Bloomington (IN) Telephone, Jul 4, 1905, p. 1.
HORRIBLE TRIPLE TRAGEDY
Ira Stalcupp, Well Known Greene County Farmer, Shoots Wife, Cuts Little
Girl's Throat, Then Kills Himself.
Ira Stalcupp, living in Greene County between Stanford and Bloomfield, shot
and killed his wife, cut the throat of his little daughter, and then
committed suicide by emptying a load of shot in his head.
The three bodies were found in the home this morning by a
neighbor. Insanity is supposed to be the cause of the awful triple tragedy.
Stalcupp was about 30 years old and was a well-do-do farmer. He had only
one child, aged about 5 years. It is supposed the horrible crime was
committed last night about midnight.
So far as known there was no difficulty between the wife and husband for
this reason only insanity can be conjectured. The two had been married
about 6 years.
From brief details, it is said the child's body was found in the room
where the mother lay. All three of the bodies were cold, which indicated
that the crime had been committed early in the night.
The postion of the gun and the nature of the death wound of Stalcupp can
give only the theory that he killed himself after the murder of his wife
and daughter.
Ira Stalcupp has relatives in the south part of this county, Marion Byers,
and they will attend the funeral.
Later details at 2 o'clock today to the Telephone of the Ira Stalcupp
tragedy in Greene County last night not only confirm facts already received
but add to the horror. There is now little or no doubt but that it was a
double murder followed by suicide.
Stalcupp had been in failing health for some time and reports state that he
had not only told his wife but some of the neighbors that he did not expect
to recover. He had talked to his wife, it is said, less than a week ago
and told her he would not get well and was very melancholy over his
business situation. He was in debt some, and the belief is that his worry
over financial troubles unbalanced his mind, and in his insanity, he
murdered his family and killed himself.
The horrible sight was first discovered by Mr. Burch, a brother-in-law. He
went over to the house early this morning and no one being up, he looked in
the window. Seeing the dead body of Stalcupp, he forced his way into the
house, and then discovered the triple tragedy. The mother and child were
in one room and the father in the other. Evidently the maniac father had
taken his razor and while little Gretta, the name of the daughter, was
asleep, cut her throat, death resulting so quickly that she doubtless did
not know of her fate.
From signs in the room, however, the mother seems to have made a defense
and tried to escape. She lay on the floor in her night clothes, and it
seems had gotten out of bed when the insane husband shot her, the load
entering her head and causing instant death. Stalcupp's body was on the
floor in an adjoining room and in some manner he had placed the muzzle of
the gun at his head and fired the shot which ended in instant death.
Mrs. Stalcupp's maiden name was Dobbins, the family were members of the
Christian Church and were much esteemed in the community. Park, the scene
of the tragedy, is about 6 miles from Cincinnati and about 8 from Stanford.