Democratic Sentinel, Volume 10, Number 13, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 April 1886 — AN AWFUL DEED. [ARTICLE]

AN AWFUL DEED.

A New Jersey Mother, While in a Religious Frenzy, Slays Four of Her Children. She Says She Did It to Save Them from Pain and Sorrow—A Sickening Recital. [Keyport (N. J.) special.] Mrs. Fannie Smith, the wife of a fanner living about seven miles south of this place, became insane this morning, took a dose of poison, and crushed in the heads of four of her children with an ax. The youngest child died immediately and the others are not expected to live till morning. Mrs. Smith also is very low and will probably die. The family consists of J. Monroe Smith, the father, about 55 years old; the mother, who is 43 years of age; and their six children—l 9, 18, 13,11, 7 and 4 years old respectively. Last night the family retired rather earlier than usual, so Mrs. Smith arose about 5 o’clock this morning and roused her husband at the same hour. Their breakfast had been prepared by a colored woman who had been in the family’s service for years. After eating, Mrs. Smith left her husband in the kitchen and went out to .the hen-house. Mr. Smith followed her, in a few moments, to a hot-house, which was about 100 yards away from the house. In the hen-house Mrs. Smith took out of her podket a package of rat poison which she bought and concealed over three years ago. She swallowed a large dose of the poison, and threw the box away. On her way back to the house she picked up a large ax, which she concealed beneath her dress. Entering the house she went first to the bed-chamber of the four-year-old daughter, Edna, who was quietly sleeping. She took the ax from under her dress and brought it down with terrible effect on the child’s head. She did this three times, until she saw that the little curly head was split open. Then she left, and entered the bedroom of her son Rufus, thirteen years old. She struck him three or four blows on the head with the back of her ax, which laid the side of his head open. Next she turned her attention to her eleven-year-old daughter Bessie, whom she found on her knees praying. The child seemed to know that her turn had come, as she had witnessed the attack on the others. She lifted up her hands imploringly and begged her mother in a faltering voice to spare her, but this had no effect on the frenzied woman, for she let the ax come down on the poor child’s head with as much force as at first, and a moment later her third victim was lying on the floor with her skull fractured. A moment later, she had struck Alida, another of her children. The sound of the child’s voice had reached the ears of Bettie Beldo, the aged colored housekeeper, who ran to the child’s assistance up-stairs. Mrs. Smith had just completed her bloody work, but she was still in a frenzy of excitement. She turned on the old woman and raised her ax with the intent of adding another victim to the list. Bettie turned and ran down stairs, pursued by the woman, who now began to show her insanity by how ling at the top of her voice. Finding that she could not overtake the colored woman Mrs. Smith threw the blood-stained ax after her, but it struck the wall, and the colored woman ran out of the house screaming with terror. The insane woman picked up her fearful weapon again, and retraced her steps up the stairs to the room where her eighteen-year-old daughter was. This girl had seen some of the tragedy, picked up the baby, two years old, and fled to the apartment for safety. She had not time to lock the door when her mother, with the ax raised above her head, was upon her. Then a fearful struggle began. The girl knew that her mother meant death, and all her energies were roused to keep the door fast till assistance would come. She threw her body against the door, while Mrs. Smith struggled to break it in. Finally the brave girl succeeded in turning the key. Then she laid down the baby, and hurried away to tell her father of what had occurred, while the mother was trying to batter down the door with the ax. The girl met her father and Bettie Beldo hastening from the hot-house to the , scene of the tragedy. The husband ran up the stairs. The insane woman turned with rage, and raised her weapon, but at sight of him she cowered and let it fall nervously to the floor. Then she fell down herself, and groveled at his feet. Tears sprang into the man’s eyes, and trickled down his cheeks as he cried: “Fannie, what made you kill my children?” Without any apparent sorrow for her terrible work she answered calmly: “Why, Monroe, I was told by God to do so, and I obeyed His commands.” Then getting upon her knees, and looking up into her sorrowful husband’s face, she said: “I know I did wrong, but it was the only thing to be done to save them from hell.” Mr. Smith could say nothing. He was completely prostrated by the blow he received from his wife’s actions. When spoken to by a reporter he begged to be left alone with his misery. He would repeatedly ask how his children were, and the doctors would give him very little en--couragement. The neighbors vainly tried to arouse him, but he would not pay any attention to them. The oldest daughter, who so nobly fought for her life, ■was found at a neighbor’s house, whither ■she was taken after the affray. When asked when she first had any idea of her mother’s work she said she* heard her little sister scream. She ran in to her, and when she saw the ax in her mother’s hand and one of her sister’s dead she ran for the other room where the baby was, starting to go down-stairs. She was met by her mother, who chased her to the ■ door. By main effort she closed the door, and in this way escaped. Little Edna never breathed after the ax •struck her. The other three children are in a very low condition, and the four doctors who are in attendance fear that they will be dead before morning. At this writing, 10 p. m., they fear that both the mother and children will die dur ng the night. The poison that Mrs. Smith took appears to have just taken effect upon her and she is •■sinking rapidly.