Warren County OhArchives Obituaries.....Roosa, Malinda (Brant)  July 29, 1884
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Arne H Trelvik atrelvik@earthlink.net July 26, 2006, 7:53 am

The Western Star 29 July 1884
The image and text of the obituary for Malinda (Brant) Roosa has been added to
the Warren County OHGenWeb project at

http://www.rootsweb.com/~ohwarren/Obits/roosa.htm#MalindaRoosa

Malinda (Brant) Roosa
Death of Mrs. Roosa

Mrs. John W. Roosa, who with her daughter, Jeannette, were the sole survivors of
the famous Roosa murder, died last Saturday afternoon at her home in Morrow,
aged nearly 52 years.

She had been confined to her bed for two weeks and was unconscious most of the
time. Her disease was first pronounced to by typhoid fever, but was afterward
changed to nervous prostration. After the funeral at Morrow, on Monday, the
remains were brought here and laid in the vault of the Lebanon Cemetery.

The death of Mrs. Roosa recalls the horrible murder committed on the night of
December 26, 1864, nearly twenty years ago at the residence of her husband, John
W. Roosa, one mile from Deerfield. The names of those killed are giving in the
Warren County History as follows:
The occupants of the Roosa house on the fatal night were Mrs. Roosa, three young
daughters, an infant at the breast and an old man hired upon the farm, named
Jesse Couzens. Alice Belle, aged fifteen; Francis, a younger sister; the infant
by its mother’s side and Jesse Couzens were all killed with the same hatchet,
and Mrs. Roosa with her head horribly gashed was left for dead by the Murderer.

Little Jeannette, aged about seven years, was the only person in the house
unhurt, and to-day is the sole survivor of one of the most cold-blooded and
fiendish murders ever perpetrated in any community. She escaped with her life by
hiding under the bed.

Mrs. Roosa was found with many marks of the murderer’s hatchet and from her face
the blood had spurted to the ceiling. Serious as were her wounds, she finally
recovered.

John W. Roosa was at this time an inmate of the Asylum at Dayton, were he had
voluntarily gone on account of monthly attacks of lunacy, in the intervals of
which he was sane. Sometime after the execution of Samuel Coovert on the 24th of
August, 1866, who was twice convicted of the murder, Mr. Roosa returned from the
Asylum and lived with his wife but a short time when he drifted to the far West.
He is now engaged in farming in Dakota.

Two children survive Mrs. Roosa, Jeannette and a daughter sixteen or seventeen
years of age, born since the tragedy.

Some persons who have professed to believe there was a secret connected with the
murder expected Mrs. Roosa to make a death bed confession in which some
startling revelation would be made, but they were disappointed. She left no
statement whatever, and if there ever was any secret concerning the awful
affair, it will be buried with her.

Source: The Western Star 29 July 1884 [copy obtained from obituary collection at
the Warren County Genealogical Society]



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