The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1880-11-09

and without Any ProvocatIon, Kill
HIS wife aud Child. and Three Visitors
and Then Commits Suicide.
Barns,,iile Entsrprs, Extra.
News reached this place Monday morn
ing of the most appalling tragedy tina
ever occurred in this section Of Ohio. A
man hitherto Of good character and ordi
nary intelligence, in fit OF temporary In
sanity, kills in briel space OF time five
persons, and completes the terrible tragedy
by putting an end TO his own existence
The scene OF the tragedy is the Peter
Weissnt farm, five miles south OF Calais
near the Chapel Church, between Lewis.
vile and Summerfsld, three miles west ol
the former village. The principal actor
In the scene Of blood is Frank Beden-
baugh, man thirty years OF age. The
victims are his wife, MIRA Annie Beden
baugh, daughter Of John Jetfers, Esq,
who resides near TemperSuceville, her
babe, aged less than two years; Miss
Elizabeth stepbenp, aged forty.tive, aud
her two children, a girl eleven years, aud
a boy fivaor six years OF age. All these
people were killed in brief space OF time
except the daughter OF Miss Stephens
who Is 80 badly injured that she Will not
likely recover.
The tragedy occurred last Saturday
evening about dark, 1t is supposed. The
frat Indications OF the horrible murder
were discovered by younger brother Of
Bedenbaugh, who had been absent at a
husking, and who returned about eleven
o'clock at night He came from a scene
OF TeVelry and in moment laced a
carnival OF death. The Bedenbaugh
house IL an old .fas hionPd farm house, with
two rooms on the first floor, with large
chin ney in the centre, furnishing fire.
place for each roOm. Entering the family
room on his return, there was Just enough
light from the smouldsTIng fire to cast a
wierd and awful shadow over the scene
OF death. Prominent on the floor was the
body OF Miss Stephens, q large, tall women,
with fair face and hair, which was now
darkened and matted by blood, which had
oozed from her brain and ran down upon
her drees. A irightfuI wound had been
made with the pole OF an AK on the back
of the head, above and behind the ear.
The skull had been mashed in where the
fatal ax had descended with crushing
force. 0u the door, not far away, were
three children-his own babe, and two be.
lorgiug to Miss Stephens, all dead except
one, which was unconscious at d will not
recover. Two Of them had their heads
beaten, probably by the same weapon
which had been used on the woman. The
living one had wounds about the lace, but
the skull does not seem to be injured.
The young man Immediately gave the
alarm, and party of Mortified neighbors
soon gathered at the scene Of butchery.
A search OF the premises was sooR besup,
but nothing beyond what has been des.
cribed was discovered 10 the house. The
outbuildings wor0 then searched. In
tobacco house, q quarter OF mile east oil
the residence, they found Frank Beden-
bauph, badly wounded He had crawled
into the huuse through u crack in the wall,
and had then taken down @quantity ot
tobacco, upon which he WAS lying, not yet
dead. The throat had been cut from ear
10 ear, and blood covered the ground Tor
considerable distance. Several wounds,
evidently made with hatchOt, were on
he forehead and face. 1t is supposed that
the c.azsd man had tried TO kill himself
with the hatchet, and failing In that had
used the certain and fatal razor. Both
weapons we're found noar him, covered
with blood. He had on his every day
clothes, and his face and breast were
covered with blood. He was yet able to
speak, and In reply to q question about
whore his wife was, he designated the
place where she cou be found, and ad'
ded that he had killed her. No further
information could be obtained from him.
He was taken TO the house and lived until
eleven O'Clock SUNDAY morning.
The terrified neignbors went from the
bloody scene In the tobacco house, TO the
pasture field, where the faithful vile, in-
tent on family duties, and with no thought
Of danger in her mind, had gone to milk
only few hours before. The night was
dark and rainy, the ground turned to mud
by the heavy Tains OF the previous day
A still more horrible Fcene was presented
in the lonely field. Here lay the dead
body OF Mrs. Bedenbaugb, with her throat
cut, her head beaten and partially imbed.
| u6u III Luuus 4ud HhtCuot Auu luhSI AaA
both been used to do their deadly work,
AID the fair young face and forehead we e
uarred and mutlAted by the cruel blows.
This completed the fatal list-All were &C.
counted for, but all had been killed, and
the death roll vas complete. The bodies
were gathered together In the house, and
all that Sabbath day, as the news spread,
hundreds Of people from the surrounding
lcauntry, hearing Of the awful tragedy,
cams 10 the scene Of death, and with bated
breath and hearts almost stilled in the
presence OF the awful scene, g0zed appail.
ed upon the dead bodiesot the victims
Among the people who went to the scene
was the father and brother Of the man who
nd done the awful hutChery. There, too
WAS John Je1e'S, tho father OF the de
ceased wife, who had started from hi
home, with no thought OF the tate which
had befallen his daughter, ut merely Il
make q friendly visit; TO take by the hant
one that he loved dearly, and 10 stay Tor
time with the family which he expected Il
aud, as before, In the enjoyment Of hesltl
J and happiness.
now IT WAS DONE
The exact manner in which the kill
,, ling was done will never be known
! whether the deed was the result Of q sud
J den impulse OF quarrel, or Of a long se
tied intention, cannot be surmised. Th
actions Of the murderer when b
hro,hsr left him In tho morniu
were not unusual, though be CON
plained OF not feeling veil. TheI
r hsd been no chickering's nor Jars, and 'hel
q WAS no ill.Ieeling between the murder
4 And the Stephens woman. Neither Is Il
!. sxaet lime Of the murder known. It
r suppos,d, howeSsr, that It must have be'
i. neaTly dark. The westher Was rainy tn
afternoon, and II did not cease pnll near