The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1892-12-31
FRIGHTFUL TRAGEDY.
TRIPLE MURDER AND SUICIDE
IN BOSTON,.
A Man Kills His Daughter. Mortally
Wounds His Wife, Seriously
Injuries Her Mother and
Then Ends His
Own Life.

The Last Should Have Been First.
Worcester, Mass, Dec. PA horrible
triple murder and suicide was discovered
to-day in the upper fiat of a tenement
building at 81. Taintor street. Henry
y. varnum and his little adopted daugh-
Ter Florence were found dead, his wife
was nearly dead when discovered and
died on the way to the hospital, and
Mrs. Wright, the mother of Mrs. Var
mum, now lies at the bospital. in a criti-
cal condition, unable as yet to talk or
indicate in any way the story of the aw-
full event.
Henry G. Varunm came to this city
from Haron, in September, and sought
employment as a machinist. which he
1ound IN the shop of L. l.. Pollard. He
tnen rented the tenement on Taintor
street and sent for his family, which con-
sisted OF his wife, an adopted daughter,
fiorence and his wife's mother, Mrs.
wright. The family lived quietly and
TO all appearances happily. Mrs. Var
nun was a regular attendant at Hope
CONGREGATIONAL church, where she sang
III the choir. Her husband and little
often accompanied her. Mrs.
Iarhum was not present at any of the
cnurcn services Sunday, and the pas
tor Kew. e. w. Phillips, remarked
ABOUT the absence and expressed some
surprise, saying that Mrs. Varnum was
not the sort of woman to stay at home
because it was cold. Mr.. Phillips had
occasion to-day to make a call on
Chrlsty street, near Taintor. and in
passing the house thought he would
ma out II anything was the matter. He
rang the Varnum bell, but received no
answer n called up the lower tene-
neht, and later the occupant to the mid
ole dwelling, Mrs. +. +. Hall. who
saiu she a not heard anything from
,ne Varnums and that she felt nervous
ABOUT them. She also said that the door
up stairs was open.
MI. Phillips went I'D stairs and en+or,a
the apartments through the M r1cr Tbo
rooms were very cold and tho fnr,;t,,.o
'noisturned: He passed through the par
,or INTO the back parlor and then into the
hltchen. He then pushed open the door
OF the bed room leading off from the
Kitchen, and a terrible sight met his ewes
Lying on the bed, covered with blood.
were MIR. Varnum and his wife, Tho
man was ute dead, but the woman was
breathing heavily. In one corner of tho
room lay the child, turned over on its
face, also dead. Mr.. Phillips waited to
see no more, but rushed down stairs to
the Office of the Knowles Loom works.
where he t%elephoned for the police. When
the police arrived the mother. Mrs.
Wright, was discovered. in an adjoining
room. She was conscious, but not able
to speak, though she understood what
was said to her, and made several inef-
fectual attempts to a%rticulate. The bodies
of the man and child were removed by
the undertaken, and the. two women were
carried to the hospital. The younger
woman died just as the ambulance
stopped at the hospital door. Mrs. Wright
is still unable to speak, but she may live.
She is about eighty years of age.
The weapon with which the awful
deed was committed was an iron door
hanger, an iron strap about fifteen in
ches long, headed by a cylindrical knob.
The cylinder weighed twenty pounds.
Varnum himself was killed by a stab from
a knife identified as his own. He was
cut in the region of the heart. There
were no other marks upon his body. Med
ical Examiner Keefe, who examined the
bodies, says that the deed IA done
early Sunday morning. The bodies of the
man and child when found were stiff and
the water in the kitchen was frozen.
There was no sign of violence about the
house outside the bed rooms. Mrs. +. +.
Hall, who lives in the tenement below,
says that she heard a slight sound from
the child at about 5 o'clock Sunday morn
ing. and a moment later the sound Of
footsteps. The noise ceased Immediately,
and she thought nothing of them.