Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1911-12-28
FOUND TERRIBLE TRAGEDY
SURVIVING son RETURNING TO
HIS HOME FOUND ALI
MURDERED.
USED AN OAK poker
Friends Believe the Father Was Tenn
porarily Insane Over Death OF
First wife.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark, Dec 27.-
Meager news has reached this city Of
tho murder Of seven, being the entire
family of James Grant. and the find
Ing of his body hanging to the rafters
OF his barn on the premises where the
family were slain. Tho tragedy was
probably enacted Tuesday night.
It is the presumption that Grant
killed all of his family, consisting Of
a wife, two daughters. three sons and
one stepson, with poker and then
hung himself in the barn.
Married Year Ago.
No is said to have been married
about year ago, at Benton, in Sa-
line county. The tragedy was enact
ed at the Henderson place. Just over
the line in Saline county, which was
the Grant home Grant was a pros
perJus farmer. merchant and mill
man. and ma de considerable of for
tune in these lines near Lonsdale in
this county. Friends Of the Grant
family here say he was about 4S years
old. and sound and robust mentally
and physically.
Details of the tragedy are unobtain.
able at this hour.
Left q Note.
note the dead man wrote told
the story that led to the tragedy. The
coroner Of Saline county was in the
peighborhood OF the tragedy at the
time II was enacted and the note he
found yesterday on the premises in
substance was as follows:
Owing to deep despair and that
see nothing for me or my children.
who | believe will be better off In
heaven than they are here. I commit
this act You will find money in the
trunk to give us the best burial pos
sblc at the nearest cemetery. Don't
let father or mother know of this
until we are all buried"
The killing was done with an oak
stove poker. The heavy wooden mis-.
sile Drained the wife and children.
Son Discovered Tragedy.
!. The discovery Of the tragic act was
made by Hugh, the eldest son Of the
dead man. about l6 years Of age,
who was attending a candy pulling
In the neighborhood.
But for this incident this young
man too might have been numbered
,among the dead.
About ii O'Clock Tuesday night.
Hugh came home accompanied by a
young man OF the neighborhood who
was going to spend the night with
him. All was dark and quiet about
thc house. They went to the barn
to put away the mules they had been
riding, when Hugh saw the ghastly
form of his father, hanging to the
raftcrs.
Found the Victims.
Startled at this the young men hur-
ried to the house. In the open sitting |
room before the dying embers OF an
open hearth fire, sat the stepmother,
her shoes off, and half disrobed. and
apparently ready to retire, but her
head lying gaping open with hor-
rible wound from which blood and
brains were oozing. She had been |
dead for probably an hour. The at
tention Of the young men was next
turned to the younger members OF
the household. each Of whom lay in
bed murdered with the heavy strokes
Of large oak stick in the hand OF
the father.
Was Probably Insane.
Jim Grant. the father, step-father.
was prominent mill man and far
mer TWAS temporary insanity that
utove him to the deed. his friends
aN, but the brooding over the death
-oi his first wife, who died just three
years before, and whose death anni-
verslry probably he had been bur.
dened with.