The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1883-10-27

| lay the wife, her hands crossed on her
breast, and the cover smoothly drawn
up to her chin. But her head was a
hOrrid sight. All the right side of her
forehead had been crushed in by many
blows, and through the ragged gaps the
brain prOtruded, and her life blood had
| soaked the pillow. The whitewashed
| board partition was also hideOusly spat-
| tered. She was undTessed, and had evil
IDENTIFY struggled to get up after he first
struck her, for there were several brui-
ses and cuts on her hands and arms.
She had likely sunk down first in the
center of the bed, for there was large
pool of blood in the bed. After killing
her he Strengthened her limbs, placed
her head upon the pillow, and carefully
covered her. But to make certain dOub-
ly certain he cut her throat nearly from
ear to ear.
Whether Ora, the ten months babe,
was lreping with her in bed, or wheth-
er in the crib in the kitchen, is not
known. But it had evidently wakened,
for a blow on its forehead shows plainly
how its cries were forever hushed He
then cut its throat and placed it nicely
in the bed beside its mother.
Just across to the west side of the
room, and only a step from the large
bed, on an Old-fashiOned settee, with its
back turned from the wall so they could
not fall out, slept the two older children.
Fanny Elizabeth, years old, slept at
one end; and Zella Anne, years old, at
the other end Whether they wakened
during the struggle of the mother will
never be known. But when they were
found they lay in'their places with their
thrOats cut, and between their feet lay
the bloody shoe hammer that had beaten
out the mothers brains. FinseT lay on
the floor on his back, with his feet to-
ward the children. and his head toward
the kitchen door, close to the south
wall. Between him and the wall, on
the left, lay broken glass lamp, and
near it stood the unbrOken chimney.
Close to his feet, and leaning against
the wall close by the south window,
stood an old, rusty, stOckless, lOckless
shot gun barrel. Even with the sill of
the window, the walls and window cur
tains had great stain of burnt powder.
But this old gun without lock, stock and
almost without barrel, had done we'll its
deadly work.
Finser, after he had satisfied himself
that all were thoroughly dead, sat about
preparing to kill himself. A couple of
slight cuts on the front of his throat,
showed that he had tried the knife that
he had used on his wife and children
but it hurt. SO he shut the penknife
and put it in his pocket. He had re-
NOlNbI WIN buI6b CubLnO6I5 lOdubu, DuJ
the balls were not large enough to in
sure instant death. SO he put that also
in his pocket, and went out through
the kitchen and got the old gun barrel.
Marks of his bloody bare feet were on
the kitchen floor.
Getting the gun barrel, he loaded it
heavily with shot and went back into
the bed room. he took the chimney
from the lamp and stood it on the floor.
Then he placed the lamp on the window
sill, and fearing the curtain might ig-
mite, he tucked 1t little back. Stand
ing with his back toward the bed where
his wife lay, he placed the rusty muzzle
in his mouth and held the tube over
the lamp until the powder caught and
the whole charge went crashing into
his head. The shock relaxed his grasp,
and in falling the old barrel stood up
against the wall. The lamp was knock
ed off the sill and was shiVeTed on the
floor beside him. Luckily the light was
extinguished with the fall, so that the
oil did not ignite, or all evidences of the
deed would have been buried in the
hasty burning of the wooden addition.
Finser's mouth was horribly lacerat-
ed and split up, and all the inner parts
of his head shot to jelly. A few of the
shot also came out at the back of his
head.
The wife and children lay in their
night clothes, and had probably all gone
to sleep before the numbering began.
Finser may have alsOgOne to bed, but
if he had, he got up and put on his pant
alOOns and vest.
Finser was 27 years of age and his
wife about 26.