Brighouse & Rastrick Gazette. — 1892-06-04 (Brighouse, West Yorkshire, England)

TRIPLE TRAGEDY IN A SWING.  A tragedy of an extraordinary character took place near Fort Worth (Texas), en Thursday, resulting in the murder of two children and the killing of a man. Mr. and Mrs. Albert Stearings gave a picnia 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 between 50 and 60 in all. The picnic was held at Hilda's Point, a pleasure resort about four miles from the village, where fdtes of this character are usually celebrated, and where, in an open space adjoining the woods and the pleasure gromeis of the rustic hotel, are erected a number of boat swings and merry-go-rounds. Among the guests was a man named Herbert Allis, accompanied by his little boy. Between Allis and 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's violent temper, urged her husband to seal and strengthen this by inviting him to the picnic. When the festivities were at their height, Allis propsed that he should treat Stearings' two little daughters and his own boy to a swing in the boat swing, and, with Mrs. StAetrings's consent, he climbed into the machine with the children, and in a few moments they were swinging to a great height and alth intense velocity. Whether the spirit of their parents' old feud had descended to the children it would be hard to say, but suddenly one of the little girls was seen to lift her haul 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 moment it had reached its greatest height, he seized I))tli 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, who had seen the brutal murder of his children, shouted to the others to keep the swing going, and then, raising his pistol, h 3 took deliberate aim at the murderer and shot him through the head. The body fell out of the boat within a yard of where the distracted mother was standing over the dead bodies of her two daughters. Stearings has not yet b3en arrested, public opinion justifying his act.  A very old servant of the House of Commons has passed away in the person of Mr. Robert Cradock Nichols, the printer of the Votes and l'roceedings 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 1796. In connection with the printing of the Votes it may be of interest to mention that the oldest Vote extant of the House of Commons is dated March 23rd, 1681. This volume was printed by one Gabriel Kunholt—or, rather, it was printed for him by Leo Lichtield—at Oxford. Gabriel Kunbolt was bookbinder to Prince Rupert, and the Vote In question was published at the Widow Beckford's in Cat-street.  A numoer ot deputations from French revolutionary societies went on Sin:thy afternoon to POre; Lacliaise to hold a demonstration at the grave of the Paris Communists who were killed in May, 1871. Red flags were freely displayed, and cries were raised of "Long live the CJmin one" and "Down with the country." A number of speeches of the usual violent character were also delivered.  At Commentry, a small town in the Department of Allier, two violent explosions occurred on Frday before the houses of two of the principal inhabitants. Great damage was caused to the buildings, but no person is reported to have been killed or injured. The bombs had evidently been deposited with malicious intent in the places where the explosions occurred. The outrage has caused great ex. citement in the town.  For two days a violent storm has raged in the mighbourhood of Burgos (Spain). The villages of Castrogeriz and Viliadieg to have been totally destroyed, and ti11:3,11:4R harvest has been utterly riaincvl