The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1891-07-15
CHASTITY MURDER DONE
SIX CORPSES FOUND IN A Me-.
BRASkA FARMHOUSE.

j. II. Puterbaugh, Prosperous Farmer
Living Near K lis. His Wife, and -Four.
Children Discovered cad with Bullet
Holes I'm Their Heads.
Mrs. DR.. Alien, of Beatrice. went to.
Ellis, Ncb., on a visit 10 her brother,
John ii. Puterbaugh, who lived a mile.
and half south OF town. She was
driven TO the farm by Louis Perling and.
knocked at the door. but receiving no.
response entered the house, the door not.
being locked. As she entered she saw
her brother on the floor near the door.
and supposed he was asleep. She spoke,
10 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 investi-,
CATION, and found horrible state Oft
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 2-year-od babe also shot
through the head. On n lounge in the
room lay lad of 10 years dead, shot
through the head. In the room above,
was another bed occupied by two young
girls, one 13 and one Is. both dead with
bulet-holes in their heads.
The dead are John Puterbaugh, his
wife, and four children. How they met
their terrible fate is as yet not known.
only by surmse. The general belief is
that the terrible Deed was the work of
the husband and father. The motive is.
not known, as Puterbaugh was peace
able man in comfortable circumstances,
and IL is believed no trouble existed in
the family.
1t seems certain that the terrible crime
l.. d. IL
side, under his arm, lay a 32-caliber six
chambered revolver with all the cham
bers empty.
The 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 a struggle were seen any
where. All seemed TO have been killed
while sleeping, and al 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 or bed clothing.
Puterbaugh was not drinking man
and had the reputation of being an hon
est and peaceable citizen. He suffered
from grip last spring and since then has
not been in the best of health, frequently
complaining of pain in his head. He
was man about 3s or 40 years of age,
and his wife was year or two younger.
The murdered children were as follows:
Carrie, - years; Mabel, 13 years;
Charles, 10 years; Ralph, 2 years. One
son, Allen, Il years of age, survives.
He was away from home at work.
Puterbaugh was in Beatrice 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 were the two mules and
three horses. Hitched 10 wagon in
front of the barn were two more horses,
and in the field number of cows.
The house was fairly we'll furnished
for farm house, and in the cupboard
was an abundance of good food. Puter-
baugh owned 240 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