The Benton weekly record. [volume] (Benton, Mont.) 1880-1885, 1880-02-27
AN HH4L-FATED FARM.
The Strange History of shipp's Place
The Scene OF a Dozen Fatalities.

of The Strange History of Shipp's Plac
J. The SCENE OF a Dozen Fatalities.
fChicago Daily NeBs,l
;, Alfred Shipp was farmer, and reside
: half mile east Of Evergreen Park, an
), - about mile west Of Washington Heights
= in this county. His farm consisted Of seE
: enty acres. On the morning Of Octobe
lst Mr.. shipp was killed by being impalet
upon the horns of an angry bull, which b
! had gone to feed. A nine-year-old daugh
! ter was the first to witness the horrible
), tragedy and to give the alarm, but not il
time to save life. The bull, with a smoth.
eaed roar, thrust his horn through his vic
TINS body and pinned it to an upright
post. Death was almost instantaneous.
People may laugh at the expressions
. that place is haunted; but the Shipp farm
certainly seems case in point, during the
past ten years seven persons have met sud-
den Or violent deaths within it's boundaries,
and dozen or SO of horrible accidents
and hairbreadth escapes have keptits own
ers in a perpetual state of terror.
Yesterday a Daily Neags representative,
being in the vicinity of shipp's p1ace, cali
ed upon a neighbor, and while talking
about the sorroWful affair, learned the fol-
lowing strange history Of the place:
Three years ago last Sunday the farm
house was the scene of deliberate, coltf-
blooded murder. Mr. Shipp, wife and
daughter, were absent at church, and the
two hired men were left at home. One, a
young man named August Franks, had
been in the employ Of Mr.. Shipp for some
time, and was universally liked, the other,
VIM. Orvitt, had been hired but short
time previous. The day before Franks had
been paid sixty dollars, and it is believed
that OrVitt knew of it. Whether he did
or not will never be known, but the gem
eral belief is that he did, and that he had
made up his mind to robbery and murder.
Securing pistol he entered Franks room,
and, taking aim, fired, just as his victim
had turned to sec who the intruder was.
The bullet entered his mouth, passed down
his throat and lodged in the spinal column. !
Franks fell to the floor paralyzed Orvitt
made quick search for his money but,
failing to find it and becoming alarmed at
his crime, fled, taking gun with him. |
This he soon threw away. He came to
Chicago, admitted the shooting, claimed it
was accidental, and asked to be lodged in !
Jail. Franks lived two days, suffering I'M
told agonies. His dying statement was
that Oryitt was his murderer. The young
man was tried for murder, but pleaded
guilty to manslalighter; and is now serving
out his term in Joliet,
A still greater calamity and sadder
tragedy overlook the place about six years
ago. In small cabin on the north end of
the farm two brothers, laborers, had taken
up quarters, and We're keeping bachelors
hall. One evening they quarreled over a
game of cards. One of the neighbors, hap
pening to visit the cabin few mornings
afterward, discovered their lifeless bodies, L
one lying across the other, and an express
sion Of mingled pain and hatred upon each
countenance. The knife of one was still
clutched in his hand, while the other was
sticking in the floor in a pool of blood. The
particulars of the frightful fratricide were
never learned. The dead bodies were the
only, the silent witnesses of the terrible
scene rage had produced
The winter prior to the above occurrence
an Irishman, on his way from the city. had
occasion to cross this farm. The snow was
falling at the time and it was cold. By {
night he had reached the grove north of
the house, anc overcome with fatigue, laid {
down at the foot of a large oak tree. A few
days after his friends, looking tor his re-
mains, discovered them frozen and half
buried in the snow.
Less than eight years ago this singularly
unlucky place was the scene yet of another {
fatal accident. Two men had gone out s
hunting in the morning. They had re- 6
manned together during the day, and to- |
ward night-fall started home. They had I
approached the fatal grove, when one
walked on ahead. He had gone but a short
distance when rabbit sprang from bush
IN his path and bounded past him. Turn
ing instantly, he raised his gun and fred :
The charge missed the game, but lodged :
n the abdomen of the man in the rear. He
lived a short time, suffering intensely, then !.
lied:
If ever farm or place has been touch !
I'd by the fatal Upas tree, this farm recent !
" occupied by Mr.. Shipp is the one. A !
ew years ago lawyer named Smith, of !,
Chicago, purchased ten acres of the grove, )
md began building an elegant country resi- !,
ielice. The house was commenced, and /
he barn nearly completed, when Mr. .
Smith brought his wife out to see his new
lone. She was to spend a few days at the
arm house. She was prostrated upon a
lick bed, and, in spite Of the best medical
in a few days was a corpse. i
smith never finished his suburban resi- {
lence, and the unfinished barn still stands s
onely in the grove, a melancholy evidence c
# neglect, seeming a silent witness to
ONE sad and silent history. n
1t was only last summer that Mr.. Shipp n
escaped death by falling from a
Dad of hay, and brother-in-law was also
eriously injured on the very spot where :.
'hipp recently lost his life. =
The farm seems indeed to be fated Its
history is il history Of tragedies, each one :
adder than its predecessor. The last one :, :,
freaks up a happy home, and scatters :.
e. 1rr v