Hutchinson gazette. [volume] (Hutchinson, Kan.) 1895-1902, 1899-03-23
A TERRIBLE TRAGEDY.
The Most RevoItlngly Horrible that
Ever Occurred In Central Kansas.

"A IhBhuy IN WHICH nVo AnnOCenl
sleeping children lost their lives as II
was supposed by the burning Of small
house, occurred ut the home Of the fam
ily Of John Moore at III Tenth Street
East, who had moved to this city from
Emporia only about three weeks ago.
Mrs. Moore is the daughter OF II
franklin, u salvationist living at 2l2
b, East. Mr.. Franklin, grandfather
OF the children, related to a represent
alive Of the GAZETTE that II was the
lirst time the mother had ever stayed
away from home, but Sunday night
she went TO stay with the wife Of Mr..
L. e, Walker Of the Hutchinson South
ern' who was laway from home.
The children we're Carl, twelve years
old; Mary, nine; Pearl, seven; Charlie,
six; and Lee, three; three boys aud
two girls, all born and raised In Lyon
county, Kansas,
Moore rushed out OF the house at
shortly after two o'clock Monday morn
ing and ran to the next neighbor, Mr..
Hayes, whom he awakened and said
his house was all aHre and his children
we're all In there. Mr., Hayes imme-
dlatelY ran over to the burning build
Ing TO see If 1t w9s possible to effect q
rescue, while his son ran to DR.. Stew
arts and sent In II FIRE alarm. 1t was
too late for any rescue TO be attempted.
After standing around and getting a
pair Of socks from Mrs. Hayes, Moore
got onto u horse and rode TO the home
of his father-in-law. The FIRE depart
ment subdued the fire before the house
was entirely consumed.
The coroner's jury was empanneled
ut about 1880, 1t was composed Of
Frank Colladay, j. s. May, Charlie
Phillips, Ell Handy, @. Il. Johnson and
j. W. Brady. They examined the dead
bodies Of the children and the house.
AT about $3.50 they commenced taking
evidence and Mr.. Moore, the father of
the children, was the irst witness. He
is u tall, straight, stalwart, sallow man
with jet black straight hair and a short
stubbed black beard, black eyes and
somewhat forbiddlng countenance.
He had q very nervous movement OF
the eyes though he appeared calm.
HIS evidence was not very creditable
TO the theory of a defens Of his action
even had he not been suspiclone d of q
crime before the fire commenced its
ghastly work. He was able to secure
his pants but not to do any thing fol
his children.
A large crowd had gathered. After
his evidence had been taken, the court
room was cleared and Drs, Colladay
and Mann were put on the stand as
expert Witnesses. They testified To
having made an examination Of the
bodies Of the children at w. l.. john
sons undertaking establishment where
they had been taken by the police.
They both agreed In their testimony
that the skulls Of each Of the children
had been fractured, most Of them ap-
pareDtly by crushing blows and each
of them also had stab in the throat,
apparently made by a knife. They
thought it appeared as II some Of the
blows had been struck with the poll OF
a hatchet. The Bnife stab In the neck
of the smallest child had severed the
spinal column. They testified that In
their opinion 1t was entirely impossible
that the fractures and wounds In the
neck could have been made by falling
timbers. The bodies were badly
chared and In one instance leg was
burned off but about the neck wounds
they we're only scared on the outside.
The house In which they slept con-
tanned but two rooms down stairs and
the children were sleeping on straw
tick on Lhe floor in the northwest cor
ner OF the south room. Heslept in the
north room. The children were all In
the same bed side by side, the two boys
with their heads to the east and the
two girls and the baby boy with their
heads to the west.
All the time this evidence was being
taken the father sat absolutely motion.
less. AT first, as we have said, his eyes
were restless and shot from side TO side,
Later, and even as the most disastrous
testimony to him was being taken, he
did not vince, and even seemed to be-
come more placid under 1t. His deed
Is that of q maniac although he shows
no symptoms Of insanity, save marvel
GUS Calmness. At one time when Mr..
Combs testified that he thought Moore
wiped his face with a bloody handker-
chief at the fire, he produced red ban
danna asked witness IL that were not
the one and seemed to grin CHASTITY
smile as he said that was the only
handkerchief he had. His answers