The Washington times., 1905-01-28
SIX FOUND SLAIN
IN HOMES RUINS.
WORK Of NEGROES
Florida People Think
This Is the Ex-
planation
LIKE STATESBORO CRIME
The People of Polk County
Deeply Stirred by
Outrage.
LIKE STATESBORO CRIME

TAMPA, Jan S-A frenzy of excite
neIlt has seized upon the farming COM
munity OF Wauchula. in Polk county,
following the discovery of the mutilated
bodies of John Kirby, his wife and four
children in I bedroom in their house,
which had been set on fire and partly
consumed.
What has added TO the feeling is the
remarkable verdict of a coroners jury,
which found that the entire family
came to their deaths by fire or some
other means unknown" although there
isn't the shadow of a doubt that they
were murdered, and the young wife as
saulted before she was killed.
In all its aspects the crime is like the
Statesboro, Ga. tragedy. which resulted
in the burning of two negroes at the
stake and the calling out of the militia
to quelI the mob spirit
Work of Negroes.
1t is believed by the people Of Wau-
chula that band OF negroes murdered
Kirby and his wife and chilGren ana
then applied the torch to make it appear
they died in an accidental fire
After tf,e verdict was brought in three
or four farmers who were not satisfied
made a search of the half-burned house
and found a ha MINER ir the ruins ihen
they learned from the physician who had
examined the bodies that the Skull OF
each victim had been crushed with a
blunt instrument. The most pitiful part
of il was the finding OF the eapy, ohis
year old, in a crib
She was a cnubby little thing, and IN
her two fat fists was found clasped a rag
doll The fire had not touched her, ard
ner dirnpled fare was calm and peaceful
The blow that killed the babe must have
been delivered with great force, Tor Ihe
entire back of the skull was broken.
Hammer Fits Wound.
Near by lay the body of the farmer s
Oldest son, a boy OF about twelve. The
knob of the hammer fitted the hole on
the side of the head. Beside him, in the
same bed, was the body of a younger
boy His skull, too, was battered in near
the temple. 1t was evident that both
had been murdered while they slept
for there was not a sign of a struggle,
and the hand of each was stretched
peacefully over his breast
= 1t was difficult to determine whether
Kirby was reused from his sleep by the
murderers after his wife was slain OF
whether he was subjected to the un-
speakable torture of seeing her seized
assaulted and killed, but the position of
his body indicated that he had arisen 10
defend his household against the invad-
erS
It is reasonably certain that at least
three men were concerned in the crime,
for it is not believed that one or even
two ordinary men could have overcome
John Kirby in physical encounter. for
he was rawboned and powerful.
He did not have chance to get his
shotgun. which hung over the mantel
in the room adjoining. He must have
been struck down from behind and then
his brains beaten out with the hammer
Wife Strangied. Perhaps.
Mrs Kirby was in her night dress Its
condition showed that she struggled
fiercely before she succumbed to her as
sailants The wound on her head was
not as deep nor delivered with such
savage ferocity as the blow which killed
her husband and her children. 1t is
barely possible that she. was not struck
on the head at all. but was stranf led
Her body as well as that Of her hus-
band, had been partly consumed by th'
fire.
The Kirby family came from Blount
county, Ala. last October. They were
quiet, home-loving folk, and enjoyed
the esteem Of their neighbors. The
house in which they lived was a small
one ard it does not seem possible that
at least one member of the family could
not have escaped from an accidental
fire