The Washington times., 1916-10-22

body OF Tennie. lying on her right side
in q cramped position. She, too, had
been shot through the heart. Her body
was cold and rigid. Just out OF her
fathers ,.22-caliber rife.
The elder chIld's throat showed the
finger prints OF someone plainly. as
though she had been choked. There
were several scratches on her face, and
her left leg was badly bruised. The
younger child had no niafkb except n
scratch across the cheek. There were
no powder burns on the clothing. -
Three Notes Tell of
Suicide by Girls. go.
On the finding of these bodies the
father Is said to have exhibited no emo
ton whatever. On a table In nearby
room was a volume OF Jack London's
stories. and the first thing Fudge did
after the bodies had been found was to
pick up this book which had three
pieces OF paper protruding from II.
These pieces OF paper were found to be
three notes signed by Tennie In which
she stated that she and Nher sister Ethel
had decided to die because OF their UNI
With these mute scraps of paper In
his hand, these three notes which In
their childish simplicity. were eloquent,
II genuine. In their pathetic delineation
able surroundings OF two motherless
infants; Fudge. calling Bascom. ex-
claimed
Look. what i've found; run and tell
the neighbors that Tennie and Ethel
have killed themselves"
And then the father went out to give
the alarm also. As neithbore after
neighbor arrived at the house of slaugh-
almost without the slightest sign OF
emotion by the father.
Paid Up Insurance Policies
Shortly Before Tragedy.
The police, summoned to the scene by
telephone. placed the father under ar
rest Immediately. and started a search
ing Investigation. Among other. things
that were discovered. In addition to the
fact that Fudge wanted to marry and
had been refused by at least one woman
because the women did not want to caro-
for his children. was that two insur-
ance policies. aggregating 1895. had been
taken out on the lives OF the two little
girls. and UP to few days before their
deaths Fudge had been two weeks In
arrears with abe payment OF the week
IN premium. He had paid up, however.
and al the time Of the tragedy was
two weeks In advance. The notes that
were found were covered with erasures
and insertions, and bore the dates OF
in which little Tennie wrote she was
"better dead than living" the words dead
and living had been erased and written
in again In a different hand. according
to an expert.
A coroner's jury was empaneled the
day following the discovery OF the dead
children. and every scrap OF evidence.
every shred OF circumstance surround
ing the case was revealed TO this jury.
with the result that a verdict was rem
dered charging the father with the
crime OF having murdered his baby
girls.
Pensacola was aroused.
Verdict of Jury
Completes Tragic Story.
And now comes the verdict OF the
criminal court. after a week OF exciting
scenes In the courtroom and the ex-
posture OF all the testimony the State
attorney had secured through his care
! full investigation. assisted by the police
Fudge Is the only living human being
in Pensac ola. 1t seems from this testi.
mony. who knows whether or not the
/! charge that has been made against him
/ Is true. II he Is innocent he IL regarded
as the victim OF one of the most perfect
chains of circumstantial evidence tina,
has been built up In this section OF tho
country. and one Of the most CHASTITY
| cases that has ever been brought before
q court.