Sturgis advertiser. (Sturgis, Dakota [S.D.]) 1887-1???, 1888-03-07
a Horrible Tragedy.

New YoRK, Feb. 80. "A lettsr FROM
London gives graphic sketch Of the ter
fibie tragedy which took place at Stafford
iaboutlten days ago, when . retired chem.
ist named Samuel lille Derby poisoned
his wife and six children and then Gem
mitted suicide. The letter says that
Derby, who had recently come into the
possession of fortune by the death of
relatives in ireland. had been for some
time In Ill herlth, his affiiction developing
into an idea that his relatives were trying
to rob him of the property that he had In
herited. At the same time he treated his
family well and nosuspici0ns were enter
tanned that he contemplated the terrible
crime which IS now laid at his door. On
the evening Of tie day that 1t is supposed
the tragedy occurred Derby's aged father
went to the family residence on Garfield
street as usual to see how the family were
getting on. He found the front door
locked and looking through the keyhole
saw that the key was missing. From this
he concluded that the folks were oft and
he returned to his home on Mammoth
street. At $50 on the following morn
ing he again went to the Garfield street
house and rang the front door bell. Re-
ceiving no response he went to the rear
and by means of ladder got up to the
bedroom window. Looking into the
room he saw lying In bed, as If asleep.
his daughter-in.law,M Mrs. Derby, and two
of the younger children. Herapped upon
the glass but, failing to arouse them came
to the conclusion that they were dead.
Messengers were Immediately dispatched
to the nearest police station and half a
dozen officers responded. Upon efccting
rible spectacle met their gaze. On bed
in rear room were the bodiesof the wife
and two young childfeh. They We're
cold and stiff. In the front bedroom the
bodies of the four, Oldest children were
found lying lepgthw!se udon an iron bed
stead, the bodies being covered with the
the bed clothes. Down stairs in the kitch-
en- stretched upon a sofa that had been
drawn up close to the fire, was the. body
of the murderer. A number Of letters
addressed to his male and female relatives
were found upon the mantel piece. In
one he said that he was about to commit
suicide owing 10 the. conduct Of his rela-
tive in connection with the property left
to him and that he could not leave his
wife and children behind. In another
letter he said that his wife had often re-
marked that she did not want
to live after he had gone
and that he desired the bodies to be sent
to Owens college for dissection. There
was also will by which all of his prop
erty was left to his sister. In searching
the house the police discovered in closet
teacup Containing d milk white fluid
which upon examination by chemist
was discovered to be pfussic acid, one of
the most painless and deadly poisons
known to medical science. The theory
of the police is that the murderer killed
the entire family by pouring the poison
down their throats while they slept.
Derby was 81 years old, his wife SO, and
the children were, Gladys aged 8, Flor
ence Helena 5, Clara Elizabeth Z, Fred
erick Cecil 8, Harold Percy II, and Ern-
est Llewellyn 13. The funeral was
attended by ten thousand people. In
pathetic contrast to the awful tragedy is
the fact that on the Sunday previous the
poor children gathered around their par
ents in the warm floor Of the sitting room
fire and while the father played the parlor
organ they sang with the melodious
sweetness of childhood the well known
hymn, "Take, oh take me to Thy rest. "