River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1896-04-02
WORK OF A FIENp.
Aged Ohioan and Wife Murdered Neal
Akron-Three Others Fatally Injured.


Aged Ohioan and Wife Murdered Near
Akron-Three Others Fatally Injured.
Cleveland. o., March 30.-At ono
o'clock Sunday morning the most
fiendish deed that has ever claimed
entrance to the criminal history of
Ohio was perpetrated near Tallnadge,
village five miles north of Aaron.
Alvin Stone, aged 60, and his wife, agsd
GO, while asleep nj their howe were
brutality murdered by fiend, who lit
orally heat their heads to pieces, after
which numerous knife thrusts were
made into the bodies of the dead. Two
daughters, Hattie, aged 20; Emma,
ngei 20, and the family man servant,
A. T. Ssillson, were also attacked. All
three Of these are fatally injured ard
lie unconscious and bleeding at the
home, awaiting death. They had been
beaten about tbs head with n blunt in
strument, which of itself must have
been large and of great weight.
Alvin Stone was among the most
wealthy and prominent OF Summit
county farmers, and his wife was also
"a member of one of the wealthicst and
most prominent families in northeast
ern Ohio. The object of the murder
Gus assault en- the family was bot rob
berry, as numerous articles OF value,
including the two gold watches of the
aged couple, which were on the bed
roc n dresser. were easily obtainable.
One member of the family alone escaped
injury-Flora, the youngest daughter,
aged 16. She is laboring under intense
excitement, but was able, between tears
and hysterical sobs, to tell what she
knew of the affair. The old folks, she
said, occupied chamber on the lower
floor. Hattie and Flora slept upstairs.
Emma across the hall and the hired
man at the rear end of the hallway on
the same floor. At about one o'clock
Sunday morning, Flora says, she heard
an agonizing scream from Emma.
She jumped from bed and, opening the
door, started across the hall. Hattie
followed her.
Flora turning before she entered
Emma's room, the door of which was
open, saw a masked man strike Hattie
over the head with what looked like
crowbar. Hattie with groan fell
senseless to the floor, while Flora in
terror ran back to her room and hid
under the bedclothes. Hattie, who 10
a woman of remarkable vitality. despite
her frightful injury. arose, and going
into Flora's room urged her to throw
something over her head. Flora was
too frightened to move. Hattie left her
room and entering that of her sister,
noticed the window was open and that
a ladder reached up to it from the
ground. She wrapped a quilt around
her and went down the ladder, running
to Charles Sackett's farm, quarter of
a mile away, where she told her story
and collapsed.
Two of the Sacketts hurried to the
Stone house, while another summoned
a physician. When they arrived the
house was pitch dark. The side door
was open. Entering the room occu-
pied by the old folks, they were con-
fronted by the two horribly-mutilated
bodies of the father and mother. Emma
was found unconscious on the floor of
her bedroom. She had been struck n
fearful blow over the forehead, and still
lies as one dead. The hired man was
found in his room in the same condi-
ton. He had also been struck over the
forehead. Flora was found under the
bedclothes in speechless fright.
In few minutes the whole neighbor-
hood for miles around was aroused,
and hundreds assembled about the
Stone homestead. The scene was ter
ribly impressive. The rage of those
who for so many years had lived with
and loved the amiabIe, honest Stone
family knew no bounds. The Akron
police department was notified, and
Detective Dunn, Marshal Mason, Sher.
if Griffin and First Deputy Hart hur-
ried to the scene. They arrived at nine
o'clock.
They found what appeared TO be
tracks of a man leaving the side door,
which was open, and ending at the
road. The rain which had steadily
poured all night had, however, oblio-
Grated the tracks alcng the road. Blood
hounds were put into service, but they
could do nothing owing to the rain.