Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1886-11-18
AN INHUMAN BRUTE.
The Diabolical Deed for Which
Samuel Purple of Kansas
Was Lynched.
Killed His Wife and Children "A
Newborn Infant Blown
to Pieces.
ILarned lKan. telegram. |

lAntheu khhuJ tolcBIhu
Intelligence has been received here from
Hodgeman County of a crime which rivals
in inhumanity and brutality the butchery
of his family by Willie Sells, the boy mur-
derer. The scene of the tragedy is near
Marine, in the extreme south corner of
Hodgeman County.
About seven years ago beautiful young
lady named Lowber fell desperately in love
with Samuel Purple, man whose reputa-
ton for sobriety and mildness of nature was
not By 81 any Y ReoRsn hl ait the
in any way connected they were married
and settled down near Marine. They never
lived happily together, and Puppies vicious
ness eliminated Friday morning last in the
murder of part of his family and in his
own death at the hands of an enraged mob
three days later.
At the time of the murder his family
consisted of seven persons-himself, his
wife, his wife's sister, and four little chill
dren, the youngest of whom was only three
weeks old. Friday morning his wife arose
rs usual and prepared breakfast. She then
went to awaken her husband, which so en-
ragged him as TO incite him to the heinous
crime which soon followed
He sprang violently from his bed, and,
seizing his revolver, shot his wife through
the body, from which wound she died at
once. The new-b born babe was next fired
at, with the same result. He next shot and
killed another one of his children.
His sister in law, Miss Lowber, was
then selected and fired at, the ball
passing through the arm and lodging
somewhere in the shoulder. As this emptied
his revolver, he proceeded to load his shot
gun in order to complete the work. A
slight mistake in this was the only thing
that stopped the deadly proceedings. The
powder was poured into one barrel, and,
by error, the shot into the other. With this
he endeavored TO blow off the head of an.
other child, but as there was nothing ex-
cept powder in the barrel the child's face
was only severely burned by the explosion.
A heavy blanket was seized and wound
around the suffering child and this securely
wrapped with a heavy wire, in tine hope
that he might accomplish by suffocation
what he had failed in doing by the use of
the shotgun. The child will recover, al
though fearfully disfgured about the face.
The murderer then mounted horse and
started across the field to Marine, with the
avowed purpose of numbering his wifes
father and mother. Before he could ac-
complish this, however, the wounded
yonng lady had made her way to the viii
lage and notified the inhabitants of what
had happened, and they had congregated
for resistance. Seeing that his plan was
frustrated, the murderer fastened 10 Jet
more and surrendered himself to the au-
i65fiHdesd by a heavy guard.
Tl.at -; ,L4 -. n - 49, L.-.-
men went quietly to the jail and demanded
the prisoner, who was delivered up with
little ceremony. He was then taken back
to the scene of his crime and hanged to q
tree. Only one member of the family es-
capped serious injury, and that was the
murderers little boy, who had hid under
his bed when he heard his father coming.