Hutchinson gazette. [volume] (Hutchinson, Kan.) 1895-1902, 1897-03-25
ATERRIBLE TRAGEDY
ouINTUPLE MURDER NEAR
oRRlCK, MO.
Bes RAinwater, Farmer, Murders HlS
Wife, MOther-in-LaW, step-Brothsr.
step-Chlld, and Then Blows His own
brains Out--HAd Family QuarrelS.


RICHMOND. Mo-, March ga ter.
rible tragedy was enacted Saturday
evening near the little village of Or
rick in Ray county, Mo.
Bee Rainwater, farmer, cruelty
Z murdered his wife, his mother-in-law,
one of his wife's children by former
marriage and step-brother and then
made an ending OF his awful work by
blowing out his own brains.
The dead are: Bee Rainwater, the
murderer and suicide; Mrs Bee Rain.
water; Mrs. William Artman, Mrs
Rainwater's mother; John Thurman,
son Of Mrs. Artman and step-brother
of the murderer, and Fanny Gentry,
the murderer's step-daughter
The RaiPwaters and the Artmans
live within quarter of mile of each
other near the bank of the Missouri
river, about three miles south of Or
rick. Last week Mrs Artman became
i'll and sent for her daughter, Mrs
Rainw0ter, to come and stay with her.
Saturday night Rainwater went over
from his place to the Artman house to
visit his wife and children He greeted
them nffectionately, his manner Civ
ing them no idea of his murderous
mood. After he had been in the house
. little while he proposed to Johnny
Thurman, his wife's brother, that they
go to church. They went and were alb.
sentabout an hour, when they returned.
Rainwater was annoyed by some dogs
barking in the orchard and said to
Thurman: Johnny, lets kill those
dogs"
Thurman took shotgun and Rain
water revolver and they left the
house. When they had gone about
fifty yards Rainwater, without having
said word. stepped behind Thurman
and placing the revolver to his head
sent bullet crashing through his
brain.
Maddened by this first taste of blood,
Rainwater hurried back to the house,
where his unsuspecting victims were
all in bed. In one bed were Mr.. Art
man and his wife; in another bed in
the same room Mrs, Rainwater, Fan
ME Gentry and 1O-year-old daughter
of Mrs. Artman. Rainwater had
brought back the gun which Thurman
had taken out and this he leveled at
Mrs. Artman's head, saving: "D-n
you, I've got you all now" Mrs. Art
man threw up her hands as Rainwater
fired, the charge of shot carrying off
every one of her fingers and the right
side of her head; turning around, he
literally blew his wife's head off with
the other barrel of his gun, scattering
her brains over the wall.
Drawing a revolver from his pocket,
he fired twice at Fannie Gentry, one
bullet penetrating ler brain and one
piercing through her lungs. For some
unaccountable reason, he spared Mr.
Artman and the younger Artman girl.
Walking into the front room of the
house, the murderer coolly reloaded
both barrels of his gun and went out
into the orchard again. Here he met
Thurman, still alive, and crawling
toward the house. He fired two more
shots into Humans brain, and then,
going few feet further, he leaned
against the fence of the orchard and,
placing the muzzle of the gun against
his head, blew out his own brains.
William Artman, father-in-law of
the murderer, was in bed with his wife
when the first shot was fired. and got
up. He says when Rainwater came
into the room he knew something
awful had happened, and his son-in-
law told him not to be afraid. as he
had nothing against him. Further
than this, the old man says: lit was
all done so quickly that could hardly
realize what was happening"
As soon as he recovered from the
awful shock he ran to his nearest
neighbors and gave the alarm An
inquest was held and verdict rem
dercd in accordance with the above
facts.
Rainwater and his wife did not live
happily together, and during their
married life frequent separations had
taken place. These were of short
duration, however, Mrs. Rainwater al
ways forgiving her husband and re-
turning to live with him When these
separations would occur Mrs Artman
and Thurman would always take Mrs.
Rainwater's part, thereby mourning
Rainwater's luminosity. The murderer
was man of peculiar temperament
and of few words He did not get
along well with his neighbors. and to
many. of them, with whom he had
quarroled. he had not spoken for years.
The family relations of the murderer
and his victims were very much tan
| gled. About fifteen years ago Will
lam Artman married Mrs. Thurman. u
widow with two children, one of whom,
John Thurman, is one of the victims
OF the murder. The other child,
daughter. was married to man named
Gentry, two daughters being the re-
suit of their union. Six years ago
Gentry died and the widow two years
later married Bee Rainwater, and one
child was born TO them.
Colonel John Churchill Dead