Omaha daily bee., 1883-04-16
Desperate Attempt Of a DespOn-
dent Granger to Aunihilate
His Family
Tho Skulls of His Wife and Two
Sons Succ ssively Crushed
With an Ak,
Tho Wholesale Butchsry Supple.
meuted by tho suioids az tho
Bicod-stainsd Monster.
Mlscelhneous Criminal Recoro.

va Nual Ia hhOWu as inc 'Dlgn
Carpenter farm lived yesterday what
was thought to bo a quiet, industrious
family, consisting of tho husband,
Charles j Smith, his wife and four
children, two girls and Two boys. At
6 O'Clock this morning Smith Drained
hls wife with an ax In the kitchen,
where tho unfortunate woman was OF.
tending to her duties. The flor If
the room was covered with milk and
blood. just outsidc, aud In front Of
the door, lay kfrs. Smith, her tace
buried In the dirt and her own life
blood. Tle Ok lay on the wood pile
near BY, smeared with her blood. The
iend had
CRUSHED RBR SKULL.
In the barn, situated six or eight
rods from the house, was found one
of the boys, Charles j., IA years Of
age. He was lying with his face
baried In . pile of refuse. The back
part of his head was crushed, and Just
inside the stable door 10y the other
boy, Willie, 10 years OF sge, lying on
his back with hts face almost literally
cut to pieces. His body was still VAIN
when found. About eighty rods a
aud south from the hoose was found
the rcci,u n butcher, lying nosr a
wire fence, with a j~sek-knifs firmly
olon shed In his right hand and n small
vial of stry chime In the left. His
throat was out from car to ear, the
windpipe being completely severed.
From appearances 1t was thought he
had taken stryohnine, aud fearing o
failure from that agency, his deter
minstipn to end hts existence prompt.
ed the use of the knife. He had
DRAGGED HIMSELF ALONG TUE FENCE
a rod or more toward the house, where
he expired. II seemr that the two
little girls, one aged eight years and
the other twelve, after the attack had
been made upon the mother, ran to
the nearest neighbour, Mr.. Joseph Sui
livan's and gave the alarm, but before
assistance could be rendered the fear.
fil massacre had been contaminated.
Mr.. Smith had always been considered
q pleasant hammered man, but during
the last year he has been unfortunate
In his farm operations, having lost
over INT hundred hogs, which seemed
to make him irritable, and yesterday
q shed fell upon and killed several
more that he had just purchased. H.
had been heard to remark that Of lats
everything seemed to work against
him, and 1t 10 said that In his family
at times he has shown . disposition
destitute Il kindness. Loss of prop
erty and financial embarrassment un
} doubleday prompted the horrible deed
, Smith waa fifty. eight years Of age, an
. his VII, was eight years his junior
8 The Jury returned . verdict In ACCORD
anoe with the above facts.
ANOTHER ACCOUNT.
q The details of the tragedy which
: occurred at Elrlville this mornin,
4 have been received, and they verif,
o the report f,st received. A reporte
If The Herald, when he reached tn,
scene, found the whole neighborhoo'
for three or four miles around gath,
cred at the farm house where tn
t tragedy occurred, and the coroner
inquest In progress. The farm is sit
usted four miles north OF Earlville
The family consisted of Charles j
Smith, the father, his wife n fou
O children. They had lived here
1 good many years, and had Away
!, bsen considered q quiet, respectable
family, living at peace among them
selves and with their nelghbors.
. . seems the two boys, Charles, Jr /, age
4 II, and willie, aged 10, went to tn
barn, Is was their custom, about
"a O'Clock to do the chores. 1t Is sur
posed the father followed shortly u
Y forwards and Drained them with q
axe. One was found outside th
barn with his
d tKULL DRIVEN IN,
= as II death came with the first blow
and the other in the stable with h
NJ head and face fesrfully cut In sever
!, places with the murdtrous Ak. Att
70 killing the boys the father made fl
the house, and, meeting his wife
q the kitchen, where she was preparit
the breakfast. with one blow he fslle
her, l%ifeless, to the floor. The tv
70 little girls, aged 8 and IL years, wi
!, messed the attack on the mother, an
d with wonderful presence of mind, G
II capped from the house and ran to Il
70 nearest neighbor and gave the alarr
to Going to the house, oil the terribl
ness of the tragedy vas revealed. {
40 the wood pile lay the Ok, complete
=. covered with blood. The fiend OF
father could not be seen. Search W
~ made tor him, and his lifeless boz
~ was found about eighty rods from t
q, house, lying under a wire fence, his
THRoAT CUT FROM EAR TO EAR.
The knife was clinched In m hal
and q bottle of stryohnine In the oth'
Tne indications were that he took 9
poison, and fearing failure from Il
means had used tho knife, nearly Sc
al ering his head from his body. III
WAS the horrible climax of a TRACE
which has excited the country peoI
Ia. miles around. II was evidently
80 purpose Of the father to kill his emit
family. The %strychnine found In
hand would indicate that the de
was premeditated. The cause of
!. deed, as given by neighbors, was
ifs loss of property and financial emb
oh easement. Smith had lost NEST
r. his stock during the winter over
90 hogs and several head of cattle,
re- sides other property, and hs hsd b.
often of late heard to say: "Eve
thing seems to work against me-"
times he was very respondent.
age was SO. His wife was soma
teen years younger. The verdict
". the coroner's jury was In socordaI
'gy with the facts as ab,ve stated.
IN -
he Divorce and Death.