Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1892-07-25
DOUBLE MURDER !.
Enacted Last Night Near
Nashville.
A Farmer Kills His Wife
and Stepdaughter
BY Splitting Their Heads
Open With an Axe.
After Completing His Murderous Work
He Tries to Commit Suicide With
Dirk Knife.
Special to the Leat-Chronicle.l


Special to the Leaf-Chronicle.l
NASHVILLE, July Is "A double
murder, which in its bloody and hor-
rible details has hardly parallel in
The criminal annals of this section,
was enacted about $50 O'Clock last
night about half a mile from little
place called Burns, about thirty-sev-
en- miles from this city, on the North
western branch of the Nashville,
Chattanooga & st. Louis railway.
Maj. J. H. Wynn, a farmer, muir
dered his wife and step-daughter
with an ak, mutilating them most
horribly. He afterwards made an
unsuccessful attempt at suicide with
a dirk knife.
The murder occurred at Wynn's
home in the locality mentioned.
Wynn, at that time widower, about
three years ago, married widow
named Mrs. Anderson, who was one
of the victims of his fury last night.
Each of the parties had children by
the previous marriage and the two
sets of children had not got along
well. Their disagreements bred dis
cord between husband and wife, and
last nights CORY tragedy was the cul-
mination of these troubles.
AS the murderer is now the only
living witness of the terrible crime,
just what preceded the murder is not
known. 1t is surmised that there
must have been n fierce quarrel
Wynn sliced an AK, and rushing up
on his wife, brought its blade down
with terrible force upon her head
literally splitting it open. Another
blow yet he struck and the head o.
the victim, while still attached tC
the trunk, had been split into three
pieces.
The murderer then turned upon hi
step daughter, Miss Anderson,
young lady still in her teens, and OF
tackled her with the same terrible
weapon with which he had slain he
mother before her eyes. The poo
girl threw up her right hand in al
instructive attempt to ward off
blow. The ak struck her wrist ant
severed her right hand from the arm
Wynn then dealt the girl some blow
about the head and rushed from tn
house.
He went to Colesburg, about tw
miles away, to where one of his son
lives. He went to his sons house an
told the son what he had done. Ma.
Wynn then attempted to take hi
own life with dirk. Before he coul
be stopped he had dealt himself
blow in the neck, intlicting woun
= about four inches deep. DR.. Camp
bell Slayder, who was summoned
says the wound will not prove fata
Maj. Wynn, it seems, told othel
at Cole burg of his crime. AT lea'
the news got out. AT first it was NJ
credited, but when a party frol
Colesburg, joined by people fro'
, Burns, went over TO Wynn's hou'
. they found that the murderer hs
, spoken the awful truth.
The scene presenteds at the lit
farmhouse will never be forgotte
by those who entered it, and man
h of them will see it in their dream
for weeks to come. Upon the tio'
a lay the body of Mrs. Wynn, her hea
J. in a pool of blood, which had trickle
n off in little streams. The daughte
o though then still living, but mortal
O wounded, lay near by bloody poe
o also marking the resting place of h
# head. Blood was spattered over Il
\ walls, floor and furniture, and ov
q the clothing of the two victims. Tn
; morning the daughter died.
n Wynn, though not at last accoun
h arrested, was under guard at h
sons house. Great excitement e
lists at Colesburg and Burns, al
the neighborhood, and some think
II lynching possible.