The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1886-11-18


Correspondence Empoz1a News.
KRsLEY, Kas., Nov. IL, 1sS6.-The
dispatches and special press communi-
cations regarding the asrocfous murder
in HOdgeman county on the 9Th inst,
have generally failed to disclose the true
inWGrdness and magnitude Of the TRACE
dy. The facts e. related by the wounded
Mas LaWher, after she had recovered
sufficiently from the effects Of her shock
and fright to intelligently recall the at
fair In detail, are Is follows: On tins
morning Of the shooting she and her sis
ter, Mrs. Purple, had arisen, prepared
breakfast and had called P1rples who
still lay In bed, several times. The three
older children aged respectfully six, i've
and three years, had been prepared for
breakfast and seated At the table. MIS-.
Purple went to her husbands bedside
and aroused him. He replied anGrily
and sat up In bed, but seemed to tremble
as though he were chilly. His wife wrap
ped Q shawl around his sheulders but
he threw it eff Remaining that he would
ssWrAp her In Q shawl before he was
through with her." She brought him
/
from her hands; dressed, except putting
on his boots, and attacked his wife and
sister -in-law, striking them about the
head and face with his fisE. Mrs. Purple
sat down on the bed during the row and
her sister was felled TO the floor. Purple
} picked her up and sat her on the bed
besides his wife, compelling both to keep
still and make no alarm. Blood was
THRILLING down Mrs. Puppies face and
falling on q handkerchief which lay In
her lap, she being compelled by her
brutal husband 10 keep her hands away
from her face. He seized the hand
keIchief, tore small pieces from It
chewed them into wads ana ND
: agonized wife. As he spit out the
? sixth Wad he called attention TO the num-
Der and remarked that he "must include
the babe, too" He then locked the
: door and, pulling revolver, shot his in
FAINT, 10 days old, in the forehead, killing
il. instantly. The terror stricken, suffer
ing wife and mother was next shot dead
] In the same manner. The inhuman fiend
then fred at his sieter-in law, but missed
her. She succeeded In opening the door,
s rushed outside, followed By Puppies g.
3 year -old daughter, but both were over
taken q short distance from the house by
the murdeEOus viDAin,s who caught hil
= innocent child by the arm and fired 9
= the spot. He then fred at Miss LAwler
who continued to run, the ball gtrik-
ng the upper and back part
: Of her right arm and lodging near tbs
shoulder joint. The man dragged hi
. dead child back into the house, loaded
% his shot gun and shot at his five year Ole
y daughter putting the muzzle close to hel
= face and as her faoe IL only severely
burnt with powder 1t Is supposed that II
his haste he neglected to properly loaC
the gun. The little three year old boz
escaped by crawling under the bed, bu
subsequently, came out, being told by hil
father that he would not "hurt him II h
would be good boy" He proceeded
to wrap the dead body OF his wife in
70 shawl, took another shawl and pinned 1
around the two surviving children
N washed the blood from his hands, put Oh
his boots, caught his pony In q pasture
near by, rode to Jetmore about sevel
h sheriff of Hodgeman county
stating that he had murdered al
Of his family except one, and that on
= escaped. Miss Lawber ran to neigh
y boris house . short distance from tn
s, scene Of butchery, and fell fainting o.
q. the floor. As soon as che could be re
, viVed she told what had happened
" Neighbors soon conRregated at the hOus
II but Purple had gone. One had passe
a the house, however, Just before Purpl
IN left. Purple invited him in, telling hiI
- that he had murdered his family and
y he would step inside he would show hiI
=, the victims. The man declined, an
Ut Fastening on, informed near neighbour
On Monday night, three days later,
~ mob Of probably one hundred men too
al Purple from jail at Jetmore. carried hil
~ to the house where he perpetrated b
NC CORY deed and hung him from some of Il
- timbers Of the house. BeSoI
- -
.. talked freely Of his deed, and said
had q reason for doing it, but refused
-. tell what it was; said that his peren
5S had never raised him to anything exec
~ to use pistol; that If they would n
.oI lease him until he could shoot his wife
w father and mother, they might haI
him. He objected to being choked
,y death wanted his neck broken, but vi
on not granted the privilege. He vi
JIG placed on a barrel while the moose VI
adjusted and the barrel then gently r
.ad moved from beneath him.
= Miss Lawber Is now at her father
me house, twelve miles from Kinsley, a.
is likely to recover.
The LaWber family are well know
In and highly respected IN Kinaley' Lu,
ce, brother of the wounded girl, is foremi
nm Of the Dodge City Stock Journal. II
- lynchin0 party Is said to have be'
composed OF men from Kinsle
my SpearvilIe, Dodge City, Jetmore a.
the surrounding country. Purple was al
OIL we'll known in Ktnsley as dangero
man when intoxicated. which conditi
he often degenerated into. He wou
rather use and talk about pistol tn
any other subject. A pistol was his j
Md and pride and Its use his rulingipassic
So say those who knew him best
l" had not been drinking for about we
zee, before the shooting, but had been unus
the ally reticent and eullen.