Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1884-03-13
A TERRIBLE CRIME,
HORRIBLE BUTUBERy IN rHr souru
Husband, wife ana Tnrc. ,,u,r
dercd In Tennes, ee--rhe au,i,y par
ties Promptly Lyncb,d

ties Promptly Lynohed
In Kobcrtson county, Tenn, twenty
two miles from Springfield, near tho Kcn.
tuoky line, lived John Martin, his wifc
aud throo children, two of them yrown
women, the other q boy of 10. Martin
was in his seventieth year and has lived In
tho uoighborhood nearly his entire life
lie has eked out u moderate living ON his
farm, quietly doing his work, and having
tho respect OF every one. On Tuesday he
returned from Nashville. where no went
to procure the final settlement
OIL ms pension claim, having been
wounded in the lato war. 1t is pre- =.
sutneu that certain rough characters
,WlnS near Martins residence learned of
his trip to Nashville, and they n,,nnei
aud executed n most horrible crims Mar.
TINS log house was situated quarter of n
mile from the Springfield road, A heavy
growth OF ccdars aud underbrush hides
tue mousse from the view of the travellers
on the main road. This isolation prevented
Lho tragedy from being discovered until
tuesday afternoon. A peddler who cam,
10 the house gave the first alarm. and tho
whole neighborhood was aroused. Tho
door was broken in as IL struck Violently
with an axe. This door led into the main
bedroom, where Martin and his wife slept
Inc sceno upon entering the room
oeggars description. Martin was dead
upon the floor, his gray hair mattod and
soaked IN pool Of blood. The head was
spit open in two places by blows from an
axe Tho forehead was crushed, aud the
eyes were forced from their sockets. Upon
every side were evidences of tho
lti9httnl struggle that must have taken
place. The walls and floor were bespat i.
tered with blood. Mrs. Martin must have
Deen Killed as she started from the bad
Her arms were broken and her
face horribly manglod by the blows OF the
axe. The bed was pool of blood, The
most pitiable sight was the little boy
VINO occupied trundle bed in this room.
Evidently he had been taken by one of the
nurderers during the struggle with the
others and choked to death, Ia the next
room, where the girls slept, everything
indicated most desperate struggle for
lie. Evidently the murderers added n
worse crime to their misdeeds, The dis
ordered clothing Of the poor girls told
| palmer than words the outrages that haI
| Oeen perpetrated upon them. The assas
| SINS crushed the skulls of the two girls
with the axe which was found upon the
hH3r smeared with blood. 1t was a sick
ening sight, and every one that witnessed
| the sad spectacle was full of tears, The
house had been ransacked from one end to
the other and tables and chairs were over
turned.
The entire neighborhood was shocked at
the fearful sacrifice of human life. A con =
fusion OF foot prints was found leading
away from the house into the neighboring
woods. Search parties we're formed. and
the country for miles around was secured
| Tor trace of the murderers Ahout A
O'Clock Wednesday afternoon q farm hand
named George French was arrested by one
| OF the county constables upon suspicion.
Blood was found upon his shoes and
clothing. He told a very lame story of his
whereabouts the night before. Ii was plain
that he was in some way connected with
the murder. 4 crowd gathered and soon
swelled into mob of frenzied men. His
contradictory replies convinced them that
he was guilty. A rope was brought
and placed about his neck, and the
mob swung him up to the nearest tree.
lie was let down half insensible, and upon
coming to, confessed that he and jim and
DOC Carture, two negroes, workmen upon
the farm OF Squire Davis had planned the
murder. he gave sickening details of the
murders and confessed that all three OF
them were guilty. They found 81, 200 in
money and divided it between them, He
had hardly finished his story when he was
Jerked up and strangled to death. Twenty
| shots we're fired into his body.
The mob then made break for Davis 4
larm where the two negroes were found
| Although both of them protested their
innocence, the mob hanged them to the
same tree and shot them while they
strangled.