The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1905-09-23
INSANE FATHER
BEHEADS FAMILY
Made Of Home a Funeral pyfe
For His Victims
AN INDIANA TRAGEDY
THAT SHOCKS THE WHOLE or
SWITZERLAND couNTY-THE
FATHER sHRiEks AND
LAUGHS

dents of Switzerland county were
startled today by the deeds Of an IN
sane father. who beheaded his wifa
and three ch ldren and made Of his
home a funeral pyre Ii consume their
bodice The author OF the terrible
destruction, George Ford, d farmer
SO years of age and the possessor q
d rich farm Of 100 acres near the heau-
tiful little village Of Florence, Ii con-
| fined at yevay, mental and physical
wreck
The Ford family. now almost ext
inct, consisted of the father. George
Ford, the mother Mrs Martha Ford;
two sons, Frank and Harry aga ~
and IA years. and Mary, the little
daughter of d. The family was one
considered fortunate by tho country
lgide The broad acres of the Ford
farm yielded ample returns to tAose
lopendent upon II. and itn owner was
regarded ALI man of means. The
! lonly thfng To worry the good farm
wife was occasional spells that gave
evidences or mental disturbances on
the part III the head Oh the house.
Z Nniahbors noticed them and comman
ted upon them but none eyer fhouga1
fnr q moment they would end IN such
q terrs hle results.
! The whole community was aroused
q lat i o'clock this morning To wee me
y Ford home IN flames. Runners were
2 aant from farm house II farm house
!. lfor aid while Others hurried ~ the
e cane Those first To arrive on the
4 premises caught glinpses of white
~ robaa hgnre that seemed ~ Antfaf in
leI Fhe 'shatlnws, where tha Iigff 0f sha
tol burning building met the shadows N
III the adjoining corn fields. They heard
es unnatural cr.as thai made thy hash
70 leYagp ana fur the moment held PACK.
on The ghost-lga anparation disappeared
lbi land they tnrned their attention 10 the
rescue. rIlalr first thought being for
la,l the members of the Ford family. The
M. apnaritisn wae forgotten In the excite
pla nent III the hour
VA The flames had made such headWay
.hp lthat the building could not be enfer-
mo ed Every new arrival asked II me
Re. Fords had been saved. The farm
III. buildings were. searched. IN the hone
II
hidden for safety
Men called ana hallaoed No an-
swer came But the crack 'ng of ths
flames al the Ford home slowly sank
into mass of burning rains There
WAL nothing III hand to fight the flre,
h And me watchers directed their ef-
W forrs 10 protecting THE farm buildings
tV ana saving the stock AN soon as
possible they pulled down the blazlnp
frame work IN the house, and at tht
ar risk Of their lives puEhed away the
III smoking tlmbers from the part NJ Chg
jM structure they knew 10 have been tht
FER sleeping rooms of the family
They came upon d horrible sight
piled In a heap could be seen the de
capitated bodies of Mrs. Ford ans
~ her three children. The search con
,,es timed but nothing could be found y
the missing father All the men resi-
aso ed from their efforts, awed by the fef
,ha BE tragedy, tha early arrivals ~
r,,,, called the ghostlike apprition the
Nv. had seen.
,tsas Others said they believed they ha
u seen d strange figure in white fiittn
,tay, by the fire, but they had paid no a
! ta tention to X X was plain mn Mu
!, MI ana children had been murdered aH
,aa,. the house set on fir Farmer Fpta
,aat,, absence. his Occasional spells y
9s came the subjects of comments. ~
fearful susp picion took p3ssesslon
Inc gro,ln of farmers who stood
the Light Of ths smouldorng ruins
the Ford home.
81" That figure in white antterlng amor
the corn stalks was surely the nais
ips man became the fixed cauvicti'
'ene or every one and posses we're orga
'a,un lied to take mp me search, NJ
ii.9 qearcr ers penuated the helds IN y
tl'W'F fereut directions, the corn leaves W
aeee' ting AS they made their way fn
com shouted back and forth te keep frc
'gulsf sctting lest. Hardly had their GU
mess hrolSen Inc silence of the night WI
rrou me deep center of the wide fis
came a cry that chilled their blot
n was ID shrek thar broke into
ur or moniaele laughter, scarcely ansii
from the distance that ii came Il
seafchers Instantly moved toward
Motor common center The shrieks a
sst by crias ANA ycils that followed aim
sy A annalled them ana many suggesl
easily ,hat the search Ne postponed III
" sN' day break,
mr The mote courageous aasised 4
an advance bc made cn nlassc All
~ was feared single person would
an easy victim lo tNe owner nf
rosleEe voice that gave utterarce t0 "
\ san. cries. We ain not believe that
NJ For man throat eonld emit such xc
\ have sa a one of thc men who partis
ch On
(Continucd Oh Kifth PAGo