Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1880-12-23
OCCURRENCES OF INTEREST.

The Terrible Tragedy mt Chester, IN. -
A CHESTER QIl.) special to the Chicago Times
of the eth gives the following account of the
horrible tragedy recently enacted In thst
place:
LAST Friday Louis Tockstein. man twen-
ty-six years old, farmer living about milo
east of this city, showed signs of insanity and
was brought to town and placed In jail for safe
keeping. Sunday his brother took him home.
In the afternoon, when left unguarded, he
forced his sisters out into the yard, making
them kneel down and pray, but was surprised
by the return of his brother. After getting
into the house he became violent, and had to
be tied down. Monday he was delivered to
the Sheriff, tried by the County Court, and
ordered committed to the Insane Asylum at
Anna, Ill. He had to be held until Tuesday
noon for transportation. The Sheriff placed
him in charge of James Waters and his
brother, Louis Gerlach, locked in room
in the st. Charles Hotel. on the ground
floor. The prisoner was very quiet
throughout the night and was awakened
to wash for breakfast. He got up pleasantly
and started to wash, when suddenly he threw
the water into Gerlachs face and jumped for
the window. Waters caught hold of his coat,
but did not succeed in holding him. He and
Gerlach pursued him, but the maniac bounded
over fences and bitches like q deer, and was
soon out of sight. He ran west down long,
sIoping hill. At the foot of the hill on q little
plat of ground stood the house of Thomas
Ryan, q small one-story whitewashed house,
about one hundred yards from any neighbOrs.
The occupants on Tuesday morning were
Thomas Ryan, an old man, weak and feeble,
between seventy and eighty years of age, his
daughter, Mrs. Smith, about thirty-five years
old, Mrs. Smiths daughter Sarah, aged twelve,
and Ryan's grandson, Arthur Bardon, ten
years old. The maniac stopped on the hillside
and took Off his boots. Then he jumped rail-
fence and plunged bodily through the window,
smashing the glass and sash. Overturning the
table, he rushed into the bedroom of old man
Ryan and commenced to pull him out of bed.
The boy, who slept with his grandfather, woke
up and crawled over the foot of the bed, ran
outdoors, and passed his aunt and cousin at
the corner of the house, his aunt holding an ak
in her hand. He kept running, and gave the
alarm to the neighbors, who fastened to the
scene but too late. Ryan, the woman and
little girl were weltering in their blood. great
streams flowing from Their heads and Threats.
The head of the little girl was cut entirely OF,
leaving the chin attached to the body, the
head being carried away by the murderer. The
neighbOrs were Mortified and stood stunned
upon viewing the remains, while the maniac
bounded over the hills, swinging the bleeding
head in defiance. Gaining the woods, he dis
appeared from view, tearing the clothing from
his body and scattering the pieces as he ran. He
cleared the woods and came out at the back part
of Dr. Gordon's premises. Leaping the fence
he rushed into the kitchen, the child's head
still in his hands. The hired girl, Mary Hight
come, had just built the fire, when Tockstein
struck her with the head, knocking her down.
He then rushed into the bedroom of Mrs. Ed
ward Gordon. pulled her out of bed. and would
have murdered her, but the screams Of both
women brought the hired man, Louis Horn
beck, to their assistance, who, after desperate
struggle, succeeded in downing Tockstein. DIR.
Gordon and Hofnbeck tied him securely with
ropes. The mailman struggled desperately to
get the head of little Sarah, saying it was his
sisters head, and he wanted it. He was again
remanded to the care of the Sheriff.
THE Times reporter visited the scene soon
after the murder, and viewed the bodies and
the premises. Ryan's body lay about ten feet
from the corner of the house. To the right |
lay the body of Mrs. Smith. About five feet |
on the other side of her lay little Sarah Smith,
the head having been returned to the body. |
The sight was horrible. Great pools of blood |
saturated the ground in heaps of human gore. |
The CORY ak, on which the hairs OF the old, |
gray-headed man were still sticking, was there |
between the bodies, and the gold dental plate |
knocked from the mouth of Mrs. Smith with |
her two teeth still at tached. The AK showed |
of the yellow clay on the outside of the house. |
There were no signs of any struggle. They |
were killed on the spot where they undoubt |
eddy knelt to pray" |