The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1886-11-11
A HORRIBLE TRAGEDY,
A HUSBANDS INHUAlANITY,
He Murders His Wife, Babs:aud Child, and
Seeks to Put the Rest of Family of
Seven Out OF tho way-HO
Is Promptly Lynchsd,

ST, LOUIS, Nov, lO,-A special from
Larned, Kan, says Intelligence hSl
been received here from HodgemAn couR
ty Of a crime which rivals in inhumRn,
ity and brutality, the butChsry OF hIi
family by Willie Sells, the boy murderer,
The scene Of the tragedy is near Marine,
in the southeast corner Of Hodgeman
county, Some seven years ago bsautl.
iul young lady named L9wber fell des.
peratsly in love with Sam Purple, q man
whose reputation for sobrlety and mild
ness Of nature was not by any meauz'en-
ylous, Against the wishes Of all to whom
the young lady was in any way connected,
they were married, and settled down
near Marine. They never lived very hap.
PLY together and Purples ylciousness
eliminated Friday morning last in the
murder OF part Of hia family and OF his
own death at tho hands Of an enragsd
mob three days later,
at the time Of the murder the family
Conslsted ot seven psrsons-himseli, his
vile, his wite's sister, and four little chill.
dren, the youngest ot which was only
three weeks old. Friday morning his
wife arose as usual and prepared break,
fast. Then she went to awake her hus.
band, which 80 enraged him as TO incte
him to the heinous crime which soon
followed. de sprang violently from his
bed, and seiSing his revolver, shot his
wife through thebody, irom which wound
she died at once. The new born babs
was the next fired al, with the same re-
suit. He next shot and killed another
one OF his children. His Aisser.in.law,
Miss Lowber, was then seized and afed at,
the ball passing through the arm and
lodging somewhere 10 the shoulder. AS
this emptled his revolver he proceeded to
load his shotgun In order to complete
the work. A slight mistake In this was
the only thing that stopped the deadly
proceedings. The powder was poured In
to one barrel and by error the ahot into
the other. With this he endeavored
To blow of the head Of another child, but
40 there was nothing except powder in
the barrel the child's face was only &c.
yerely burned by the explosion. A heavy
blanket was Biezsd and wound about the
suffering child, and this securely wrapped
with heavy wire in the hope that ho
might accomplish by auFocation what he
had failed in by the use Of the shot.
gun.
The child will recover, although fearful.
ly disfgured about the face, The mur.
derer then mounted q horse and started
acroaa tho fields toward Marine, with the
avowed purpose Of numbering his wlfe's
father and mother. Before he could &C.
compllsh this, however, the wound,
ed young lady had mado her
way to the village and notified
tho inhabitants oI what had happened,
and they had congregated for resistance.
Seeing that his plan was frustrated, no,
Purple, hastened to Jetnore and auTYeu,
dered himself to the authorItlOs where he
was placed in jail surrounded by heavy
guard. Last night q mob OF about 100 men
went in quietly TO the Jail aud demanded
The prisoner, who was delivered with lit.
tie ceremony. He was then taken hack
TO the scene ot his crime and hanged 10 q
tree. Only one member Of the family 90.
capped serious injury, and that was the
bis led when he head bis father coming.
A Ghosuy Find.
ST.. LOUIS, No., Now 10.-A special from
Cairo, Ill, says: The crew Of the Sidney
Dillon, which arrived here Last night, re.
ports q shostly find about thirty miles be.
low ST. Louis, on the river bank. One OF
The Dlllon'a barges ran aground and abe
landed the balance Of her tow short dis,