Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1895-03-27
WHAT AFATHER,S DRUNK
DID.

come OF getting drunk on cider.
Reading, Pa, March 10.
While defending bis mother from
the brutal assaults Of his drunken
father last evening. 16year old
Charles Oswald became a patricide.
The Oswald family, composed of
John, his wife Sarah, and five chill
dren ranging in years from 16 years
to 7 months, lived in q farm house
near Obey Line, about eight miles
east of r aaing. The father was a
tall well-built man, weighing about
Us pounds. The oldest SOD, Charles,
who is now awaiting the action of
the District Attorney, is less than 5
feet in height, and weighs about 80
pounds
John Oswald, the father, was O
prosperous farmer, but his one pre-
dominating fault was his love for
strong drink. For some time past,
it has been his custom to imbibe
freely of hard cider, and when under
its influence. he abused his wife and
children. Yesterday was no excep-
tion. During the day, the father and
sons were engaged IL hauling ma
nure, and the father paid frequent
visits to the jug containing the cider.
Toward evening he was pretty wei!
intoxicated
After entering the house where the
children were assembled the father
began abusing his wife, who bore
his Ill treatment without complaint.
He tried, il is alleged in various
wsys to start quarrel with her, but
failed. Then he advanced toward
her in threatening manner and ex-
claimed:
"Now, it's the last of youl''
rIrEoUs APPEAL To HER BOYS
Oswald was about to strike her,
q: i The wife and mother after vainly
trying to elude her drunken husband,
called out:
Nov, boys, help your mother"
Charles ran to her assistance: but
his father struck at Tie lad, aud he
ran into the cellar and procured a
hickory gambrel stick, sucn as is US
ed by buscheries to hang up hogs
With this he attacked his father, who,
holdiog Mrs. Oswald by the hair on
the floor, where she had been thrown,
was kicking and beating her.
With one blow Charles felled his
father, who at once jumped up and
furiousiy started for him. In tie
boys frerzy blow after blow was
raired on the fathers head, while his
mother shouted:
Don't let him up, he will murder
US all,'
She regained her feet, and, seizing
broom, aided her son. Soon the
father cessed to struggle, and in a
few minutes it was evident that he
was dead.
All night the body lay in the kitch-
en, where the deadly atfray had tax
en- place, surrounded by pools of
blood and other evidences of the
fierce struggle. The horriied fami-
ly retired aad not until this morn.
ing did the neighbors know of the
tragedy that had taken place. Then
Coroner Greisemer was summoned
from this city and an inquest held
1t was found that death resulted
from fracture of the skull. One of
the wounds on the right side and
back cf the head, was 81 inches wide
and inches long; another on the
frontal bone, triangular in shape,
was 29 inches at the base OF the tri-
angle: beside which the skull was
crushed in at several places.
The gambrel stick was four feet
long, of heavy hickory wood, taper
ing at both ends, one end of which
was clotted with blood.
The verdict of the Coroner's Jury
was: I'VE, the jury, find that John
o. Oswald came to his death from
wounds inflicted by the son Charles
with gambrel stick, the boy doing
SO While defending his mother against
the assaults of his father, who was
intoxicated
THE BOYS PATHETIC STORY.
To "The Record" representative
Charles Oswald told the following
story: 81 had been at school all day
Father had been drinking. Wher
he came into the house about $780,
he followed mother upstairs. She
heard him coming, and being afraid
blew out the lamp and got down
stairs in the darkness by the back
way. This seemed 10 anger father
anI be foIIovod bnr 1nv-ncfairs Af
ter he came down, he said he was go
ing to Obey Line to sell an OK. BE