The Warwickshire Herald. — 1892-06-02 (Birmingham, West Midlands, England)

TRIPLE TRAGEDY IN A SWING.  A tragedy of an extraordinary character took place near Fort Worth (Texas), on Thursday, resulting in the murder of two children and the killing of a man. Mr. and Mrs. Albert S-earings gave a picnic in honour of their eldest daughter's 12th birthday, to which they invited a dozen of their neighbours and their children, making up a party of b-tween 50 and 69 in all. The picnic was held at Ililda's l'oiht, a pleasure resort abouG four miles from the village, where fetes of this character are usually celebrated, and where, in an open space adjoining the woods and the pleasure grounds of the rustic hotel, are erected a number of boat swings and merry-go-rounds. Among the guests was a man named flerbert Allis, accompanied by his little boy. Between Allis an Stearings there had been a feud of some years standing, and only a few days before a weak reconciliation had taken place between them. Mrs. Stearings,' knowing Allis violent temper, urged her husband to seal and strengthen this by inviting him to the picnic. When the festivities were at their height, Allis proposed that he should treat Stearings' two little daughters and his own boy to a swing in the boat suing, and, with Mrs. Stearings's consent, he climbed into the machine with the children, and in a few momenta they were swinging to a great he'ght and with intense velocity. Whether the spirit of their parents' old feud had descended to the children it would be hard to sly, but suddenly one of the little girls was seen to lift her han t and strike Allis's little boy in the face. With a yell of rage which attracted the attention of the people below. Allis sprang to his feet in the boat, and before the swing could be stopped, and just at the mooed it had reached its greatest height, he seized bo:14 the little girls by the neck and flung them out of the boat on to a pile of ornamental rocks below. They were instantly killed. Stearings, woo ha I seen the brutal murder of his children, shout;4l to the others to keep the swing going, and then, raising his pistol, he took deliberate aim at the murderer and shot him through the head. The 1341 v fell out of the boat within a yard of where the distracted mother was standing over the dead ~odies of her two daughters. Ste icings has not yet boot arrested, politic opinion justifying his act.  A very old servant of the House of Commons has passed away in the person of Mr. Robert Cm:lock Nichols, the printer of the Votes and Proceedings of the House. who died,alter a brief illness,at his residence in Sussex-place, from pleurisy, on Thursday evening. The firm of Mr. Nichols has printed the Votes and Proceedings of the Commons uninterruptedly since 1798. In connection with the printing of the Votes it may be of interest to mention that the Marla Vote extant of the House of Commons is dated March 23n1. 1681. This volume was printed by one Gabriel Kunliolt—or, rather, it was printed for him by Leo Lichtield--at Oxford. Gabriel Runholt was bookbinder to Prince Rupert, and the Vote in nuestion was published at the Widow Beckford's in Cat-street.  The Durham coalowners have availed themselves of the Bishop's invitatinn, and an offer of mediation has also been received from Mr. Thomas Bell, her Majesty's Mining Inspector.  On their arrival at Chippenham, after their mar. riage on Saturday. Lord and Lady Westmorland were thrown from their carriage, the horses having shied. Lady Westmorland's arm was hurt. - •  Mrs. Rutter, a Cambridge lady, need in cookies a root she believed to be horseradish. After partaking of it she became ill and died a few hours later. The root was that cd the deadly nightshade.