The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-05-28
STORY OF THE CRIME.

The crime or which Eugene Burt was
convicted and for which the death penalty
was assessed was the murder of his wife
and two baby daughters on the night of
July q, 1886. There were no witnesses 10
the deed, but the chain of clrrumstantial
evidence was complete. victim OF the
gambling habit Burt had gone from bad 10
worse imposing upon the generosity Of
friends and relatives out of all r. asOn, I'M
Ill driven by necessity TO commit forgery.
With several indictments for that crime
hanging over him and without means 10
leave the country, he resolved to get rid OF
his family, under certain contingencies sell
mis- household effects and give the law
chase. Once matured. his plans for accom-
plishing this were systematically carried
out. Early in the evening OF the fatal day
ne sent his doomed children out for a walk
in charge OF Minnie Sims, a negro woman
in his employ Left alone with his wife, he
uniolded to her some scheme he had con-
cocted and in which he undoubtedly ex-
pected her to play part for pulling himself
out OF the hole. What the scheme was has
never been revealed, but that the wife de-
INJURED is certain. for she was heard by one
passer by at least to exclaim, IN die he
fore I'll do it," The exclamation sealed hgr
fate. no doubt, for the next seen OF her sne
was mutilated and decomposed corpse.
About o'clock Minnie Sims returned with
the children and turned them over to their
parents. Burt carried the younger one up
stairs and the negro woman went out again,
remaining away until after II o'clock, nav
Ing spent the time visiting a relative on
Robertson hail. " hen she got back she i'm
mediately went to bed and, according to ner
testimony, given at the trial, dropped asleep
at once and heard not a sound during the
night except once. when it seemed to her
that child's cry reached her ears. How
ever. 1t was so brief and made so small an
impression upon her that she was not sure
that 1t was not a dream.
She was awakened on the following morn
ing by Burt, who called her to get up and
cook breakfast and gave her money to 20
to the butchers and buy steak On her
return she noticed that the handle OF the
cistern pump had been removed, and Burt
warned her not TO use water from the els
tern pump because. so he said cat had
fallen into It during the night. while he
was getting the baby some milk which had
been put away at the top thereof TO COOL
During breakfast Burt informed the wo-
man that he had gotten into some trouble
during the night and that he had sent his
wife and children to San Antonio on the
early morning train and that he was him
self going to leave town for awhile until
things quieted down. Breakfast over, he
sent the woman after a dray and some
boxes Upon the arrival OF the latter lie
had them taken upstairs, filled them with
bed clothing and addressed caem TO flcti-
tous individual in Houston. They ware
haulsd TO the depot, billed out In the name
of q Fictitious person and reached their des-
tina.ioa without hitch. The boxes dis
posei OF. Burt next sent for dealer In
secondhand furniture and sold him his
household effects for a small sum- Minnie,
the servant, in the meantime was cleaning
UP the house. but noticed nothing to excite
her suspicious except that Burt looked
strange at times, as she put II atter-
warl on the witness stand.
After concluding his trade with the see-
end hand furniture man. Burt went out ana
told The servant TO lock up when sne Got
through and 10 leave the key with an Ola
colored woman who lived near by. In the
evening he returned. filled several yalises
with personal effects and carried them to
the latter womans house. While engaged
in this he was disturbed BY the milkn'ali.
who was making his daily rounds From
this person-he made the customary evening
purchase. telling him to call ngSt time at
certain number on West avenue conveying
the impression that he had moved there
That evening Burt took supper at the Capt
toll hotsa. after which he invested In
shave and played checkers. OF which hs Is
quite fond, until 10 o'clock.
At that hour he proceeded to the house OF
the woman where he had deposited his
valiyes and got her daughter TO help him
take them to the depot. When the north
hound international and Great Northern
train which passes Austin at II p m. ar
rived he boarded IL without the slightest
attempt at concealment and rode as far as
Taylor with several Austin people VINO
knew him we'll and with whom he entered
INTO conversation. A. Taylor ha bosfded
the northbound Katy train ana Wa neAi
heard Of at Hillsboro where ne look pFeAA'