Montgomery County MO Archives News.....Triple Murder and Suicide November 20, 1894
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Deb Haines http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00003.html#0000719 September 2, 2011, 8:58 pm

Oswego [NY] Daily Times November 20, 1894
Triple Murder and Suicide

A Maniac Murders His Mother, Sister and Brother and Sets Fire to the House, 
Perishing Himself

Wellsville, Mo., Nov. 19--This village was the scene of a triple murder and 
suicide early this morning which wiped out all but one member of a family. 
Thomas Portercheck, with his mother, two sisters and a brother, occupied a 
small house half a mile from the business portion of the village. They were in 
humble circumstances. Yesterday afternoon Thomas acted strangely and gave 
indications that his mind was deranged.

Early this morning his sister Mary was awakened by hearing her mother scream. 
She rushed to the room and found the mother lying on the floor, and in an 
adjoining room another brother also lay dead, murdered by the maniac. The girl 
sprang from an upper window to the ground below. The murderer seized a can of 
coal oil and after pouring it over the floor and furniture, set it on fire. He 
then drew a butcher knife across his throat and fell by the side of his dead 
mother. The girl attempted to extinguish the flames, but they spread so 
quickly that in less than ten minutes the house was completely enveloped. The 
screams of the girl awakened the neighbors and they rushed to the scene, but 
the flames had finished the work which the maniac had commenced. When the 
blazing wood had cooled sufficiently to allow a search of the ruined home, the 
charred bodies of Mrs. Portercheck, her youngest daughterand son James were 
found. They had been horribly mutilated.

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