The daily gazette., 1880-08-07
THIRD EDITION
A Mothers Awful Crime
MORPHIA ADMINISTERED TO
HERSELF AND NINE
CHILDREN.
The Fathers Dreadful Discovery,
DEATH OF THE EPERPETRAToR AND THREE
OF THE LITTLE ONES.
AMnRrcus, Ga, August 5, 1880.

AMERIcUs, Ga, August o, 1851.
Webster county. twenty miles west of
this place and the scene of the hanging of
Miss Susan Eberhart (white), 1873, for
the murder of Mrs. Spaun, Is again the
scene of a sickning tragedy in which
mother destroyed herself and attempted
she lives of her nine children. Last
evening, at SIX o'clock, Woodson E. Gun
nulls, @ well 10 do farmer, left home to visit
a sick neighbor, and returning at ten In
the evening found his wife and nine of
his ten small children in horrible sleep
from the effects of morphia administer
ed in lemonade by Mrs. Gunnells. There
is no doubt that she prepared the fatal
beverage and administered 1t to the
children and drank of it herself with IA
tai intent. Mr.. Gunnells was married to
this second wife, about seven years ago,
and has by her tour children. The other
six are by his previous wife, and, as far
as Is known, the step-mother has been
dutiful and kind parent to them. Mrs.
Gunnells was daughter of DR.. Tulhs, of
the same county, and is froma highly re-
spectacle family.
HORRIBLE SCENE.
When Mr.. Gunnells entered the house
at ten last evening with his Oldest child,
who had accompanied him on the visit
and thus escaped the fate of the others,
he found his wife and the other nine
children lying about the house in an un
conscious condition, and their stentorious
breathing Immediately satisfied him that
something terrible had occurred. He i'm
mediately gave the alarm and sent mes
sepgers for all the medical aid In the
neigkborhood. A large crowd of awe
stricken neighbors and several physi-
cians, among the latter DR.. Tullis, the
father of the unfortunate lady were soon
In attendance.
NOTE IN EXPLANATION.
A note in the handwriting Of Mrs.
Gunnells was found under morphia
bottle on a table, in which she stated
that she had deliberately administered
morphia to the children and herself,
with the intention of destroying them
all, and that she was not actaated by
any domestic trouble. Owing to the
lapse of time before medical help arrived
Mr.. Gunnelps case was hopeless. She
lay On her back on the bed in the un-
natural sleep produced by the fatal drug,
and all efforts of the physicians and sym
pathiziug friends to restore her were fu-
ule.
CHILDREN RECOVERING.
The children's case was not so hope
less, and by the unceasing efforts of the
physicians, some OF them showed signs
of returning consciousness. All of the
step children and some of the younger
children are now thought to be out of
danger. The youngest, an infant of a
few months, was saved by the fact that
It's mother could not Introduce enough
of the fluid down its little throat to de-
stroy life. 1t is probable that three OF
the children Will die. These three are
presumed to have drank more freely of
the deadly beverage than the others.
FEELING IN THE COMMUNITY.
This unhappy act has produced the
widest excitement in the community,
and the unfortunate husband and father
meets with universal sympathy. Not
withstanding the statement left in the
note that the horrible deed was not the
result of domestic infelclty, the neigh
bors think that the unfortunate lady's
married life was verv unhappy, and that
ehe determined to end il thus II prefer
once to separation, but why she should
decide to murder her own offspring and
her i've step-chtidren is likely to remain
amysteIy.
DEATH OF THE MOTHER.
Mrs. Gunnells expired about four
hours after taking the dtug, in the pres
ence Of the entire neighborhood and
will be burned tomorrow. The suffering
OF the children is Intense, and the escape
OF the hvS Oldest is considered mIracu-
lous, as they drank freely of the lemon
aaej without suspicion OF Its nature
Mrs. Gunnells was about thirty-fye
years old, and a lady of Intelligence
There had never been the faiutest suspi-
cion IN the family that she would at
tempt anything so horrible and through
out the gloomy hours of the fatal night
the assembled friends and spectators
looked on the effects of her a,t in
gloomy amazemeut The grief of Mr.
Gunnells and the family OF DR.. Tulhs
begRars description. Through the hours
of the night their lamentations were
heartrending, and your correspondent
hopes to never witness another scene
like 1t. The children are all under six
teen years Of age.
THE NOTE OF THE MOTHER
The idea advanced that the note found
was forgery Is negatived by an abuu-
dance of proofs. Many lady friends
familiar with her handwriting, are pusi
tive that Mrs. Gunnells wrote II ant
those of the older children recovered
sufficiently to talk much say that sh,
made the Lemonade and gave il TO then
from her own hands. Bot all the evi
dence negatives the idea of insanity an,
points directly to cool, deliberate de
termination on the part of hitherto
quiet kindheartad lady to take ava,
her own life and that of her family, AM
At the same time conceal from the worlt
the cause OF her act.