The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-12-21
DERBY'S DARK DEED
FILLED HIS THREE CHILDREN AND
HIMSELF.
OTHERS JOYFUL; He WAS SAD.
r.MIIY WAS WITHOUT MONEY AS
CHRISTMAS APPROACHED.

x1ben the Family Had Gone to
sIeep Derby Began His Desperate
work-First He Shot His Wife.
Theu He Shot His ChiIdRen-This
None. He Lay by His Wife's Side
md Killed Himself-He Had
played the Races.
Cleveland, O., Dec. 20.-Roscoe w.
Derby. a machinist about As years old,
exterminated his family early to-day
nv shooting his wife, his three children
and then himself.
The crime is believed to have been
due to dependency over the impover-
tshed condition of the family purse and
the near approach of Christmas.
The wife was killed first, while sleep
ing at her husbands side in bed; two
of the children were killed as they ran
through the house in the darkness of
early morning, endeavoring to escape
their merciless parent. The third child
was killed in it's bed, after his elder
brother had been slain.
The dead are:
Roscoe w. Derby, his wife, Della;
Harold, aged 8; Alice, aged 7, and
Thomas, aged 5.
Derby had been down town as late
as II o'clock last night, ostensibly shop
ping, but in all probability securing
ammunition for his revolver. When he
got home his wife and he talked with
a neighbor, who had been calling, over
the approaching festival. Derby SEEM
ed pale and nervous. Shortly after his
arrival at home the neighbor left, and
the Derby family went to bed.
Wife Killed While Asleep.
The crime is believed to have been
committed about 4 o'clock this morn
ing. Two bullets were fired into Mrs.
Derbys forehead, and a third, proba-
bly, fired after the children had been
exterminated, in the back of the neck.
Mrs. Derby probably was killed dur
ing sleep, the expression on her face
showing no sign of a struggle. Two
of the children, however, probably had
a struggle with their parent, because
they had been awakened by the noise
of the revolver being fired and sought
to escape him. Harold's body was
found lying in a pool of blood in the
Kitchen, and that of Alice in the din
ing room, with her face to the floor,
and bullet in her breast.
Harold may have been chased by his
father, as there was evidence of flight
in the manner in which the furnishings
of the kitchen were thrown about.
From the location of the bullets in his
head the boy evidently was caught by
his father and held while the weapon
was placed against the little fellows
forehead and the bullets sent into his
brain. There also was evidence of
struggle on Alices part.
Little Boy the Last to Die.
The last of the children to die was
Thomas, aged s. He had remained in
bed, probably asleep, and also received
bullets in his head, dying instantly.
After killing his family Derby went
into the bedroom, and, lying down by
his dead wife's side, sent a bullet
into his own brain.
A number of pool room race checks
were found about the house, showing
that Derby had been trying his luck on
betting.
The first knowledge of the crime
was communicated in letter written
by Derby yesterday to a friend who
lived not far away, and which was sent
him by special delivery. The letter
was to the effect that when it had
been received the Derby family would
be dead. When the friend hurried to
been promised was seen to have been
fulfilled.