Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-12-27

Four Persons Attacked ut Worcester, Mass.
and Three OF Them Dead.

W0rce8tef,
and Three OF Them Dead.
A horrible tragedy wss discovered yesterday
in the upper fat Of . tenement building ct 81
Taintor street, Worcester, Macs. Henry G.
varnum and his little adopted daughter
Florence were found dead. His wife was nearly
dead when discovered and died on the way to
the hospital and MIRA Wright. the mother Of
Mrs. yarnum, now lies q. the hospital in q
critical condition, unable a. yet to talk or in
dictate in any way the story OF the awful event.
Henry C. varnum came to Worcester from
Haron, Vt. in September and found employ
ment as q machinist in the shop Of L. L. Pol
lard. He then hired the tenement on Taintor
street and sent for his family, which consisted
Of his wife, an adopted daughter, Florence, and
his wife's mother, Mrs. Wright
The family lived quietly. and, to all appear
ances, happily. Mrs. Varnum was a regular at
tendant at Hope Congregational Church. where
she sang in the choir. Her husband and little
daughter often accompanied her. Mrs. Varnum
was not present at any of the church. services
on Sunday, and the pastor, Rev. E. W. Phillips,
remarked the absence and expressed some sur
prise, saying that Mrs. vsrnum was not the sort
of = woman to stay at home because 1t was cold
Mr.. Phillips had occasion yesterday to make
. call on Christy street near Taintor, and In
passing, thought he would see II anything was
no answer, and called up the lower tenement,
and later the occupant Of the middle dwelling.
Mrs. F. E. Hail. who said she had not heard
anything from the Varnums, and that she Eel {
nervous about them She also said thatt
door upstairs was open.
TEnErBLH s1oHT.
Mr.. Phillips went upstairs immediately and
entered the apartments through the psrlor.
The rooms were very cold and the furniture I'M
disturbed. He passed through the parlor into
the back parior and then to the kitchen. He
then pushed open the door of the bed room,
leading of from the kitchen, and terrible
Lying on the bed, covered with blood, were
Mr. Varnum and his wife. The man was quite
dead, but the woman was breathing heavily.
In a cot, In the corner Of the room, lay the
child turned over on her face, also dead.
Mr.. Phillips waited to see no more, but
loom works, where he autographed for the
police. When the police arrived the mother,
Mrs. Wright, was discovered in an sdjoining
room. She was conscious, but not able to
speak, though she understood what was said to
her. and made several Intellectual attempts to
articulate. The bodies Of the man and child
were removed by an undertaken and the two
women we're carried to the hospital. The
younger woman died Just as the ambulance
stopped at the hospital door.
The weapon with which the crime wac COM
mitted was an iron door hanger--an iron strap
about fifteen inches long, headed by = cylin-
drical knob. The Instrument weighed fully
four pounds. Varnum himself was killed BY q
stab from knife identified as his own. He was
cut in the region of the heart There we're no
other marks upon his body.
KILLED EARLY CHRISTMAS MORNING.
Medical Examiner Keefe, who examined the
bodies, says that the deed was done early Sun
day morning. The bodies Of the man and child
when found were stiff, and water in the kitchen
was frozen. There was no sign of violence
about the house outside the bed rooms
Mrs. F. E. Hall. who lives in the tenement
below, says that she heard slight sound from
the child at about 5 o'clock Sunday morning,
and a moment later the sound Of footsteps.
The noises ceased Immediately, and she thought
nothing Of them.