The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-02-20
Gso'ge Sfsrsns Commits Awful Tragedy In Early Hours of the M1ning LITTLE SON SAVED BY
 HERNSM OF SUMMERS Two Daughters Dead, Another Dying, Nurse In Desperate Condition and
 Perpetrntor of Terrible Deed
 h Cold in Death

another with a bare chance of recovery tell the terrible story of demented George Stevens attempt at quadruple murder and suicide at his little home. 6l4 Sixteenth street, early yesterday morning. l At the home of MT. Stevens father. 500 North Sixteenth street, lie the bodies of George Stevens, who shot himself; Blanche, aged years. and Mary, aged 6 years, who were murdered in their beds by their father.
 The little baby. Jane, late last night still fingered and fought for its wee life at the Long & Hardness infirmary and at the Hillman hospital in an unconscious condition with a bullet wound in her right temple is Priscilla Marshall, the colored nurse of the Stevens family and the fifth victim of the horrible tragedy that has shocked all Birmingham and the surrounding country.
 Kills Little Girl First
 The deed was enacted yesterday morning about o'clock. Stevens first went to the bed of his two little girls, Mary and Blanche, who slept in the same room with him, and before the eyes of his son, George, who had been wide awake the whole night watching the suspicious movements of his father, blew out the brains of the two girls while they slept The crazed man then coolly walked across the halr to the room where his baby. Jane, nicknamed "sis.S and the colored nurse slept. His entrance walk ened the nurse and she saw him place the revolver to the little tots head and fire.
 It is thought that Stevens did not in tend to injure the old nurse, but the bull let that hit the baby went through the child's head and, it was claimed. glanced off the iron bedstead and entered the right temple of the woman. 1 J. H. Summers, a brother-in-law of Stevens, lived in the same house. Ste vens' next move was to go and knock on the door of the room where his broth- er-in-law and sister slept and ask for his sister. Mir. Summers warned his wife not to open the door for the shots that had been fired had warned him that something was wrong.
 and there before him stool the already triple murderer with the smoking pistol | in his hand. ~ Turned to Boy's Room It is thought that Stevens intended to kill his sister, Mrs. Summers, also, but when he saw MT. Summers open the door he said: ''I don't want to hurt you; just want to kill the whole family" and he | turned and started toward his own room again, where still remained the little boy, George, so frightened that he could not move.
 Mr. Summers followed him and as he entered the room he saw the boy kneel- ing on the bed. his hands raised toward heaven and praying to his father not to kill him, and Stevens coolly aiming at the brain of the last of his children. Mr. Summers dashed between the ma niacal man and his intended victim. This move on the part of MT. Summers saved the life of the boy. for at that moment Gid Wynne. who had heard of the shooting from Mrs. Summers, mount ed the stairway to the scene of the tragedy Stevens heard MT. Wynne com ing and, with the instinct of the maniac, knew that the two men together would overpower him and take the pistol away. He backed to the corner of the room and sent his last bullet crashing through his own brain.
 Large Crowd Gathers A large crowd gathered as the news of the killing spread. and the police were summoned to guard the house. The wounded nurse was taken to the Hillman hospital and the baby to Long Hark- ness infirmary. Stevens and his daugh- ter Blanche were dead and the other daughter, Mary. was dying.
 There seems to be no reason for the act of Stevens except that his wife Is dead and that he appeared at times to be greatly worried over attempting to raise his little family without their mother. Stevens worked as an engineer on the Louisville and Nashville railroad and from all appearances was getting along very well. He lived with his sis ter and her husband. MT. and Mrs. Sum- mers, and Mrs. Summers was almost a mother to the Stevens children. It is said that he was a peculiar man, how ever very distant, and hard to get ac- ouainted with, and that if he had any trouble on his mind he probably would not have told 1t, even to his best friend.
 Appeared in Good Humor
 MT. Summers said last night that at the supper table and during the previous evening MT. Stevens appeared to be in the best of spirits. He laughed and joked at the table. and shortly aftcrward put on his hat and said he was going uptown.
 Before he returned he had bought the cartridges for his nights work.
 The little son, George. said yesterday: "Papa would not come to bed last night. He sat up by the fire. and whenever l asked him why he did not come to bed he told me to shut up and go to sleep. laid awake all night and watched him, for he acted very funny, and this morning l saw him 60 to the stand and load his pis- toll
 It seems that Stevens pondered over the