The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1893-07-27
AN AWFUL TRAGEDY,
A Pittsburgh Man Murders His
Wife and Two Children.
He THEN SETS FIRE TO The HOUSE
To Hide the Evidences of the Crime,
A Third Child, Who Escapes tho
General Massacre, Tells tho Police
His Father Did the Deed-The MUIR
dereF Under Arrcst-A Terrible
Crime Prompted by Jealousy

PITEsBuRau, Pa, July ga fearful
triple tragedy took place during the
early hours this morning, two children
and mother meeting their fate at the
hands OF some tiend.
1t was about 1880 this morning when
tho South Side fire department was
called out to extinguish a slight fire in
the house Of John Smouse, who lived
on Oak Alley, on the side Of the hill
There waa'but slight fire and the men
had no difficulty in extinguishing it.
Some OF the members OF the depart
ment in looking about the house were
Mortified at the sight Of three dead
bodies lying close to ono another. They
were those OF Smouse's wife aud two
small children. There were three ugly
deep dents in the poor womRn's head,
which showed that she had frat been
struck deadly blow from behind, then
the fearful work was finished with some
blunt instrument, either Ratchet or a
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 w0s
also burned a little, though had they
been living when the fire started, they
would have had no trouble in getting
away IRON the small blaze. The chill.
dren were Mary and Maggie and were
four and two years old respectively.
The husband was ut once surrounded
by the tiremen and the police were
sent for. He told story to the effect
that no had been sleeping on the door
down stairs, but was awakened by smoke
and ran up stairs to extinguish the
flames. 1t was then, he said, that no
FIRST discovered the dead bodies Of his
wife and two children.
The police, however, have different
iden OF the crime and Mt once placed
Smouse under arrest. They were con-
fdent triple murder had been COM
mitted and say that the murderer set
fire to tho house to conceal the crime.
smouse is laborer, 50 years Of age,
and apparently very ignorant.
There was one moro child in the
family but by some means the little one
escaped the general massacre. The
child who was saved ia 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 the hatchet," sobbed the
little fellow.
Tho neighbors think jealousy was the
cause Of the awful decd.
Tho awful work Of the assassin was
apparent in the house to-day On the
floor were two hammers covered with
blood, 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 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 10 conceal his
crime and after putting the bodies on
the bed he placed lamp under the bed
and turned up the wick until the flames
reached the mattress.
He then fed, forgetting to dispatch
the fifteen. weeks-old baby in the era
die. When the fire was extinguished
the little one was found to be I'm.
harmed.
The fourth child, who Is now in the
police station. saved his life by escap'
Ing from the building. smouse sits sul'
lenly in his cell and refuses to shy any
thing OF the crime.
It turns out that smouse had insured
tho livea of the two murdered children.