The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1914-03-25
Wipes OUT FAMILY
INSANE GEORGIAN KILLS Wife
and Two BABY CHILDREN
FIENDIsH ACT lKHUMAN

FIENDISH ACT IkHUMAN
With Ak, Blade and Bullet Farmer
Slsushters Wife and Two Children
Burns Outhouses - Goes to
Neighbors, Tells Story Of Murder,
and Suicides.
Diabolical in It's inception, nendish
In execution and horrifying in detail,
q soulish crime, through which an
entire family was extermtRated, was
committed near Oak Park, in Eman-
vel county Ca, Thursday night. With
blade, bullet and Ak James A. Eu-
banks, a farmer, murdered his young
wife, Mrs. Matte Eaba1ks, slaugh-
tered his two children, both girls, as
they slept, then. after calmly survey
ing his bloody work, set Ere to the
euthouses on his place and. going to
the home Of a noighbor, related what
he lad done and then shot himself
through the head.
Only an abandoned brain could
have planned so naniscal . deed as
was executed In the Httls farmhouse,
and which has shocked and terrified
the half Of two counties. It Is believ-
Cd that Eubanks was insane when he
set about to e1terminate his own
desh and blood. A brother, G. W.
Eubanks, says that J. A. Eubanks'
mind has been unbalanced for years.
Except that he did not burn his
home, thus providing a funera! Dyre
for the bo lies Of bis slain wife and
children, Eubanks evidently deliber-
ately planned the crime which was
carried out to its nInutest detail.
That he intended that the flames
should destroy the bodies after ne
had destroyed life was apparent, for
when the bodies OF Mrs. Eubanks and
her two children were found In the
home Friday they lay in the middle
Of the foor Of the bedroom covered
with bed clothing, cardboard. pine
splinters and rubbish. Several Of the
splinters had been igntted, but failed
to burn.
Mrs. Eubanks was killed with an
AZ, and the throat Of the older child,
. girl of three and q half years OF
age, was slashed with razor. The
younger child, six months old, was
stabbed through the forehead with q
pocket knife.
Eubanks had been to Oak Park
Thursday afternoon. He lett the
sewn about 3 O'Clock to return to his
home It Is supposed that he went to
bed, sleeping with his older child.
Mrs. Eubanks and the younger child
occupied an adjoining room.
Sometime after midnight Eubanks
entered his wife's room, opened her
trunk, and, piece by piece, burned al
her clothing. Mrs. Eubanks awoke
and demonstrated with him. He
struck her in the forehead with his
closed pocket knife, knocking hel
seaseless. The woman fell back upon
The bed, and while she lay uncon'
scious he man went into the back
yard, returning with club az.
Pulling his wite's senseless form tc
the floor, Eubanks swung the Ak, sew
ering her head almost from her body
and another blow crushed her skull
Probably maddened at the stgt Of his
wife's blood, the little edrl asleep II
sha bed was dragged by its hair from
the bed to the floor and the father
slashed the little throat with his
razor, which was afterwards found II
his pocket wrapped IN Handkerchief
Eubarks went again into the yard
and leaned the blood-stained a,
against a tree. where 1t was found
Friday. With savage instinct he thez
re-entered the house and, going into
bis own room, plunged the blade Of
his pocket knife up to the hil'
through the head OF the sleeping six
months-old baby.
Intending to burn the bodies Of hi:
victims, the husband and father ther
dragged the bodies Of his wife ant
older child to his own bedroom al
placed them in the middle OF The
floor. Upon them he pileo everything
within reach, bed clothing. pine spin
ters, cordwood, light pieces OF furni
ture, discarded paper boxes and rub
bish. This he igntted.
To complete his work Of extermina
ton Eubanks then fired his barn
stable and cotton house, all near th'
dwelling, and left the premises afte
filing up the mouth of the well ant
destroying the bucket to prevent an,
one drawing water to fight the fire.
The household Of the Page family
living nearby. were alarmed about
O'Clock Friday morning when the
heard Fubanks calling for without
Young Mr.. PAGE went out into tn
yard. meeting Eubanks. They wen
to the cotton house and sat upon th'
door Sill. There Eubanks detailed
his horrible deed, OBTAINING tn
young man until he had told nj
bloody story, saying that he has lfve'
In torment and trouble for five year
and wanted to die and take his fam
lily to destruction with him. but Civ
ing no other indication Of what he In
tended to do further to comolete nj
work Of determination. At length b.
told young Page to 60 into the hous
ans bring his father out. adding tha
he wanted to tell him the story.
Young Page started toward tn
house, but he had proceeded only
few steps before behind him he hear