 Their beds,
with their heads split open. From the
position of tbs 90 - .! iis mother, ano
scratches on her person, it IVES evidc mt
that che bad fought desperately for her
life. The sister and two oro:bers had
been struck dead in their sleep john
Sammers, who slept ap stairs aio e,
stated that he jsasl heard a noise down
stairs, aud, taking his pistol, had goae
do wn to see what the matter WAS. Ga
reaching the rooms, two would be
robbers rushed out, when lac fired sew
erai shots at them without any effect.
| His story was generally credited, for
few dreamed him guilty of such
heiaUus crime. Yet n few had
their suspicious about the matter, and
began to ask impairment questions
A hatchet was found under the house
all covered over with blood, which
John attempted to explain away, by
saying that he had the day before
killed u sheep. 4 spIoteh of blood was
found on his shirt front. which he ex
planned by stating that his youngest
brother, Francis. had cut bis fager,
and IN tying 1t up for him, he had thus
gotten IL. In his excitement, he caught
his trother's finger. Very fooiishly,
the people proposed TO delay his arrest
until something more definite could be
found out. The next morning, John
Summers WAS gone, leaving behind the
estate and bank aecAuns for which be
bad killed his o.n mother, SISTER aud
brotters. He had committed 10 the
most horrible manner the most helm
ieEs crime know in the cri minal cal
endar, that lac might enjoy the prop
eity and pursue his life of debauchery
and shame. He came to Daiiss, aud
! "a the officer has since learned worked
in brick yard.
There is no Doubt In the mind OF Mr.
( Iliutei, hu, whit he will hang. He
/ left last night for home on the north
bound train.