The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1903-11-13
insane MANS deed
DR.. Light of Saginaw Kills Daugh.
Their and Himself.
FATALLY WOUNDS HIS WIFE
Pain From incurable Stomach Dis.
ease Drove Him Frantic - Left
Letters Giving Reasons For the Aw.
full Deed.

Saginaw, Mich, Nov. 10.-Some time
turing the night of Sunday or early in
the morning hours of Monday, e. w
Light, a dentist, carrying on business
In the Heavenrich block and having
his home at S13 Jefferson avenue, shot
and killed his only daughter and child
Miss Ruby E. Light, shot his wife ia
tally and himself committed suicide by
poison.
There is only one way Of accounting
for the terrible Tragedy, and that is
on the theory that the man was in
sane. He had no reason for his ter
rible crime, his domestic life having
been happy one, and the devotion of
father, mother and daughter each to
the other, being well known.
Disease appears to have weakened
the mind of the unhappy man, until
the paroxysms of pain unsettled his
reason, and he determined to die and
take his loved ones with him.
Discovery of the tragedy was not
made until nearly IL o'clock Monday
noon, when B. H. Taylor of Bay City
arrived in town. He had received a
letter from the doctor, written on his
office stationery, and so incoherent
and scrawingly penned that he at once
became alarmed. The letter was dated
at Bay City, Nov. 8, and in it DR.. Light
said: my head panied so l could not
tell what I was doing Oh, dear, this
terrible pain. 1t stops for few min
utes at a time, and then how terrible
pain haunts me. l can't leave my dear
ones to suffer when am gone. 1t will
here. 1t will soon be over. Something
tells me I must"
A Terrible Sight.
Upon arrival here Mr.. Taylor at
mission, but there was no response to
his knocking and bell ringing. Still
more alarmed, he went next door to
the residence of Hugh Spence, and
with the assistance of that gentleman
roisted ladder against the north end
of the house, and with Mr.. Spence ef-
fected an entrance to a bedroom on
the second floor, wirere terrible sight
met their view as they stepped from
the sill to the floor Upon the bed
weltering in her blood, and gasping
for breath, lay Mrs. Light. She was
totally unconscious, and evidently dy-
ing, with CHASTITY wound in her head,
which had been penetrated by re-
volver bullet of heavy caliber. Be-
side her on the bed and at the foot
was the dead body Of DR.. Light. He
was not killed by shooting, however
as no wound was found on his body
He had taken carbolic. acid.
They found the daughters dead
body downstairs by the side of the re-
frigerator, where she had fallen after
being shot. There were two bullet
wounds in her head. 1t was evident
she had been aroused by the shooting
of her mother and sought to make her
escape, being overtaken by the insane
man right at the door, through which,
had it not been securely fastened, she
might have escaped.
Tried to Set Fire.
1t was evident that upon completing
his work of butchery DR.. Light went
upstairs again and took the poison
which killed him. Around his head
and in the pocket of his nightgown
there was quantity of loose matches,
and the gown was scorched, which
gives color to the impression that he
sought to set fire to himself and to
burn up the house after his insane
frenzy had expended itself.
Prompt alarm was given, and the
police were soon in possession, Cor
oner English empaneling jury. The
inquest was adjourned to 1 o'clock to-
day. In the meantime Mrs. Light had
been removed to st. Mary's hospital,
where all that could be was done for
her, the doctors expecting that she
would live but few hours.
Two letters were found in the house,
written by Mr.. Light. One of them
was addressed to the sheriff and re-
quested that no inquest or postmortem
be held. 81 have done this terrible
deed myself, sad tn1 wretched writer.
Il ain going insane; | can sac 1t com.
ing from overwork. am going to take
my loved ones with me, for can't go
to an insane asylum and leage them
behind to suffer worse than death. No
family has lived happier than We have
all our lives. Oh, dear! Oh, dear!"
The other letter gives instructions to