Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-04-15
Hangs HIMSELF
J. N. Aston, the Murderer of His
Daughter, Takes His Own Life
in the Meathe rford Jail,
He Eakes Rope 0Ht OF His Mat.
tress, SHspends Himself and
SirangIes to Death.
ahosa Who Saw the Prisoner of the Opinion
That He Raa Sans-The Murder and
Suicide Carefully Planned.
CHEATED THE GALLONS.

Special to the Gazette.
WEATHERFoRD, TEX, April I4.-This
morning esrly considerable excitement
was crested here over the announcement
that j. n. Aston hsd hung himself in the
county jail last night. Aston Is the man
who so brutally murdered his daughter,
Mrs. G. ". Turpin, near Poolvllle, this
county, last Monday morning, a full &C
count OF which appeared IN The GA
zKTIE. The detsils Ct the murder shows
1t to be one Of the most dam9sAle crimes
ever committed by civilized being, aud
doubtless was committed deliberately,
with foreth3ught; at lesst the murderer
claimed to nave committed It coolly,
calmly and deliberately. This morning at
$50 O'Clock Jailor Cleveland went up to
the jail, az is his custom,
TO RELEASE THE PRISONERS
from their calls and let them into the cor
ridor to prepare for breakfast. When he
Unmatched tue cell doors By means of
continuance on the outside OF the cells, all
the prisoners left their cells and entered
the corridor except Aston. He being
lately placed in jsil snd unaccustomed to
the jail rules, Mr.. Cleveland generally had
to tell him to COM out Of his cell. This
morning when Mr.. Clevelsnd tod him to
come no response was heard. He called
to Aston three or four times to come out
Of his cell,
WITH NO RESPONSE.
at this time Mr.. Cleveland walked round
to Alston's cell snt looked on the floor,
expecting to find him lying on the aUor,
but looking in he found Aston hanging
on the west side Of the cell. Aston had
torn his mattress up snd made 6 rope
with which he hung himself. He took the
water bucket that was in his cell and
stuffed g blanket in II, so if it should fall
over 1t would make no noise. The bucket
was turned up and he stood on the bucket
and tied the rope
ROUED HIS MICK
sud reached up AID tied an end of the
rope to the bars Of the csge, as high rs
he could reich and standing on the
bucket he tied his hands together with
string and ran his right knee through be-
tween his hands so ga to prevent his
hands from coming to the rescue of his
neck in his last struggles. All beirg
ready he kicked the bucket from under
his left foot and dropped when he met
DEATH BY sTRANGULATIoN.
justice Squires held sn inquest on the
body and rendered verdict accordingly
with the above facts. Yesterday Aston
was brought before Justice Squlres WHO
informed him OF the charge against him,
and informed him thst he could not be
forced to make confession or statement,
and il he did he was warned OF the prob1-
Die consequences in future ct his trial. AL
ston remarked that he had no statement
to make, but would plead guilty to the
charge. He was taken back to jsil with
the result as above given. Some people
Of this county have thought Aston
TO HAVE BEEN INSANE
ss they claim no sans man could have
committed this horrible murder. particu-
larry or mis- daughter, but those VINO hsve
seen him Sre CT opinion that he was per-
fecty sane. Sheriff Slsk end Jailor
Cleveland say he was perfectly sane
during the time ne was in
jail They are cor Rdent of
this and they watched hiL7 closely at tie
time. His cautious arrangements for
suicide and his calm, cool actions through
out clearly show thst ne was perfectly
sane in the entire proceedings of the
murder &nd suicide. The opinion gen.
orally ls that the murder was committed
on account OF pure unadulterated cussed!
ness and coWardice. taking his revenge
out on the girl instead of the man she
whose life he had threatened.