Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1893-07-27
TRIPLE MURDER.
JOHN SMOUSE, OF PITTSBURG, KILLS his
WIPE AND TWO CHILDREN.
The Terrible Deed Committed in the Night and
the House Set on Fire to hide the Crims-A
Halohst Used By the Fisnd = A Baby and q
Little Boy Escapedd-The Murderer in Jail.

PITTsBURG, July 96.--A fearful triple
tragedy took place during the early
hours this morning. two children and a
mother meetingrheir fate at the hands
Of some hend.
1t was about 1870 this morning when
the South Sids fire department was
called out to extinguish slight fire In
the house Of John Smouse, who lived on
Oak alley, on the side Of the hill. There
was but slight fire and the men had
no difficulty In extlnguishing 1t.
Some of the members Of the depart
ment ia looking about the house were
Mortified at the sight Of three dead
bodies lying close to one another. There
were three ugly deep dents in the poor
woman's head, which showed that she
had first been struck a deadly blow
from behind, then the fearful work was
flushed with some blunt instrument,
either q Ratchet or hammer.
The little children had the appear
ance of having been smothered to death.
though their poor bodies also showed
marks OF violence. Their clothing was
also burned a little, though had they
been living when the fire started, they
would have had no trouble In getting
away from the small blaze. The child
rem were Mary and Maggie, and were
four and two years old respectively.
The husband was at once surrounded
by the hremen and the police were sent
for. He told story TO the effect that
he had been sleeping on the floor down
lra cd hy,o Nlya nd
ran up stairs to extlnguish the flames.
1t was then, he said, that he first dis
covered the dead bodies Of his wife aud
two children.
The police, however, have different
idea Of the crime and at once placed
Smouse under arrest. They were COM
fident triple murder had been commit
ted and say that the murderer set fire
TO the house TO conceal the crime.
Smouse is laborer, 35 years Of age and
apparently very ignorant.
There was one more child In the
family but by some means the little one
escaped the general massacre. The
child who was saved is only FIVE years
old, but this morning the weeping boy
told the police that his father killed his
mother. "He hit her on the head three
times with hatchet," sobbed the little
fellow.
The neighbors think Jealousy was the
cause OF the awful deed.
The awful work OF the assassin was
apparent In the hOuse to-day. On the
floor were two hammers covered with
blood, a broken lamp and blood on
nearly every piece of furniture and
every part of the floor. The room was
in terrible disorder, showing that q
desperate battle took place between the
murderer and his first victim, his wife.
After the mother had received her
death blow, it required but moment to
crush out the lives OF the children.
His next work was to conceal bis
crime, and after putting the bodies on
the bed, he placed a lamp under the
bed, and turned up the wick until the
flames touched the mattress.
He then fed, forgetting to dispatch
the fifteen weeks old baby In the cradle.
When the fire was eXtinguished the lit
tie one was found to be unframed.
The fourth child, who is now at the
police station, saved his life by escap-
ing from the building. Smouse sits sui
lenly in his cell, and refuses to say
anything Of the crime.