San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1886-06-01
ROMANCE OF FACT.
A REMARKABLE HISTORY AND a
MOST INFAMOUS CRIME.
Blood Upon Every Side and That
Blood Unavenged.

]
with the tide of happiness until three
wears ago, when his life was clouded by
an awful tragedy that occurred at the
Crouch homestead, seven miles from
Jackson, Mich. That tragedy was I'M
paralleled In its atTOcity, and is sur
| rounded by so many romantic circum-
stances that detailed account OF 1t
reads like sensational novel of Emile
| Gaboriau rather than stern record Of
| facts. The crime is
sHROUDED IN THE DEEPEST MYSTERY,
but discoveries have been recently made
that lead to the inference that at hst
| Justice will be done. The story OF the
crime is embodied in the following facts:
Byron's father. Jacob ID. Crouch, mi
grated from Orange county, New York,
| in 1880. and soon after he purchased the
farm upon which he lived. He was a
sbrewd business man, and by trading in
| horses and cattle he is said to have aC-
| uuired fortune, exceeding half mil
| lion of dollars. At the time OF his death
he was 74years of age, and yet was quite
| hale and hearty. Mrs. Crouch died some
wears ago in giving birth 10 crippled
son, Judd. The family consisted OF Mrs.
| HoIcomb, his eldest daughter; Dayton,
Byron l. Eunice and Judd. In 1888 the
eldest daughter. Miss Crouch,
EIoPED WITH NE'ERTO-DO WELL
Young man named Dan 5. HOlcOmb, and
! married him. This incensed the elder
! Crouch. and it was long before he for
gave them, when he did so, he found
! that he had to provide for the HolcOmb
| family, He did so, in such a way rs to
| furnish them with necessaries, even II
ii did not admit of Injuries, but there
was significant want of cordiality be-
tween the father and daughter, that
showed plainly that while the father
forgaye, he did not forget the daughters
disObedience. Dayton and Byron sought
| their fortunes in Texas. Dayton died
over three years ago, leaving fortune
estimated at S5O,OOO. Byron has, as we
all know, prOspered in the Lone Star
state. Eunice. the youngest daughter,
was the fathers favOrite, and his house
| keeper. She became attached to an es-
| timable young Jackson merchant named
| Henry White, and when they aVowed
| their mutual affection, the father gave
| his glad consent. but the HOlcomb's
and brother Judd, especially opposed
| the match. After some delay, the mar
rage was solemnized, and the bride and
her husband arranged to live at the old
| farm TO cheer the declining days of the
| Elder Crouch. The remaining son was
an unfortunate child. His mother died
| in giving birth to him. and he was
crippled and defOrmed. From his birth
| his father entertained a strong anti
pathy for him. which increased ms years
| grew on. lie had
NO PLACE IN HIS FATHERS
heart or home, and was turned over to
| the HOlcOmbs' TO be cared for.
The Elder CrOuch's partiality for his
| daughter EuniCe increased, and excited
| great jealousy in the HOICOmbs', and
! when il was known that Eunicc would
| in time confer grand -paternal hOnors
upon her aged sire, the jealousy was in
| tensifed, as there was good prospect of
| the expected babe, If boy. becoming
| heir to the Elder CrOuCh's immense for
tune. HOlOomb wanted money and
begged it in vain of his wife's father.
| Then he presented bill for judas sup
mort. Amounting to $1,000. This created
n breach that seemed to be irreparable.
Thus matters stood in November 1888.
The Crouch homestead consisted of an
| Old-fashiSned country house that
i STOOD IN A SEtl EhfID lONlllON,
considerable distance from the main
road. surrounded by an extensive farm.
| When the family retired to rest on No
vember %, 1883, there were then in the
| house MIR. j. ID. Crouch, Henry and Ey-
nice White, a cattleman named Moses
| Policy, who was CrOuCh's guest, and two
servants, George BOlles and Julia Reese.
! I'm accordance with CrOuCh's known
| hnIitc nathan 10 doors NOR windows
were locked or barred. In the morning
| Crouch, the Whites and Policy were
found murdered, all having been shot in
| the head by the same size shot. An in.
vestigatiOn Iaited to reveal anything Of
| importance. George BOlles admitted he
heard shots and grOans, on which he
HID HIMSELF IN A LARGE TRUNK
until daylight. Julia Reese heard moth
| ing. Strange TO say that although
Crouch and Policy had considerable
money, it was not taken, but a package
| of notes. mortgages and other securities
| was removed. The state and Byron
| Crouch did all in their power TO track
| the murderers, but no tangible evidence
| could be obtained. A Jackson merchant
swOre that Dan HOlcOmb few days be-
fore the murder bought pistol of the
same calibre as that with which the
murder was committed, but Dan denied
| il and there was no other proof. A SER
| want of Judd Crouch swore that he saw
! bloody shirt concealed behind a box
on the morning after the murder, but
this also was denied and no trace of the
shirt could then be found. During the
Investigations several arrests were made
and among the number arrested were
| Dan 5. HOlcOmb, Judd Crouch, James
| nd Tn1i ht,t
ALL THE SUSPECTED PARTIES
were released for the want of evidence.
! This murder has been followed by u
series Of events that are unparalleled
in the annals of crime. Mrs. Dan Hol-
comb, Crouch's eldest daughter, was soon
after found dead in bed.s Some say that
she died of heart disease, aggravated
| by the tragedy; others that she suicided.
James Foy, who was arrested on sus-
picion of being the murderer, got mad at
an article in the Union City Register,
and seriously wounded Elmer Schulz,
supposing that he was the editor of the
paper. Soon after he was found shot
through the head. In his hand was a
pistol Of the same calibre as that with
which the
QUADRUPLE MURDER
was committed, but the doctor swore
positively that he could not have infiict-
ed the fatal wound and the jury de-
cided that he was murdered by some
person or persons unknown. Lorenzo
d. Bean, a neighbOr of Crouch's, had
his reason overbalanced by the crime,
and died soon after in mental agony. A
II. Lee, another neighbOr, was affected
in the same way and suicided.
For nearly year the matter has slept
and all have dpsnairpd of tracinU the