The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1886-04-26
GOD TOLD ME TO DO IT.
HORRIBLE AND BLOODY WORK OF A
FRENzIED MOTHER.

FRENZlED MOTHER.
She Attacks Four of Her Children With
an Ax--One Killed Outright-Thc Old
est Daughters Fight for Life-L:ttle
AHda's Prayer.
KEyPoRT, N. j.. April 26.-On the back
road between1K eyport and Port Monmouth,
in the village of Harmony, stands small
two story farm-h house. In this house Friday
morning Mrs Fanny Smith, the wife of j.
NJ Smith, a farmer, in q fit of insanity de
hberately attacked her four children with
an AK, killing one outright and injuring
the others 30 badly that there is little hope
of their recovery. Ever since the birth OF
her second child, about thirteen years ago
Mrs. Smith has suffered with fits OF melan
cholia During Thursday night she became
very uneasy, and getting out of bed, she
walked up and down the floor, repeating
over and over again, Il am lost! l am lost"
Her husband finally persuaded her to get into
bed again, and she apparently went to sleep
At O'Clock in the morning both Mr.. and
Mrs. Smith got up as usual, and after dress
ing both went down stairs ana out into the
yard. Nothing was said about the occur
renee in the night, and Mr.. Smith noticed
nothing strange in his wife's manner As
he left her to go to his hot-beds which are
near the house, she said TO him: John, it
was very careless of you to leave the hen
house door open. III go and shut it." She
started to 60 to the hen-house, which is in
front of the house near the barn After
closing the hen house door she stopped
at the wood-pile on her way back, aud
securing an ak that was lying there,
concealed it under ner dress She
then ran stealthily TO the house and
went up the back stairs Her 4-year- Old
daughter Edna, beautiful child, lay asleep
in the room at the right of the head of the
stairs The frenzied mother brought down
the edge of the ak on the little ones head
and Drained her She next went into the
room of her l3-yearo son, Rufus, who was
also asleep She struck him on the left side
of the head three times, laying it open SO
that the brains protruded. In the next
room her two daughters II years
old, and Aida, years oid-slept Bessie
had been awakened by the screams of her
brother, and getting out of bed had seen her
mother strike Rufus the last time Knowing
that something terrible was happening,
the poor child ran back to her bed, and
kneeling down by its side, began to pray.
In this posture she was discovered mo-
ment later by her mother, who, despite her
piteous cries for mercy, attacked her with
the bloody ak. The child crawled toward
her mother on her knees, holding up her
hands to protect herself, but at the fourth
l. IL. x-1l II
gashed.
Mrs Smith then went to Alida's bedside
and struck her six or seven times This
child evidently put up one little arm to ward
off the blows, and received fearful cut
across her four fingers Then, putting
out her other arm, She received an
other blow which nearly severed her
hand at the wrist One of her eyes
was entirely cut out and her skull
was fractured Beyond the children S
room, in a small room in the end of the
house, the eldest daughter, Fannie, Is years
old, slept with her little 2year-old sister
Nancy Fannie was awakened by the
screams Of her two sisters, and jumped out
and threw her whole weight against the
door just as her mother was pushing it open
She was not a moment too soon. The
frantic woman, maddened by the scenes
through which she had passed, strove with
her whole strength to gain an entrance.
After fearful struggle Fannie succeeded in
hooking the door All this took only a few
minutes.
When Betty Beldo, the colored family
servant, who was preparing breakfast down
stairs, heard the noise above she ran up
stairs and tried to prevent Mrs. Smith from
completing her bloody work. Mrs Smith
chased her downstairs, and she ran In
stantly for Mr. Smith He reached the
room Just as his wife wss beginning to bat.
ter down her daughter Fannie's door. As
soon as his wife saw him she stopped, and
he led her downstairs and paced her on
the lounge. Her strength then seemed com
pletely gone, and she lay there muttering
'God told me to do it 1t was the only
way l killed them rather than to have
them homeless and go to hell"
kilograms were sent Immediately for
doctors. The wounds of Rufus, Bessie and
Aida were dressed, but the doctors agreed
that they could not recover. Mrs smt
is in precarious condition, as it was after
ward discovered that before going to the
children's Rooms she had taken a dose of
rat poison. A stomach-pump was applied,
but to no effect Little Edna was killed in
stantly. Mrs Smith is pleasant faced,
motherly looking woman Of IL
LATER-Bessie, the little I1-year old
daughter of James j. Monroe Smith, OF
Hamouey, has proved the second victim OF
her insane mothers murderous act TIL
girl died Saturday morning. Rufus, the Is.
year-od boy, can not live much longer, his
| head being split from the forehead to the
lack of the left ear The doctors have
slight hopes of saving the remaining victim
The unfortunate woman who ena ted tht
terrible tragedy was dying, Saturday, il
great agony in a room next to where the
| bodies of her two little victims lie