Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1879-11-13
TERRIBLE TRAGEDY IN LANCASTER.
rCbarot,e Observer, Of Tuesday.I

TERRIBLE TRAGEDY IN LANCASTER.
lCharlot,e Observer, Of Tuesday.
From perfectly trustworthy sources-from
letter received from across the border and
from a gentleman who arrived in this city
Yesterday afternoon particulars are gather
ed of one of the most shocking transactions
that was ever heard Of The story Of the
crime and end of Mrs. James Adams, late of
Lancaster county, S. c., has, happily, but
few parallels in all the annals of crime, and it
will in all likelihood, stand out conspicuous
ly for many years to come, as one OF the ceie-
brated cases. -
Mrs. Adams, with her husband and FIVE
chiIdren-three boys and two girls-lived
or ten miles below Lancaster village, the hus-
band and father q farmer, working on the
lands of Mr.. A. J. Kibler. Near them lived
neighbor, a Mr.. Crenshaw, and last Satur-
day night about twelve o'clock, the Crenshaws
were aroused from sleep by the cries of Mrs.
Adams, who appeared to be at their door,
begging for an axe but insisting that no light
be brought Going out, Mr.. Crenshaw dis
covered that the clothing was entirely burned
from the body of the woman and that she
was suffering intensely from the FIRE which
had enveloped her: He asked her where her
baby was, to which she replied "in heaven
and proposed to answer any other question on
condition that she should be knocked in the
head. Judging from Mrs. Adams condition
that her house had been burned down, and
thinking likely that the children had been
burned with it, Mr.. Crenshaw ran thither, but
finding no fire upon the premises except upon
the hearth in one of the rooms of the dwelling,
he returned to his own home without entering.
Other persons were by this time gathered
at Crenshaws house, and Mrs. Crenshaw sug
gesting that Mrs. Adams be taken back to her
own home, she was wrapped in sheet and
carried thither. An hour and half after
being placed in her own bed, death kindly
came to her relief, and she passed away with
out word to those around her concerning the
terrible picture that was soon to be opened
up to them.
Some of the neighbors, of whom there had
by this time gathered quite number, having
occasion to 60 into little shed room connec-
ted with the house, encountered there aspecta-
Gle which, once looked upon, is never forgotten.
In one bed lay all Eve of the children, each
weltering in its own blood, and all dead. ALI
resting in natural positions-three of the
children's heads at the head of the bed and
the heads of the other two at the foot-so
much of repose was there in the scene, and go
little suggestion of violence of any kind, that
the chance spectator would have said they
were enjoying natural sleep. The bodies
were still warm, but the blood was there to
tell where the knife had been. Lights were
brought and examination revealed that not
one little life had been spared by the distrac.
ted mother. In every case the jugular vein
had been cut by some sharp instrument, and
so painless was the death that not one child
had moved. The eldest Of the children
aged about II years-had been stabbed in
two places aud the infant in three, but only
upon the face of the eldest was there scratch,
and except upon the necks, from which the
life blood had run out there was no sign Of
blood until the cover was removed and the
bodies turned over. iz ~ Tg.
There was no difficulty in finding q theo-
ry for the presence Of these six corpses in
The house. The mother, known by the
neighbors to have been an utterly wretched
woman, in moment of sudden frenzy had
taken the lives of her Eve children aud then
Get FIRE to her own clothing to finish her work.
How we'll she did it has already been told.
| That she was, Insane when she did it does not
admit of the slightest doubt As to the cause
Of her insanity there are conflicting stories.
The most generally accepted is that Of jeal-
ousy, and this theory is all the more plausi-
Bile since there are no allegations in the neigh
borhood of personal violence on the part of
the husband. She had been heard to say
that she would rather see her children dead
than to have them living as they were, but
the full force of this remark does not appear
in the absence of proofs Of degrading poverty.
The husband and father was not at home
at the time of the occurrence, which must
ever be to him the blacklist of dark memo
ries. He had gone to the house Of a brother
to spend the night, expecting to go the next
day from there to church and in the fact
that bis going had been urged by his wife, is
found proof that her purpose of murder and
suicide was not sudden freak but premed.
itated purpose.
The coroner was summoned and proceeded
Sunday afternoon, to hold an inquest over
the bodies At last accounts, however, the
inquest had just begun.
The Observer, Of yesterday morning, gives
the following additional particulars
Our correspondent learns that Adams had
not been providing properly for his family,
and that he had been drinking when be left
home Saturday afternoon. He had. as al
ready stated, been asked by his wife to go
away for the night, she urging him at the
same time to lock up his cotton house and
corn crib and put the keys in his pocket and
to return home Sunday evening. We have
no intelligence as to the verdict of the coro-
ner's jury.
THE NEW YORK ELECTIONS.
The following is what some of the leading
newspapers have to say in, regard to the re-
cent elections in New York:
| [New York Herald, INDEPENDENT
The success Of the rest of the Democratic
ticket only makes the overthrow Of Mr.. Til.
den more glaring and conspicuous. It is clear
that but fof his sinterference the Democrats
could have chosen their whole ticket, Cover
nor and all. Had he suffered Mr.. Potter to
be placed at the head of the ticket, as he was
urged to do, Mr. Potter and not Mr.. Cornell
would to day be Governor elect. But he
\ n