The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1882-01-19
A MODERN JEzEBEL.
Dark STAIN ON kENrvckYs NAME.
A Crimson HuSd Tragedy ia Gsrrard Csunty-I
Han Aardsn His Wife, Neither and Two
Daughters, aud Then Puts an End 10
Himself The Horrible Details.

LOUISVILLE, January 1S,-The Courier
Journal furnishes the following, just re
ceived from its Lancaster reporter;
This town was shocked this morning by
the reception Of news Of the most horrible
tragedy that has ever taken place in Ger.
rard county, or, indeed, in the State Of
Kentucky. About 2 o'clock negro man
came to town bringing information that
James A. Wilmot, farmer, living about
two miles and half from Lancaster, near
the Danyille pike, had murdered his
mother, wife and two daughters, and then
eliminated the awful act by hanging him.
self.
Squire R. Boyle, acting as coroner, i'm.
mediately repaired to the scene Of the
tragedy accompanied by a large number OF
people. On the arrival several Of the near.
est neighbors were already found there, but
none had dared touch the bodies Of the
parties named, and the truth Of the infor-
nation was su6stantiated by the finding Of
the liieless body Of John r. Wilmot hang.
ing in his barn. The dead bodies Of Eliza.
beth Milmot, his mother, aged 50, Matte
and Mary Wilmot, his daughters, aged
about 10 and ID, lying in their beds with
awful cuts across their neCGs. The blows
were inflicted by q sharp new axe found ".
ing on the floor Of the room; and also
the body Of Elizabeth Wilmot, his wife,
lying on her face on the floor, with three
or four horrible gashes in her head and
back made by the same death-deaiing axe.
A jury was Immediately impannelled by
Squire Boyle.
The first witness, Mrs. Alice Colyin, who
had been doing some work for Wilmot,
was sleeping in room up stairs during
the commission Of the deed. Her testimony
was that the family had retired last night
in the usual manner, Wilmot, his wife and
little boy, about eight years old, occupying
one bed in the family room, and his two
daughters another in the same room. In
an adjoining room slept the mans aged
mother, and in one room up stairs a son,
Jas. j. Wilmot, and in another room the
witness. About five o'clock this morning
she was attracted by some noise below,
and going down met Wilmot coming out
OF the room where his mother slept. It
was too dark for her to see anything in his
hand, supposed to be an axe. She asked
Wilmot what he was doing. He replied
that he had killed the whole family and
was going to kill himself. Horror stricken,
the young girl rushed through the other
room and, meeting the young boy, caught
him and took him out OF the house with
her and went to Cotored mans house
near by.
Just us she was leaving the family room,
her oldest son, James j., who is about 20
years old, attracted by the noise below,
came down stairs in his night clothes. He
testified that as he reached the foot of the
stairs he came in contact with his father,
who had gun in his hand. He asked
him what he was doing. and his father re-
Piled that he was going to kill himself,
and would kill him, too. Instantly his
father grappled with him and threw him
down, but was unable to hold him. The
old man rose, grabbed the gun and aimed
to shoot but his son knocked it up and
the ball went through the ceiling. The
young man then broke loose and ran for
his life, the old man following him to the
steps and over the yard fence, then he
turned towards the barn.
The boy continued running until he had
aroused some OF the nearest neighbors, who
hastily repaired to the scene. None were
bold enough to enter the house until day.
light revealed the dead body, dressed only
in a shirt and drawers, OF Jas. R. Wilmot
swinging under the shed OF the barn. He
had taken pfow line, fastened il around
his neck, climbed up the side OF the crib,
fastened the other end to a beam and joist
and then jumped off. The hanging was
carefully done aud showed a determination
to avoid failure.
This horrible act which ushered so many
souls into eternity in n few brief moments,
was undoubtedly the act Of au insane man.
For some time past Wilmot has been brood
ing over security debt Of $3.50, which he
had toPay fora, ,brottier.in-law,and this had
so worked upon his mind thatit is believed
be finally went crazy. Day before yester-
day he talked rather strangely to his fam
lily, saying his stock was all going TO die and
himself and family OF starvation.
Two Or three times in the last few
days he expressed his fear Of death
from starvation, and acting under
this hallucination, it is believed that he
arose from his bed, took an axe, and with
n single stroke to each Of his daughters
struck them dead in their beds, they never
knowing from whence the blow came. His
wife, no doubt, was awakened, and getting
out OF bed doubtless attempted to restrain
him, but was knocked down and terribly
mutiieted. He then went into an adiotn-
ing room and there, raising the bloody axe
on high, sunk it deeply into the breast that
nurtured him in infancy, taking away from
her that which she had given him, lie.