Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-06-06

Struck down and murdered in cold
blood, three Of the four members Of
the James Hardy family, living five
miles south Of vancleve. near the Jas
per county line, were killed at their
home some time between the hours of
So Sunday night and o'clock this
morning. Raymond Hardy, aged 10.
the youngest member Of the family,
was arrested early this morning and
is held in Jail to await developments.
A motive for the murder has not been
uncovered yet, and direct clues Of the
murderer have not been found.
The three members Of the family
who were murdered were:
JAMES HARDY, farmer. aged 65,
and head Of the family.
MRS. LAvINA L. HARDY, aged 5S,
wife and mother.
EARL HARDY, aged 20. elder son.
Skulls Crushed In.
with their skulls crushed in the
bodies were found about o'clock this
morning by the son Raymond, accord
ing to his story, when he returned from
visiting his wife-to-b Miss Mabel
Starnes, aged "a, who lives two and
one-half miles south OF the Hardy
home. 49,
covered with blood the body Of Mrs.
Hardy was found in the dining room,
wllie that Of the son, Earl. lay in a
aSp Of blood on the Kitchen floor in
the rear Of the house.
In the COW stable, in the basement
Of the barn, was found the body Of Mr.
Hardy The dead head of the family
was not found until others than the son
Raymond had reached the scene
Struck Down With Gas Pipe.
From the nature of the wounds on
the heads of the victims, and from the
finding of piece of gas pipe, the end
of which was covered with blood, near
the body Of the elder Hardy, the pre-
sumation fs that this piece Of gas pipe
was the weapon with which the family
was slaughtered. It made an admir-
ably prepared weapon with which to do
murder. About two and ne-quarter
feet in length, and Of diameter of
one and one-h half inches terrific blow
sMld be struck with It, One end had
en sharpened or beaten to rude
I int, and it was on this end that the
I (od was found, when the piece Of
IS pipe was picked from the floor OF
Ee COW stable. The wounds in the
kads Of all three were deep, as tho cut
! weapon that had an edge or point
Ame of the wounds were very deep,
weapon having crushed to the bone
nMystery shrouds Bloody Affair.
Mystery shfouds the bloody tragedy,
N Sheriff A. A. Nicholson and his
uties, who reached the scene Of the
Me killing long before daylight, this
ming, have started all tho machin-
n OF the law to unravel it. AS yet
Ee are no developments or eircum-
Noes that indicate a motive for the
elder,
ly1nond Hardy the youth held In.
claims to have been absent from
nome from $3.50 in the evening un-
l,jbout / this morning.
was he who gave the alarm over
II pS.phone about o'clock soon after he
1Nld his mothers body. Neighbors
wicfm the telephone call reused out Of
bed testify to this.
Family Was Happy One.
There was no internal strife in
the family, according to the only rel
ative who was at the home this morn
ing. and by many neighbors who knew
the family we'll Raymond, the neigh
bors say, was his mothers favorite son.
The relations Of mother and father
were peaceful, and home, from all the
information obtained this morning, was
q happy and contented one.
No stranger was seen in the neigh
borhood during Sunday or even Satur-
day. and no hired man had been en-
Moved on the farm, the father and the
J two boys doing the work Of the 220-
X acre place, which Is owned by Mr..
4 HIillin1an, OF state Center
| The Mystery Of tho Horse.
AAded TO the cloud Of unknown cir
sc,mstances and clues which envelop
I the murders and the scene Of the mys-
Vferv there stands out prominently, the
circum stance Of the saddfed and
hridled horse. found in the Hardy
iharn early Sunday morning. When it
lis found who saddled and bridled the
Animal the way may be opened which
XVIII lead to the murderer.
j Sunday morning when the family
krose at its usual early hour, one or
more of the male members of the fam
on going to the barn found In one
the stalls one of the horses. saddled
Md hridled. az tho some one had so
Separed that 1t might De resaJ &C:
on short notice. The halter had
Itf taken from the animals head. but
Sridle rein was fastened to the