The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1895-04-12
KILLS TWO
An Awful Deed of an Ohio Mother-A
Razor the Weapon.

Columbus, Ohio, April 3.-Two chill
dren of Mrs. H. H. Is. Williams of Grove
City were found dead in bed in the Park
hotel yesterday afternoon with their
threats cut from ear to ear. Their names
are Harry, z years old, and Maud, aged
IL. A third child, Annie, aged Is, was in
the room, but escaped unframed. The
murder was committed by the mother,
who q disappeared. Later she was
arrested. She showed no evidences of
insanity and told the story of the horri-
Die crime in a calm voice. She said she
had made up her mind last week to kill
herself and her children and came to
Columbus Saturday for that purpose.
She secured some opium and all three
took the drug Saturday night. 1t took
effect only on the little girl MAUD. She
then determined to secure a razor n
waited until the morning. She first cut
the boys wrist, expecting him to bleed
10 death. He awakened. however, n
then h cut his throat. The body of
Maud was not touched by the razor.
Mrs. Williams said she then asked An
ME to let her cut her wrist, but the child
begged so ~piteously that she lost cour-
age n left the hotel, intending to
drown herself. She said it then occurred
TO her that Annie might be accused of
the crime, and she changed her mind
and Went to the house of a friend, Mrs.
John G. Lester. in another part of the
town, where she was found in the even
Ing.
pr. Frank Warner was called to the
MOTEL about 3 o'clock in the afternoon
by the proprietor, C. C. Alwal.i, as
soon as the crime was discovered. The
doctor was escorted to the room where
the two victims of the murder lay. The
children were both in; theirsnight cloth
ing. The little girl, Maud, had her
throat cut almost from ear to ear. At
h foot Of the bed lay a razor with
which h crime q been committed.
The doctor said the position Of the lit
tie girl indicated she had struggled
desperately for her life. She had evil
IDENTIFY been thrown down and held in.
h a position face downward while she
had been slain. Harry's body did no
indicate much Of a struggle.
MI. Williams arrived in the afternoon.
He said his wife left home Saturday and
came to Columbus, but he did not know
why. He said they were not separated.
he refused to talk of the crime n alb
solutely prevented his daughter Annie
n oAAy IN SAAAsA
was apparently willing to tell What's She
knew of the affair until checked by her
father. Annie, before being stopped by
her father, said her mother got up early
but did not leave the hotel till $50
o'clock. Before she went away she told
Annie no to go near the bed. Just
what Gus she made the child for
giving this instruction is not known
now, but the little girl obeyed the in
structions and kept away from the bed.
II IT had not been for Annie's faithful
obedience to her mothers injunction
the dead bodies of the little mes would
have beer discovered much sooner As
1t was the murder was not known till
the chambermaid came to maxi up he
beds. Mrs. Williams is a woman of
about 80 or 40. A resident of Grove
City says he never knew any trouble in
the Williams family. and v heard
that Mrs. Williams was mentally weak
or suffered from brain trouble.