The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-03-30

AKRON, O., March 29.-At a late
hour last night a masked man entered
the farm house of Alvin NJ. Stone, near
Talmadge, few miles from this city,
and in a brief space of half an hour
committed a horrible butchery. When
he took his departure, Stone and his
wife, both aged people, were lying
dead in bed horribly mutilated and
Ira Stillson, the hired man and Emma
Stone, the eldest of three daughters
were unconscious from blows dealt by
the murderer.
The murderer entered the house by
means of the ladder which he raised
to an up stairs window. He first
passed through the room which Hattie
and Flora Stone were sleeping, with
out awakening them. Going quietly
down stairs to the room in which Mr..
and Mrs. Stone slept, he attacked
them with q blunt weapon of some
sort, hitting both upon the head. They
were probably rendered unconscious
and possibly
KILLED BY THE BLOWS,
but the fiend, not satisfied with that,
proceeded to mutilate their bodies with
a knife. He cut off one of Stones
ears, slashed him across the face and
stabbed him in the back Then he laid
Mrs. Stones cheek open with the
knife. After satisfying his fendish de-
sires down stairs, he proceeded to the
room of Stillson, up stairs. The hired
man heard the intruder, apparently,
for he had arisen when he was dealt
stunning blow on the head. Then
the murderer turned his attention to
Emma Stone who slept in a room by
herself. When he entered her room
she screamed. That awakened the
two other girls who slept across the
hall. Hattie Stone arose to go to her
sisters assistance but as she entered
the latter's room she was felled to the
floor by a blow on the head, but
fortunately was not rendered uncon-
scious. Regaining her feet, she ran to
her own room and locked the door,
Throwing a bed quilt about her, she
LEAPED FROM THE WINDOW
and ran through the rain and mud to
the nearest neighbors, a quarter of a
mile away. After he had struck Hat
tie down the murderer returned to
Emma's room and struck her on the
head, leaving her unconscious. Then
he tried the door to the room in
which Hattie had left her younger
sister Flora when she jumped from the
window Finding the door locked he
battered it down. Finding only Flora
in the room he asked where the other
girl was. When told she had gone for
help he hastily left the house and
made his escape.
Hattie, with the blood streaming
from the wound on her head managed
ba io1oh fo1I l,o
story and then tainted. After she had
been put to bed the neighbor, calling
for help, went to the Stone house
There the evidences of the butchery
were discovered. The only person in
the house who was able TO speak was
Flora Stone, aged 16, and she was
badly frightened. For this reason all
she could tell was that the man who
it wore mask over his
face.
THE CRIME IS A MYSTERY.
There is no possible motive for the
Qurders, so far as can be learned.
Certainly the murderer was not bent
Mr.. Stones room were two gold
watches and some money and nothing
had been taken.
The Sheriff of Summit county was
called to the scene of murder early in
the morning and with a posse has been
all day for clews One man
was found who says he saw buggy
pass his house late last night in the
direction of the Stone house and the
same horse is believed to have been
found in the streets in Kent, a few
niles east of Talmadge this morning.
Ira Stillson and Emma and Hattie
Stone have not yet recovered con-
and it is feared Stillson
will die, while the chances for the re-
;overy of the two girls is very small.