The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1884-03-05
THE STATE AT LARGE.
TERRIBLE TRAGEDY IN FAuQuIER.
A w.a,,hy Farmer Kills His Wife and Chill
dren. sets Fire TO His House. and
Commits Suicide.
,n..,.u-a, h 10 the DIspatch.l

He
w.s,,,,'.o,, March 4.-On sunday last
John H1 Giosnocr well-known and influ-
entail former Of Fauquier county, Va,
liying ,,yo and a half miles from Delaplane
statjon 81, The virginia Midland railroad,
mnrderod bis entire family. consisting OF
wife and three children, anu ,inen COM
mitted suicide by shooting hlmseli through
the heart in piece OF woods near bis house.
The first lntimation the neignDors had tnat
there was anything wrong at the GiascocS
house was the appearance OF names anu
smoke through the windows Detweeno anu
O'Clock Sunday morning.. "A NUMBER Oh
people ran to the house WIN the intention
OF rendering assistance. but found 10 ther
surprise that the doors ana windows were
securely bolted and barred on the inside,
and that the buildings wa 10 all appear
ance deserted. As the flames were making
rapid progress 1t was necessary 10 ehect
an entrance st once In some way, ana .lc
first corners soon succeeded IN Dattering
down one Of the doors, and eventually IN
putlipr ont the fire. No living person was
found i'm the house, but on the bed III the
family bedroom. over which coal-oil had
been poured and then igniled, were iouhu
the dead bodies OF Mrs. Glascock and her
infant son. the latter greatly disfgured by
tbe flames. Both had been shot through
fine head " it'll areyolver. and the murderer
as if TO make sure OF the death OF MIS-;
Glascock. had shot her second ana thlru
time through the body.
On the floor near the burning bed lay the
dead bodies OF two other cliIdren-houhey
and Emily-botb shot through the head
and the former shot also through tue Dody.
In n piece of woods overlooking the
farmhouse, at a distance OF ABOUT tnIee,
quarters Of mile, was iound the oeau
body OF John Glascock. the husuanu anu
father. who, after deliberately numbering
his whole family and setting lire 10 MS
house, had gone to this piece OF WOODS anu
committed suicide by shooting nlinSeii
through the heart with the same smith q
Wesson revolver which he had used IN
killing his wife and children. 1t now APP
pears that Glascock, while laDorlng
under some hallucnation or III OF
temporary insanity, drove away ehs
servant early Sunday morning, murdered
his family, poured coal-oil over the bed ana
set fire TO it; fastened up the house, ana
then went to the cabin OF neighbor ana
pretended to be in need Of servant 10 COOK
breakfast for himself and FAMILY. He eie.i
returned, as bis tracks in the snow lndl,
cate. to the vicinity OF his own house. ana
tinding that the tragedy had not yet been
discovered. proceeded to the edge OF the
woods overlooking his farm, where ne
seems to have watched his burning house
till it was entered and the fire eXtinguIsheo
by his neighbors. He then retired lew
PAGES further into the woods ana sho'
himself through the heart.
The murderer and suicide was son o.
wealthy parents, and had very large ant
influential family connection. HIS young
wife. Marie Glascock, was the daughter o.
Herod Frazier, formerly OF Loudoun coun
ty. Va. and now citizen OF missouri
The father, mother, and three chiidrei
were buried side by side yesterday in thu
cemetery near Middleburg, Va.