The Red Cloud chief., 1899-03-24
FOR MURDER AND ARSON,
n Moore Under Arrest for killing
Ills Five Children

Ills Five Children
HUTCHINSON, Kan, March ga
Gendish crime, similar to the recent.
Gilbert murder in Clay county, oc-
Cured here yesterday morning. Five
children were murdered by their
father while sleeping and the house
afterward burned over them. The
children were Carl Moore, aged IL;
Mary, aged 10; Pearl, aged 8; Charlie,
aged z, and Lee, aged 3 years, all the.
children of John A. Moore.
Last evening, after the close Of the
coroner's inquest, Moore was arrested
upon the charge of numbering tho
children and is now in Jail.
At 2 o'clock yesterday morning the.
house on East Tenth street, where
Moore and his family lived, was partly
destroyed by fire. When the fire was
gotten under control aud the fremen
entered, Moore's five children were
found dead upon a bed on the floor.
Their bodies lay side by side, just az,
they would be when sleeping. Tho
lower parts Of their bodies were badly
burned.
During the day the belief spread
that the children had been murdered
before the house was burned. AT first
the only evidence Of this was the fact
that the children had not moved in
their bed and the presence of blood
upon parts OF the bed.
An inquest was held which devel-
oped the fact almost beyond a doubt
that the children were murdered by
the father. Before the inquest physi.
clans made an examination of the
bodies. In the skull of each was
found a fracture made by q heavy
blow by some blunt instrument. With
one exception, each child also had q
cut in the neck, evidently made by q.
knife.
The fathers story told before the
coroner was that he slept in the next
room to the children. He accounted
for the fire by saying he left q lamp.
burning in the children's room and
that it had exploded. Moore talked
indifferently about tho affair. He
said he was awakened by the smoke
md rushed out doors. He was about
fifteen minutes recovering from the
effects of the smoke and gus.
He then awakened a neighbor who.
lived about twenty feet west on the
next lot. He did not try to get the
children out, as the fire had too much
start. When others arrived he could
not tell where the children were sleep
ing. No one else was at the house,
the mother having gone out to nurse
q sick oma
Moore's testimony was given before
he had an intimation that it was
known that the children had been
murdered. He said when he saw the
children could not be saved he went to,
his wife's fathers and stayed until
morning. When the doctors testified
hat the children had been murdered
Moore gave close attention, but his
countenance did not change. Once or
twice he sueered at the evidence.
When the verdict Of the coroner's Jury
was brought in, charging him with
the crime. He acted as Indifferent as
before. He refus ed to talk after the
trial.
John Moore has no relatives in Kan
sas and his native state is not known.
He is a medium sized. dark complex
Toned man. Those who know him say
he talks very little, and that his main
ambition has always been to educate
his children. having had little or no
education himself. He came hcie from
Emporia three weeks ago and has
brooded much over being ont of work.
He spent last summer farming In Ok
lahoma, but formerly lived in En-
poria md returned there last fall.
His wife's father, NJ. w. Franklin,
lives here, but the family knows very
little about Moore. He has no appear
ance of being insane and has never
shown any such symptoms, so far ~
can no lenrned