Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-12-28
a Horrible Tragedy Near ..t,,
Northeastern hcntuck,
That There NfGst Have lsec, -,
Engaged ia ftse Crime.

Special Dispatch 10 the Cincinnati Gaze,,e
IRoNreN. o., Dee. 25-0ne Of the nos, A.,
| ful crimes that ever Mortified Northcas,e,,, -
! lucky was perretrated at GeigerviHc s,,,...t,
of Ashland. saturday morning. Mrs. J. " ca
bons and her three chldren-Fannie. n b,,a
some girl of fourteen. and two sons. Rohor, i.
cripple Of eighteen years, and an irtercs,in,
! little boy of ten-livcd in neat cottage near
the center OF the village. They were indus
trious. quiet, and highly esteemed Friday
Mrs. Gibbons received draft from another SON
working at Chattanooga. That afternoon sh,
came 10 lTonton and had ii cashed. rem AIMING
over night with a married daughter. Before
leaving home she arranged with a neighbor
girl. Mary Thomas. pretty and attractive young
iady ol sixteen. To stay over night with her
daughter Fannie. The inmates OF the house
all slept on the first floor and about O'Clock
Saturday morning the Gibbons cottage was dis
covered on ire. The first person on the scene
tried in vain To rouse the inmates. The win
Gows opposite their respective beds were broken
in. and the flames temporarily checked. while
one or two brave neighbors in spite of fire and
smoke. entered and dragged out the bodies
stiff in death. Only one. Miss Thomas, was
found in led. the Others We're on the floor. The
pillows and bedding pulled through the win
duws were saturated with blood The bodies
were not badly burned. The coroners in
quest showed that the skull of each
one had been crushed with some blunt instru-
menu. and that the girls had been horribly
rayished. The boys brains were oozing from
the hole in his head. He had lost one leg i'm a
railroad accident. and was no match for the viii
famous murderers. 1t seems that ne must have
shown tight or have made his escape from the
house and tried To give an alarm. There was
mud on his one boot and on his hands and face
indicating that he must have been killed out of
doors and his body carried into the house to he
burned with the Others. Outside the building
were found a bloody hatchet and heavy crow
bar. clothed with blood and with LONG light hair
adhering TO it. afterward identified as that OF
Miss Thomas. The little boy. who had accom-
panied his mother to lronton. saws the hatchet
and crowbar belonged about the house. Parties
passing the house after O'Clock that morning
saw light in the kitchen, through which the
murderers probably gained an entrance.
Mrs. Gibbons was sent for early SATURDAY
morning. and was only told that her house had
burned When she learned of the tragic death
OF her children her grief was frantic.
As Yet there is no clue to the murderers. The
father of the family is a thriftess. drinking man
regarded as harmless. but. it is said was not
allowed to live at home because OF his dis
sipated habits. He is said to have threatened
the lives of his family but has not been seen in
that section of country for weeks. Ii is not
generally believed that he is the guilty party
There must have been more than one TO have
accomplished their fendish purposes on both
girls. and TO have murdered the three so quietly
were not alarmed. There IL a bad element i'm
this part of both Ohio and Kentucky.
and no man knows when his own person
or family are safe from their hesh designs
The three ghastly corpses were buried this
afternoon in one grave. and the citizens will
erect a monument to their memory. The
people Of this section are terribly excited over
the iendish outrage. unparalleled in the history
OF Boyd county. large and spirited meeting
OF the citizens of Ashland was held SATURDAY.
afternoon. The council offered reward of 500
for the arrest of the perpetrators. and a COM
mittee of six, Messrs. Jud re Savage. Jacob
Emmons, Thos. 5. Era, l.. f.. Massey. AL Miller
and Jos. Mitchell. Were appointed TO raise
fund for a reward from the citizens. In very
few minutes they secured over 81 600. and the
work is still going on This fund will be- i'm the
hands of a committee of three. Messrs. A. c.
Campbell, John Russell and John Calder
Several rough and suspicious looking strangers
have been lurking around. but luckily for them
the terribly excited popuace have not IA Yet
Jot OF evidence on which to base suspicion.