The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1884-12-25
A HoRRlD CRIME!
A Farmer Murdered for Money
in His Own Home, and His
Wife Shot by tho Assassin.

A few miles northwest of the quiet
town of Geneva, Ashtabula county,
lived young farmer 10 neat frame
house surrounded by we'll filled barns
The district school house is few rods
away. Last week Wednesday evening
there was a spelling match at the
school house, aud Harrington's chill
dren about Z o'clock left home and
hurried to the school house.
Harrington, having finished his.
chores early, sat down by the sitting
room fire with his wife. He had just
marketed his wheat, and they were
planning the disposal of the uAouey
Suddenly, without rhe fsiniest noiss
OF waruiug.a man appeared before the
couple. Harrington started III his feet.
"What do you want" he asked.
The masked man rellied, " L came
for your money"
II have got hut little" said Har
rington, land thai is in another room,
here III have to gu 10 gel it,"
= want what you've got, and that
d--n quick Gu,n said the voice from
behind the mask.
Harrington arose deliberately and
moved towards the door. He was ev
idenlly cogitating OH how he could
worst the rObber lie passed through
into the adjoining room and closed the
door. While he WAS absent the mask
on the face of the rObber became lOos-
ened and slipped partly from his face.
Before he could reajjust it Mrs. Har-
rington looked up and with start,
said: Why. I know YOU"
"DO yOu?" coOlly remarked the man,
and raising his weapon he took delib-
crate aim at the woman aud fired The
ball struck her IN the right shoulder,
and she rushed screaming into the
road and towards the school house, in
All effort to raise an alarm. Hearing
the report ofa revolver and the shrieks
of his wounded wife, Harrington soiz-
ell chair and rushed into the presence
of the murdsrous villain. Raising the
chair over his head he brought it down
upon the masked robber, smashing the
chair to pieces. His only:weapon was
gone.
Strengthening himself, he rushed
upon the rObber, but was met by a
bullet from the revolver, which struck
him full between the eyes and seLt
him bleeding and dying to the floor.
The murderer then fled from the house.
A few moments later, Mrs. Harring-
ton, having succeeded in alarming the
neighborhood, returned. The scene
that met their gaze was terrible. Scat
tered about the room were the broken
fragments of furniture, and on the
floor, weltering in his own life blood
and gasping, was the PROSTATE form OF
Harrington. The robber had left the
door open, and by the fiIckering light
of the lamp Mrs. Harrington, faint
from the loss of blood, staggered to
where her husband lay and threw her
selfon his PROSTATE form with scream
of anguish. The husband made des.
perate but futile effort te speak, gaspsd
twice and died. His Unconscious wife,
whose dress was dyed with her hus
bands as we'll As her own blood, was
borne away unconscious to her room.
| The news had spread to the school
and the children came running in, the
neighbors making vain effort to re
strain them from viewing the specta
Gle. The school WAS dismissed and d
large crowd gathered around the house
which WAS overrun all Gay. When
Mrs. Harrington regained conscious,
hess, SHE related the story OF the crime
She Was sure she rerng ui5ed the nur
derer rs a young inan of the neighbor-
hood, with whom they We're well ac'
quainted, and who was one uf the few
persons that knew That Harrington
had any money. Theofiicers began a
search and the next forenoon they al
rested young man named Lewis
| Webster, W hO has lived in the vicinity.
Circumstances seem To point very
strongly against him, ss he gave Ii"
satisfactory account As la his where's
bouts the previous evening. He is Il
msn of high standing in that r"nmu
nifty, and was soon to be married Ia
one of the handsomest and weaIlhiest {
young ladies' of Geneva. The robber
secured about $3.50. When arrested
Webster was found at his boarding
place near the Nickel Plate Depot.