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Obit For Maggie Jones and Children
Headline MURDER AND SUICIDE!
An Insane Mother Cuts the Throats of Her Two Favorites and Then Kills Herself
A TRAGEDY OF DRY HOLLOW
Text Barry County has had its bloody battles and many are the graves that are scattered within its boundaries caused by the red handed murderer. Some murders have been in the heat of passion, when the keen knife or deadly bullet reaches a vital spot and laid low him who, perhaps but a few hours before had been a friend. Others have been cold blooded assassinations, where the coward sneaked from the ambush, waylaid by the slumbers of his victim, impelled by jealousy, anger or unholy love. But never in the long list of homicides has anything approached the cold blooded heartlessness of the tragedy of Dry Hollow that Saturday startled the county with its impossible save on one insane.

We are indebted to our valued Washburn correspondent for the following authentic recital of the occurrence, which was made after a careful investigation.

IN DRY HOLLOW, about three miles from Washburn; is located the homestead of William H. Jones. There, peacefully and apparently contentedly lived this honest settle and his family, which consisted of his wife, Maggie, and four children, aged respect lively, eleven, nine, seven and two years.

Five years ago they lived near Princeston, Mo., but Mrs. Jones health was poor and for a time she was deranged. The latter trouble being the product of the former, it was thought best to seek the health giving region of the Ozarks with it pure air and its sparkling water. For four years they had lived where now it seems that the hastening shadows of the coming night crowd close upon the lingering shades of the departed morn until but a rift of sunshine cheers the melancholy of those left to mourn. During this time Mrs. Jones' health had improved until she had but occasional fits of irrationality lasting a few days each time.

For several days before her death, Mrs. Jones complained of her head, but her mind seemed all right until Friday night, when Mr. Jones was awakened by his wife singing. Upon being asked what was the matter she replied that she was not going to live long and that when she died she was going to take Roy and Luma (the two children) with her. Mr. Jones finally succeeded in quieting her and she again retired. The next morning Mrs. Jones complained of feeling badly and before coming to town for his work, Mr. Jones went to get a neighbor, Mrs. Mason (Mrs. Jones' niece), to stay with his wife until his return.

Mrs. Mason's statement is that about 11 o'clock Mrs. Jones told the children to go feed the pigs and Mrs. Mason volunteered to help them. While Mrs. Mason and Mrs. Jones' oldest child, a boy of eleven, were gone from the house, the awful deed was committed. On their return, they found the little boy, age nine, bleeding terribly but still upon his feet, trying to get the door open, and the little seven-year-old girl was dead.

Upon being asked by Mrs. Mason what she had done, Mrs. Jones replied; "I am tired of living, and I cut my children's throats, and now I've cut mine." She also told Mrs. Mason to go after the neighbors, and tell them to come. Placing her own babe upon the bed beside Mrs. Jones' sleeping child, Mrs. Mason ran for help. When she returned, she found the little boy dead. After his throat was cut, he walked from one room to the other, and was trying to get out when Mrs. Mason returned from feeding the pigs. Mrs. Jones' throat was gashed four times, yet she lived about three hours. After help came she asked if anything could be done for her, and when told they did not know until the doctor came, she remarked she would like to live for her husband's sake."

When Dr. Chandler arrived she seemed perfectly willing for him to do all he could to save her, but repeated to him that she was tired of living, She died about 2 o'clock p.m.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Jones were highly respected by their neighbors, and there are no indications of any unpleasantness in the family. Mr. Jones is nearly overcome with grief.

The remains of the unfortunate women and her two children were burial side by side at Prairie graveyard on Monday.
AN INTERVIEW WITH SQUIRE BROOKS, who conducted the inquest: J. C. McClure, R. T. Rains, Henry Dunn, J. A. Roberson, B. F. Rhodes, and J. Hood, serving as jurors, The Squire said "On Dec. 15th I was sent for to the dwelling of W. H. Jones to hold an inquest. I at once repaired to the place and when I entered the house an awful scene met my eyes. There lay on the floor in their blood little Roy Jones, about nine years old, and little Luma Jones, about 7 years old, and on the bed lay Maggie Jones, the mother of the two children, all three were their throats cut from ear to ear." I at once proceeded with the inquest, Mrs. Mason in giving her testimony said that she and the oldest boy went to take the hogs some slop or water, and before she got back to the house the terrible deed was done. When she got near the house she heard the little boy, Roy, tell his brother something she understood the word 'cut'. The boy, who was listening to the witness, spoke up and said that his little brother said: 'Ma cut my throat.' She entered the house and little Roy was leaning up against something in the kitchen with his throat cut. She stepped to the other room and there on the floor the little girl lay on her face. She did not know whether she was dead or not. Mrs. Jones was also lying on the floor, on her left side, with her throat cut; the razor being not more than six inches from her body. Mrs. Mason said: 'Maggie, what in the name of the Lord did you do this for? Mrs. Jones said she was tired of living. She also told Doctor Chandler that she was tired of living and that she cut the childrens' throats and then her own.

"Dr. Chandler had a serious job of dressing and sewing up the wounds."

"Mrs. Jones told me that she woke him the night before about 1 o'clock singing. He asked her what was the matter, She said she could not sleep so he got up and made a fire in the stove. She told him she was not going to live long, but as she had said that so often it did not affect his mind much. After while she said: 'I believe I am dying now. I feel I am getting cold, and I want to take those two children with me.' Her mind, he said, seemed to be on those two more than anything. She wanted them to sleep with her all the time. They were buried Monday, then 17th inst., at the Prairie Cemetery. Mrs. Jones was put in one grave and little Roy and Luma were buried in another grave by the side of their mother."
Newspaper or Funeral Home Cassville Republican
Date Thursday, December 20, 1894
Death Cert Link -
Resource Newspaper
Submitted by Barbara Erwin