The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1882-01-20
x,puAN.s AWFUL DEED.
,,.n,ucky Farmer Butchers His
.,.r. wife. and Two Daughters.

.s,uty, Ky. January lS.--Thc CoU-
,t,,,,.oal furnishes the following:
e,,.,oS,er. H.. January lS.-This town
b.R,rtcd this morning by the news 81 q
" E,rrihe tragedy. About : O'Clock a
W', hrouchi the information that James
y Y. ,w,,Doi. q farmer living about two miles
u. half from Lancaster, had murdered
su" Ne mother. and two daughters,
hi hen hanged himself. Squire Il.
n..l. aNiac as coroner, Immediate
non, IN the scene OF the TRACE
.coompanlcd by large number
e,,,plc. ON his arrival he found the
-. body Of Wilmot hanging in his
,.,. the bodies Of Elizabeth WilmOt, his
...t,r. agcd cighty-nine years; Matte
III Mary Wilmot. his daughters, aged
.-fc,n and fifteen, lying on their beds,
.,,s ono awful cut across the neck and
- 81 each. made by blows from sharp
.,. and also the body OF Elizabeth VIII
...' his wife, living on rface on the floor,
.;,b three or four horrible gaShes on her
,.,5 and back. \ jury was Immediately
.-usnclcd. The first witness was Miss
g.-c Calvin. who worked for WilmOt, and
.lrtina room upstairs. Her testimony was
,t.f ,hc family retired last night n usual,
Wgmot. hi, wife, and little boy about eight
r.sr, old occupying one bed in the family
-,,u. and his two daughters another bed
.o fbc same room. His mother slept i'm an
.8io;ring room. and in one room up stairs
.an. James Wilmot, and i'm another the
witness. About ! O'Clock this morning
.lr Wa, awakened by a noise below, and
coin, down met Wilmot coming ont OF the
room where his mother slept. IL was still
unto DARK. She asked WilmOt what he
Nd. doing. lie replied that he had killed
f,a whole family, and was going TO Kill
ri,n.oW. UorT0T-Stricken, the girl rushed
,br.ueh tine other room. and meeting
me young boy, caught him up and
wen. T. q colorcd mans house near
lf. 4, She wi, leaving the family
room The older ,on, who i about twenty.
came down stairs. He testified that aS
he reached the foot OF the stairs he came in
confsc. with hi, father, who had gun in
hi, h9nd. lie asked him what he was
doing. and hi, father replied that nc was
going 20 Kill himself, and would kill him,
FOO. Instantly his father grappled with
BIN. md threw him down, but was unable
Oh hod him. The old man rose, grappled
Che .un and aimed to shoot, but his son
Knocked the gun up and the bah went into
tac ceiling. The young man then broke
bose and ran for his life. The boy con-
iinued running until he had aroused some
of tht nearest ncighbOrs, who hastily re-
u.red 10 the scene. None were bold
enough 10 enter the house until daylight
revealed the dead body OF James Il. VIII
mol, ,Wlnging under the shed of the barn.
For some time past Wilm0t has been
lrooling over a security debt Of $3.50,
which he had 10 pay for his brother-in-
~. and this had 80 worked upon his mind
tla. 10 is believed ne finally went crazy.
Day before Yesterday he talked rather
STRANGELY to his family. saying his stock
w3, going TO die, and himself and family
also. oi starvation. james K. Wilmot was
loui sixty wear, old. lie was an honest.
economical man, and had owned a farm OF
about two hundred and fifty acres, on
which hc lived. He was i'm good circum-
stances. being worth $1,000 or $4,000. lie
W4, Kind and aficctionate 10 his family, and
% hi, old mother he was the most devoted
90 sons.