The morning call., 1891-08-03
AN AWFUL DEED.
A Mother Murders All Three of
Her Children and Suicides,

Mrs. Pattie Lochridge, wife of Mr..
Thomas LocDridge, shot her three chill
dren and herself about l o'clock yesterday
afternoon at her home. three miles south of
Spring Hill, Maury County. Mrs Loch-
ridge was 80 years Of age, her eldest child
years old. the second years old and the
third months old.
The awful deed was done with a double
barreled, breech-loading shotgun. After
dinner Mr.. Lochridge went to church, leay-
ing his home in It's usual state of quietness.
His wife lad been complaining for some
tune 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 BIO
enacted.
About o'clock he returned to the little
home and found the front door locked This
seemed strange to him, but concluding his
VIE had gone on "a visit lie went around the
house intending to enter by the back door.
rms, too. was locked, and he was compelled
to force window sash in order to gain an
entrance.
He had never known his wife to so Sc
curely fasten the house, and as he climbed
through the window strange feeling of i'm
peung evil came 0ver'him. Not, however,
until he had gone into the living room up
stairs, where he had spent so many pleas
ant hours, did the full meaning of the sealed
doors and windows burst upon him.
Ibere upon pallet, nicely arranged, lay
his three darlngs dead. and across the
room, with her feet turned to theirs, was
his wife, their mother, cold in the grasp of
the grim destroyer.
A double barreled, breech-loading shot
gun. his companion on many a Jolly hunt,
lay between them As near as can be-
learned from the surroundings Mrs. Loch-
ridge had drawn up Ter children's clothes
one by one placed the gun against their
hearts and fired. Then she placed them side
by side On the pallet which she had made
for the purpose ard arranged their dresses
neatly about them.
Standing at their feet and probably gaz-
ing down upon them, the distracted mother
placed the muzzle OF the gun at her own
heart and sent her own soul to follow her
children. After killing the first two she
must have reloaded the gun, and that she did
1t shows that she was at least partially calm.
How she pulled the trigger when the gun
was against her own breast is n mystery,
unless she did it with a stick held in her
hand or with her foot.
IL Is thought the woman poisoned or
ehlorofOrmed both herself and the children
before she used the gun. In the letter,
gwen In part below, she refers to pain in
her head, ana then 1t would have been diff
cult to have killed the little things while
wide awake-probably too difficult for even
the fiendish hand of a hild-murderess.
Inc following letter was found in the
room with the murdered and the suicide:
July 10, 1891.
Dear Tom: know you will be shocKed when
you get back and find what 1 have done. This
Is not my first attempt took forty drops OF
laudanum at one time ana sixty az another be-
fore was married. and failed 10 accomplish my
PURPOSE, but think VIII succeed this time. II
EunIee loldest cbildl had been at home last Sun
day evening THIS deed would have been COM
mltted then, but she had gone 10 church. could
not bear 10 leave her behind. l do wish ycu could
a ,rf., tIt I'll,
give up all and go home to heaven. / some
times feel that am terrible sinner. but now
feel that the good Lord IS waiting, the door open,
10 welcome me aud our little ONES. You have
Kept our marriage vows SO much more perfect
than have, but you know that my health Is bad
now. have been In a bad stale OF mind some
time. feel that am Tired OF life and must go.
In concluding her letter Mrs. Lochridge
gave instructions as to how clothing and
articles Of jewelry should be distributed.
Mrs. Lochridge was sister to Colonel j. j.
Odil, the %ell-kBown produce merchant of
this clty.-Nashville special to Baltimore
Herald.