The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1894-12-20
HORRIBLE Blu cherry.
A DENIENTED FATHER BUTCH
ERS HIS WIFE AND CHILDREN.
And Then Takes His Own Life-The
Wife and Two Sons Dead and Two
Step-Sons Fatally Wounded-One
Child Escaped to Tell the Tale.

Ridgeway. O., Dec. 1.-THE most
horrible human butchery ever recorded
in this section was committed five miles
southwest of this city this afternoon
David Pragg in a fit of insanity mur,
dered his wife and two children ana
MORALLY wounded his step-children win
butcher knife, then took his own HE
with rifle.
The nearest neighbOr of the Praggs
live n mile distant and it was some time
before the news of the crime was spread
and neghbOrs came to the scene OF the
| tragedy. An investigation of the scene
! was made. Almost sickening to their
| gaZe. living in the yard, was the remains
| of Mrs, SchraggS, mutilated almost pc
vond recognition, and her dishevelled hair
drowned in a pool of blood around her:
In the little dwelling, in one corner OF
the sitting room lay the liteless body, Oh
little Cal, 4 years old, ana IN anotheIr
Albert, years old. Albert head rested
ON the slate with which he had been play
inc and WAS a mass of blood and brains,
while blood ooZed from the gaping wound
in the thrOats of each. On the Kitchen
floor. with blood smeared all over ms race
and still clinging to the terrible lnstru-
ment of death. with his head almost sew.
cred from his body, lay the author OF
the awful scene. Great pools or bloou
had coagulated on the floor. making more
sickening the terrible sight. Inc, two
step-children of Spraggs, both under .
,,oars Of ogp. were taken to the home OF
neigbbors, where they are dying from
dozens of cuts that cover their little bod
les. -, ,.,.,. ...,,
The evidence of terrible struggle was
Mainly visible in the Schragg home. Ihe
walls books, shelves and furniture were
covered with blood, chairs were upset,
the oil can overturned and things general
" turned upside down.
The particulars of the butchery are
learned from Dora Onstatt, a step daught-
or of Spragg. She is a girl of II years
and eluded her step fathers murderous
grasp and escaped to a neighbor's andgaVe
the alarm. Her statement was somewhat
broken because of the intense excitement
under which she labOred, but is substah'
TALLY as follows:
Snragr had been complaining all morn
inc of an aching and his nelghbor, MI
Movers. was sent to RidgeWay TOR phy-
stefan. Soon after Meyers departure
Sprarc tied the hands OF one ENID ne
hind him and deliberately cut ms throa.'
Mrs. Spragg ran into the room at TINS
noint and attempted to interfere. when
Snrorr made a Iunge at her. She ran
out into the ward around the house and IN
TO it again. closely followed by SprasS'
In the house he caught her and desPeri1
ate struggle ensued. He literally hacker
the wom9n's head and face into strips
and cutting her head almost from the
body dragged her by the hair into tn the
ward. Covered with gore and every MN
ute becoming more frenZled the huHli!u
monster now returned to the house AGAIN
TO continue his work. ,
Dora, who was sick in bed, had climbed
ont of a window in the meantime and es-
capped. .,,o,.
When the people began to !arry,e they
were deferred from entering by Spragg,
who stood in the door with a loaded shot,
gun. Finally Spragg locked the door and
it was then that he butchered his step
children. Just as the crowd was prepar-
ing to break into the housce two shots
were heard and when the door was forced
open Spragg was dead and the scene
as described as was presented to view.
The two step children, who are yet alive,
will be cared for, but cannot recover.
-O----
Tn 81 Al CT vnor nc n primp household