The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1899-05-23
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John N. Issac
Haines T.Westley Painter
HaineS

The farm OF the Austin's, 1877 acres,
is one Of the best and best farmed and
stocked of any in the county. The
father, VIM. Austin, was found dead in
the field year ago, last Fall, and it
was announced that his death was from
apoplexy, but the late tragedy has
aroused suspicion that he was killed by
his son, Ernest, the older brother being
his fathers favorite.
Sunday morning, Mr.. T. Wesley
Haines, who lives a quarter to a half
mile east OF the Austin's, heard a man
call and then fall on his porch. Going
to the door with his son Charles, they
found their neighbor, Ernest Austin,
lying on the porch, and he said he had
been shot. They asked him who shot
him, and he said that he didn't know;
that man opened the door in his room
and shot him. He said nothing about
the death of his mother or brother.
But he pointed to their home and called
attention to the burning house, which
Woo OIL OoOy idl1llS III.
He showed no anxiety or concern
except to have the flow of blood from
his wound stopped. He was shot
through the right breast, just above
the nipple, the ball having taken an
upward course and it came out through
his right shoulder blade.
Word was sent to Mingo for DR.. A..
M. Ziegler, and he arrived little after
six o'clock. BY this time, Mr.. T. w.
Haines, T. L. Painter, J. N. Haines,
j. K. Judy, Charles Haines and J. E..
Hern, neighboring farmers, had
gathered at the ruins of the home,
where two smouldering masses OF
human flesh showed the location of the
bodies of the murdered mother and son.
With the assistance of DIR. Zigler,
these burning fragrants were gotten
out OF the fire, and there was enough
left of the bodies to identify the mother
and son, the former being a very feshy
woman, and weighing about 200 pounds.
OThe head Of the son, William E., was
missing-had been either crushed and
completely burned up, or cut off and
carried away. The bones of his limbs
were burned up, except his thigh
bones. The mothers body was in
about the same condition, and also her
limbs, but part of her head remained.
They had been too badly burned to tell
how they had been killed, but a tell
tale ak lay in the yard near an outside
door, the handle having been burned
up, leaving a trail of ashes, and was
still smoking in the helve. This ak
shows evidence of blood and hair on it.,
as if it had been the instrument of the
terrible crimes.
The son Earnest could or would tell
nothing about the fire or the murder
of his mother or brother, but when the
Coroner held his examination had
trumped up an utterly improbable
story, that contradicts the story he
told when he reached the home of Mr..
Haines. There is but one opinion
held by his neighbors and all others,
towit, that he perpetrated the horrible
crime, burned the home to hide the
evidence of it, and then in remorse
shot himself, but failed to make fatal
wound. The ball went clear through
him but he may recover. His hair was
singed, and when asked at the Coro
ner's examination, what did this, he
said he did not know unless it was the
fire from the pistol of the man thai
shot him. He escaped from the house
in check shirt and overalls, in hi
bare feet, to the house of Mr.. T. w
Haines.
The evening before, he called abou
500 o'clock at the home of Mr.. Davi,
Enoch, who lived about three quarter
of a mile west from his house, an,
asked for a picture of Mrs. Enoch'
| dead son. Getting this, he remaine