Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1891-07-23
SHOCKING TENNESSEE TRAGEDY.
A Mother Shoots Her Three Little
Children and Kills Herself.

The Awful Sight That Greeted Thomas
Lookridge on His Return from Church,
Yesterday Afternoon--His Wife and
Three Little Ones Cold in Death--A
Demented Mothers Terrible Deed.
NASHVILLE, TENN. July 20.--Mrs. Pattie
Lockridge, wife of Thomas Lockridge,
shot her three children and herself about
o'clock yesterday afternoon at her home
three miles south of Spring Hill.
Mrs. Lockridge was 80 years of age, her
eldest child four years old, the second
three years and the third four months old
The awful deed was done with double
barrel shot gun. After dinner Mr.. Lock-
ridge went to church. leaving his home in
its usual state of quietness. His wife had
been complaining for some time past, but
on that particular afternoon she was no
worse than during the past week. The
children were playing around as usual,
and there was not the slightest hint Of the
frightful tragedy so soon to be enacted.
About 3 o'clock Mr.. Lockridge returned
to the little home he had left and found
the front door locked. This seemed
strange to him, but concluding his wife
had gone on a visit he went around the
house, intending to enter by the back door.
This, too. was locked. and he was COM
PEELED toforcea windowsash in order to gain
an entrance. He had never known his wife
to 80 securely fasten the house, and as he
climbed through the window strange
feeling of impending evil came over him,
not however, until he had gone into the
living rooms, the place where he had
spent so many pleasant hours, did the
full meaning OF the sealed doors and win
dows burst upon him. There upon
| pallet, nicely arranged, lay his three
| darlings dead, and across the room, with
her feet turned to theirs, was his wife,
their mother. cold in the. grasp of the
destroyer. A double-barrel. breech-loading
shot gun, his companion on many jolly
hunt, lay between them.
As near as can be learned from the sur
roundings. Mrs. Lockridge had drawn up
her children's clothes one by one, and
| placed the gun against their hearts and
fired. Then she placed them side by
side on pallet which she had
made for the purpose, and arraigned
their dresses neatly, about them. Stand
gazing down upon them, the DISTRACTED
mother placed the muzzle of the gun at
her own heart and sent her own self to
follow her children. After killing the
first two she must have reloaded the gun
and that she did it shows that she was at
least partially calm. How she pulled the
trigger when the gun was against her own
breast is a mystery unless she did it with a
stick in her hand or with her foot. 1t is
thought the woman poisoned or chloro-
formed both herself and the children be-
fore she used the gun.
| In the letter given in part below she re-
fers to Il pain in her side; and then it would
have been difficult to have killed the little
things while wide awake, probably too
difficult for even the lendish hand of a
child murderess.
The following letter was found in the
room with the murdered children and the
suicide:
July 49, lso1.-Dear Tom know you
will be shocked when you get back and
find what ! have done. This is not my
first attempt. took 40 drops Of
laudanum at one time and &C
at another, before | was married,
and failed to accomplish my purpose, but
then will succeed this time. II Eunice
oldest child had been at home last Sun.
day evening, this deed would have been
committed then, but she had gone to
church. | could not bear to leave her be,
hind. do wish You could go with us
but for you would gladly, gladly give up
all and 90 home to heaven. | sometimes
feel that am terrible sinner, but now
feel that the good Lord is waiting, the
door open, to welcome me and our little
ones. You have kept your marriage vows
so much more perfect than have, but you
know that my health is bad now and
have been in bad state of mind some
time. | feel that / am tired Of life ane
must 60"
In concluding her letter, Mrs. Lockridgt
gave instruction as to how her clothint
and articles of jewelry should be dis
tributed. Mrs. Lockridge was sister Of
Col. ]. j. Odel, the well-known produce
merchant Of this city,