Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1897-03-25
TERRIBLE TRAGEDY.
The Crime Of q Morose Farmer In
Ray County, Mo.
HE WIPES OUT FIVE HUMAN LIVES.
His wife, Hh Mother-in-Law, Step
Daughter and Step brother Shot
to Death and the Murder
er Then Suicides.

RICHMOND, Mo-, March ga terri
BILE tragedy was enacted Saturday
evening near the little village of Or
rick in Ray county, Mo. Bee Rain
water, a farmer Of morose and jealous
disposition, cruelty murdered his wife,
his mother-in.law, one Of his wife's
children by a former marriage and a
step-brother and then made a good end
ing Of his awful work by blowing out
his own brains The dead are: Bee
Rainwater, the murderer and suicide;
Mrs Bee Rainwater; Mrs. William Art
man, 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 Rainwaters 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
Ill and sent for her daughter, Mrs
Rainwater, 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 affectionately, his manner giving
them no idea Of his murderous mood
After he had been in the house little
while, he proposed to Johnny Thur
man, his wife's brother, that they 60
to church. They went and were absent
about an hour, when they returned.
Rainwater was annoyed by some dogs
barking in the orchard and said to Thur
man. Johnny, let's kill those dogs"
Thurman took q shotgun and Rain
water revolver and they left the
house. When they had gone about 30
yards Rainwater, without having said
word, stepped behind Thurman and
placing the revolver to his head sent q
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.. Artman and
his wife; in another bed in the same
room Mrs. Rainwater, Fannie Gentry
and q ten-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, saying. 'lve got you all now"
Mrs. Artman threw up her hands as
Bainwater fred, the charge Of shot
carrying off every one Of her fingers
and the right side of her head; turn
ing 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 fred twice at Fannie Gentry, one
bullet penetrating her 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 to-
ward the house. He fred two more
shots into Thurman's brain, and then
going few feet further, he leaned
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 fred, and got
up. He says when Rainwater came
into the room he knew something aw.
full 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: ut was all
| done SO quickly that ! could hardly re-
alize 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
yesterday morning and q verdict rem
dered in accordance with the above
facts.
Rainwater and his wife did not live
happily together, and during theil
married life frequent separations hat
taken place. These were of short dura
ton, however. Mrs. Rainwater alway'
forgiving her husband and returning
to live with him. When these separa
tions would occur Mrs Artman ant
Thurman would always take Mrs
Rainwater's part, thereby incurrinl
Rainwater's animosity. The murderer
was a man of peculiar Temperament
and Of few words. He did not &c
along well with his neighbors, and Il
many Of them, with whom he had quar-
relied, he had not spoken for years.
THE MISSISSIPPI FLOOD,