The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-09-22
The Parricide in Wabash County.
cial to the Indianapolis journal.

Special to the Indianapolis Journal.
WABASH. Sept 21.-Your correspondent yes
terday visited the scene of the murder on Satur-
day night, near La Fontaine this county, and
beheld scene of squalor seldom equaled. The
murdered mans name is Anderson Owen. not
Owings, as reported, and he has many relatives
of wealth and influence in this county. The
family consisted of five boys and one girl, be-
sides the parents. For about two years past
Owen has exercised a sort of ''squatter's sover-
eighty" on some forty acres of land located but
800 feet from the Wabash county line and being
a part of the farm of Hiram Hendricks, we'll
TODD farmer. The family herded together in
miserable log hut containing but one room.
about sixteen feet square. In this room
were three beds, and the various cooking
utensils, all hudded in promiscuous manner.
Filth and squalor abounded, and the wonder is
that human beings could exist in this disease
breeding atmosphere. Dirt, dust and feathers
were piled up under the beds, and all the mem
bers of the family bore evidence of a decided
lack of acquaintance with soap and water. The
Owen family have long been regarded as the
pests of the neighborhood, and the depredations
committed by the boys have been widespread
and numerous. They are vicious looking Great
ures and undoubtedly inherit much of their
evi! nature from their mother, who. by common
report, is accounted a perfect Jezebel The
father would have been a respected man but for
his family. He is of good parentage. and
served with distinction in the Thirty
eighth Indiana Regiment during the war;
and carried many scars According
to the mother a fierce war of determination has
been waged upon the Owen family during the
past summer by neighbors. their hut having
heen fred into and pelted with stones on differ
emit occasions. She swears that party of ma
RAIDERS visited the place Saturday night and
threw stones. which brought Owen out and led
to the killing and that she recognized the assail-
ants as being sons of Hiram Hendricks and other
neighbours. The Hendricks family can prove a
perfect alibi, and the belief amounts almost to a
conviction that erstoryis an invention to shield
her oldest son. She declared to the reporter that
her boys could not do such thing. and that
they are pure as the angels in heaven" An
important link in the chain of evidence against
Ira, the oldest son, is the fact that he ordered
the shotgun hid in a fence corner be-
fore the officers arrived. No motive
Cdu 10 dSCTtUcu 1Or committing
the terrible deed other than greed,
as the father had recently come into the posses
sion of considerable sum of money. being back
pay on his pension. With part of this he pur-
chased some land in Wells county. and the fam
lily were about to move to their new home. The
reporter visited the boys in the Jail at Marion,
and found them disinclned to talk having been
advised" by their attorney, Mr.. Steele. The
younger son. however. declared that the attack
ing party Saturday night were armed with shot
guns, but in his evidence before the coroner he
did not know whether the house was attacked
or not Both of the lads bear the stamp of igno-
rance and vice. and look at them would dispel
much Of the incredulity, which is natural that
one could be inhuman enough to kill parent.
United Brethren Appointments.