Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1891-07-17
CHASTITY MURDER DONE
SIX CORPSES FOUND IN A NE
ERASKA FARMHOUSE.

j. III, Putcrbauch. n Prosperous FARMER
Living Near Ellis, His Wife. and Four
children Discovered ucad with Bullet
Holes in Their Heads.
Mrs. DR.. Alien, of Beatrice. went to
Ellis, Neb., on visit to her brother,
John II. Puterbaugh, who lived milo
and half south of town. She was
driven to the farm by Louis Perling and
knocked at the door, but receiving no
rcsponsc entered the house. the door not
being locked AS she entered she saw
her brother on the floor lear the door,
and supposed he was asleep. She spoke
to him, but there being no response. she
looked more closely. and saw blood on
her brothers CHASTITY face Mrs. Allen
called Per ing in. who made an invests
cation. and found horrible state of
affairs.
On bed in the room in which the
husband and father lay was the mother
with bullet through her head. In bed
with her was 2year-old babe. also shot
through the head. On a lounge in the
room lay Il lad of 10 years dead. shot
through the head. In the room above
was another bed occupied by two young
girls, one 10 and one Is, both dead with
bullct-holes in their heads.
The dead are John Putcrbaugh, his
wife, and four children. How they met
their terrible fate is as yet not known,
only by surmisc. The general belief is
that the terrible deed was the work of
the husband aud father. The motive is
not known, as Puterbaugh was a peace
able man in comfortable circumstances.
and it is believed no trouble existed in
the family.
1t seems certain that the terrible crime
was committed by Puterbaugh. by his
side. under his arm, lay 32-caiibcr sin
chambcrcd revolver with all the cham
bcrs empty.
Tho scene in the house was horrible
one and made the strongest hearted
turn away. The faces of the dead,
though covered with blood, were calm as
though sleeping. No signs of tear were
portrayed on any of them, and no evil
dence of struggle were seen any
where. All seemed to have been killed
while sleeping, and a were shot directly
through the skull In every case the
pistol was placed close to the head, as
powder stains were visible upon the pill
lows OF bed clothing.
Iuterbaugh was not a drinking man
and had the reputation of being an hon
eSt ana pcaccaDlc cltlZcn. lie Su1fered
from grip last spring and since then has
not been in the best of health, frequently
complaining of pain in his head He
was a man about IS or 40 years of age,
and his wife was a year or two younger.
The murdered children were as follows:
Carrie. Ii years: Mabel, IL years
Charles. 10 years: Ralph, . years. One
son. Allen. L, years of age, survives.
He was away from home at work.
Puterbaugh was in Beatrice a few
days ago and is said to have then pur-
chased the revolver with which the ter
rible deed was committed. In the barn
near the house We're the two mules and
three horses. Hitchcl to a wagon in
front of the barn were two more horses
| and in the field a humber of cows
The house was fairly we'll furnished
for a farm house. and in the cupboard
was an abundance of good food. Puter-
baugh owned 24O acres of land. which
he purchased in March last from A.
Wisnell of Beatrice. He was liked by
all who knew him there and at his former
home in Diller,