Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1894-12-12

| Is Slaughter Pen and Then Closes the
| Terrible Tragedy with hsuicitie-rrichtful
scene in the House of Death-Wife and
t"nr Children Cut to Pieces with
Butcher Knife.
| FspeEwAI, Mo-, Dec I2.-The mos.
horrible human butchery ever recorded in
'his section was committed five miles
southwest OF this city yesterday afternoon.
baNiu U- Spragg, in "a fit of insanity. mur-
aered his wife and two children and NOR.
tally wounded his two stepchildrcn. tben
TOOK his own life. The weapon of death
which the maniac welded with such ap-
paiing results was large butcher knife.
Ihe nearest neighbor to the Spraccs
iived almost a mile distant. and it was
some time before the news of the crime
spread. In few hours numbers of peo-
PIE arrived from town and an investira-
ton OF the scene was made. The most
sickeEing sight met their gaze. Living
IN the yard near the gate were the re-
mains of Mrs. Sp-agg, mutilated almost
beyond recognition, and her dishcveled
halr drowned in the pool of blood sur
rounding her
| Where the Other Victims Were Found.
IN the little dwelling, in one corner of
ehe sitting room, lay the lifelcss body of
iittie Galley, 5years old, and in the other
Albert, u +year-old boy. Albcrt's head,
resting on the slate with which he had
been playing, was u mass of coagulated
blood and brains, while blood still ooze,,
from the gaping wounds in the throats OF
each On the Kitchen floor, with blood be-
smeared all over his hands and face and
still clenching the terrible instrument of
death III his bony hands and with his head
almost severed from his body. lay the
author of the awful scene. Two stcp-chil-
drcn Of SpragC, both under 6 years old.
were taken to the home OF ncighbors,
where they axe dying from dozens of cuts
that cover their little bodies
The Mailman Ecr.ns His Work.
Evidence of n terriabic struggle were
plainly visible in the Spragr home. The
walls, books stove and furniture Were
spattered with blood; chairs were upset,
the oil can overturned and things general
ly turned upside down. Tho particulars
of the butchcry are learned from Dora
Onstatt, a stcp-daughtcr of Spragg. She
Is child of IL years and after cluding
her Stcp-fathcr's murtlcrous grasp, escaped
10 neiShbor' and gave the alarm. Her
statement. somewhat broken because OF
the intense excitement under which she
lahOred. is substantially as follows:
Spragg had been complaining all morn
ing OF an .aching head, and his nearest
neighbor, Mr.. Meyers, WAS sent to Ridge.
way for a physician. Soon after Meyer 5
ttfcfIartr>ey Sprags tied Caley's hands he
hind him and deliberately cut his throat
| Mrs. Sprasg's Fight for Life.
Mrs. Spragg ran into the room at this
point and attempted to interfere, when
Spragg made IA lunge at her. She ran out
into the yard. around the house and into
it again, closely followed by Spragg In
the house he caught her and desperate
struggle ensued. He literally hacked her
head and face into slices and then cutting
her head almost from the body, dragged
her by the hair into the yard. Covered
with gore and every minute becoming
more frcnzied the human monster now
returned to the house, again to continu,
his work Dora, who was sick in bed, hat
climbed out of the window in the mean
time and escaped.
The Maniac Finishes His Job.
When the people first began to arrive
they were deferred from entering by
Lpragg, who stood in the doorway with
loaded shot gun. Finally Spragg locked
the door and it was then that he butch
cred his step-children. Just as the crowd
was preparing To break into the hous,
two shots were heard, and when the dool
was finally forced open Spragg was dcaf
and the scene as described was presented
to view. The two step-childrcn who Were
still alive were cared for, but cannot re
cover.