The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1904-06-10
TWO YOUNG DAUGHTERS
AND COMMITTED SUICIDE
MOST HORRIBLE CRIME
Wrote Letter Before End
ing His Life.

lOuI years anu oiAtSoh ihoh'ho, ySo-
terday afternoon with carbolic acid,
Joseph f. Pouch, SO years old, an un'
dertaker wrote letter to the county
physician Wescott of Scotch Plains
telling him there was business which
needed attention at his home. The
doctor received the letter this evening,
and Immediately notified Chief OF Fo-
lice Kinney. The latter with an officer
went to Pouch's home at 1876 First
avenue, this village. AS they ap.
preached the house. the policeman
heard three shots from within. The
them in.
Pouch was found dead on the 1oor
with a bullet through his brain His
eleven-year-old daughter was dying
from a wound in the chest and 1. four.
teen-year-old son was unconscious with
bullet through the abdomen. The
girl died before medical aid reached
the house. The boy was taken to the
Elizabeth hospital. with what is be,
lieved to be a fatal injury.
A search of the house disclosed in
bedrooms on the second floor, the
bodies of the infant and seven year
old girl lying in separate beds, both
dead. Stains of carbolic acid were
found about their lips and clothes and
it is believed that they were admin
istered by the father downstairs and
that the bodies were taken to the
rooms on the second floor after death
Chief Kinney lost no time after
gaining entrance to the house in sum.
moning all the physicians in the vii
lage. They concentrated their atten-
tion on the girl who had been shot
Her case was hopeless, however. and
the doctors turned their attention to
the boy. While the bullet had passed
through the intestines, it was thought
possible that an operation might save
the lads life. He was bundled into n
carriage and taken at top spec to the
hospital in Elizabeth, N. ].
The inhabitants of this village,
which is little more than a suburb of
learned of the tragedy with
in few minutes after it occurred ana
before eight o'clock practically the
whole population was about the house.
Chief Kinney and Policeman Hennes-
sey selected some of the citizens to
assist in the search of the rooms In
a few minutes the bodies of the other
two children were discovered When
this news reached the crowd in the
yard outside and in the street the ex-
citment was doubled in intensity. In
dependent search parties were formed
and the outhouses and neighboring
yards were carefully searched and ex-
amined in case Pouch had committed
other murders than those which had
already come to light. No other bodies
however were discovered.
half dozen theories were immedi-
ately formed to the cause of Pouch's
mad acts, but the one which Chief
Kinney accepts was that owing to
grief over the death of his wife, which
occurred two months ago, Pouch had
become morbid, his mind being af-
fected by brooding over 1t, and the
murder of his children and his own
suicide had been the result of his loss
Of reason.
Pouch was little known in Roselle,
having moved there with his children
after his wife's death. Previously he
had lived at Elizabeth. where he was
employed at the Singer Sewing ma
chine factories. The house he occu-
pied here was two story frame cot
tage, somewhat removed from the
neighboring dwellings. The neigh.
bors saw nothing of the Pouch family
or today.
Drs, d. w. Strickland of Roselle, III.
I. Pierson and DR.. Westvott of Scotch
Plains who took charge of the bodies
performed a very cursory examina-
lion and the Oldest boy, who was still
alive, was sent to the Elizabeth hospi-
al where he late tonight was able to
throw more light upon the murders
han anyone else had been able to
The boy whose name Is
Albert, said that early yesterday morn
40 hAo ioehSi toiu nm W = : W oCOtCu
Plains and visit Mrs. George ,Rey-
holds. Upon Lis return, he was .mme.
1iately sent to bod and with his sis
Ter, Minnie, who had been locked In
room yesterday, was kept in bed all
lay. 1t is presumed that the boy was
sent away and the girl was locked
up by their father so that they would
lot be present when he murdered the
other two children.
Farther than this. the boy can tell
lothing about what occurred
According to the neighbors. Pouch
had visitors yesterday afternoon, be-
ieved to be man and his wife named
Packard of Elizabeth. N, J Pouch
and his guests sat on the front ver-
andah for an hour or so and when 1t
began to rain he took them inside.
rhey were evidently unaequainted
with the fact that two Of his children
we're lying dead in the second floor
4. n Z. -. q.