The Norfolk weekly news-journal. (Norfolk, Neb.) 1900-19??, 1911-06-02
undeIivered Letter Cause Of 1raoedy.

Undelivered Letter Cause OF Tragedy.
Pawnee, Neb., May 31.-A letter that
| was never sent, because Jessie Nc
Vittie's mother forgot to put out the
! latch on the rural free delivery box,
precipitated the worst tragedy in the
! history of Nebraska and caused the
death Monday morning of Mr.. and Mrs
Dennis McVittie, their daughter Nettie,
Deputy Sheriff Fuller and James
Fielder, the fatal wounding of two and
the serious injury of another.
Jim Fielder killed Mr.. and Mrs. Den
mis- McVittie with hammer, outraged
the 6-year-old daughter Nettie, then
broke her neck with his bare hands
and crushed the skulls of three other
children because he had not received
the letter written by the girl several
days before, in which she promised to
love him in spite of her parents OBJ
jections. The letter was placed in the
mail box by Mrs. McVittie, but the
box left locked. The mail man never
got the letter and the tragedy was the
result.
Dry-eyed and without culver either
in voice or expression, Jessie McVittie
told a Daily News reporter the first
connected story of the tragedy that
has shocked this staid little commu-
nifty.
She still loved the dead man in spite
of his crime. He was always good to
me-" she said in answer to the ques-
ton, and "he treated me kindly and
nicely that night, even after he had
done what he did,
Fielder's act was that of an insane
man goaded to frenzy by love and
jealousy. Sitting in carriage by the
roadside with the strains of Decoration
day martial music coming family from
the nearby town, Jessie McVittie told
of the Sunday night that decimated
her family.
My father objected to Jim because
he drank and so did |, but we were
engaged. On Sunday night at o'clock
he was at the house and he appeared
as usual except for the fact that he
was angry at father because he OBJ.
jected to his going with me-
He went away saying that he was
going to Pawnee City and / went to
bed early. At midnight / was awak-
ened by some one walking in their
stocking feet, but l thought it was
mamma, who is afflicted with head.
aches, and l went back to sleep.
Later, l do not know how long, l
heard groan and something seemed
to shake my bed. / listened and then
| heard the door to my brothers. room
open and shut and l thought it was
one of them awakened suddenly.
Il went to sleep again and jumped
with start when l heard two heav,
taps from my brothers. room. Theh
Frank screamed terribly. My sister,
Fannie, who sleeps with me, and |
screamed also, and called for father,
but there was no response.
Then as we sat up in bed, the door
opened and Jim came in; i called out,
What have you done?' He answered. |
Nothing; you keep quiet and come
with me- ! resisted him, and he
choked and dragged me down the |
steps into the yard and into a buggy. |
My sister, Fannie, paralyzed with |
fright, could not utter sound. You |
have killed my mother and father / |
cried, trying to break away.
Jim laughed at me. It's all right,
he said; when you get back to the
house you'll find them all right
AT the school house he talked to |
me for a while, asking me if ! would |
marry him, but / again refused, say
ing he had done something to my fam
lily, or they would have answered our
Then he turned to me and
told me to go home with the horse
and buggy. When you leave am
going to drink all of this he said,
pointing to whiskey bottle, then /
am going to kill myself. They will
lind my body near the school house
Il ran out of the school house and
got into the buggy. When ! got home
found my mother and father and
sister dead and my brothers lying in a
heap in the room in puddles Of blood.
My sister, Fannie, was still in our
room with the other Of the twins, too
terrified to move"