The Indiana State sentinel., 1879-09-10
THE MORGAN COUNTY MURDER.

willard Brown on the Stand-He Witnesses
the Murder of His Parents-Chloroformed
and Then Beaten to Death With Monkey
Wrench.
Especially Reported for the sentinel.l
MARTINsvILLE, Ind, Sept. S-Willard
Brown was on the witness stand almost the
entire day, last Saturday, and has been on
the stand all day to-day. His testimony
gives life and vitality to the prosecution
There is nothing more horrible and
fiendish In Bulwer, Dickens or
Dante than the story told by
that halfwitted boy, descriptive OF the muir.
der OF his father and the attempted assas-
sination of his mother. He says he vas
asked to enter into the unnatural and in
human conspiracy by his sister, Lou Parrott,
and his brother in-law, Joe Greer, but had
refused. On the fatal night he takes off his
boots in the room where his father and his
mother have retired to rest, and without q
single word or look of warning to
awful fate awaiting them, he deliber
ately goes into the hall, secretes
himself beneath some old quilts and sacks
under the stairway, and coolly awaits the
details Of the fearful tragedy. His grand
mother, brother, and Mrs. Parrotts little
girl, having gone up stairs to bed, he steals
from his hiding place at midnight, and,
standing tiptoe on a chair, looks through the
transom at bis sister sewing on the machine,
and his father and his mother peacefully
asleep in their bed. He gets down and push
es the door slightly ajar. Mrs. Parrott stops
her work, goes into an adjoining room, re
turns with a white cloth, which she mois.
tens from q small vial and then holds
close to each of the sleepers SO that the
chloroform is easily inhaled. She again
| goes into the adjoining room, and Joe Greer
-.al- T. =. d =
heavy monkey wrench. They go to the
bedside OF the Inflated pair. Mrs. Parrott
takes her mother by the throat,
and Joe Greer deals tremendous blows
IN quick succession upon the heads OF the
helpless, defenseless victims antil the bones
are crushed and the bed Is pool OF blood.
10 Greer then takes his father's-in-law
pocket book from under his lifeiess head
and hands 1t to Mrs. Parrott. The two pass
| into the next room, where they are joined
by another person and the three, standing
around table on which sits burning
lamp, divide the dead mans money. Will
ard, who witnessed all quickly, but silently
goes to his room up stairs. Mrs
Parrot soon goes to her room, which is clost
| to Wlllard's and all the house Is dark and
still. How awful the darkness! How ter
rIble the silencel Now the sound of a voics
the dead lie sleeping: 30. Willard! Will
ardl" Surely that is mothers voice; bu
impossible. Mother is dead. Murdered IL
her bed. Murdered by her children. Muir
dered for money. It sounds iik'
the other world. Yet 1t come
again: "Willard, come here! Something
in the matter with father" How that voic
must have chilled the blood and made tn
flesh creep Murder, parracide, robbery
darkness and judgment are in the house
The boy flies to tie room; Mrs. Parro
rushes down. Grandmother, brother, tb
little girl, are all there now. The bell
ringing, the neighbors come fiocking IN an
behold the bloody bed. the wounded living
the mapgled dead. Think OF it-ponde
upon It, Picture 1t in your mind, II yo
| not brieht.