. - - fict. - º ºn ut º - tº lººt ºliº ºutſ º: º ºilº gº *. º º AROS, THE Polº on - | Antºn G. T. TEIE LAROS MURDER. A Whole Family Poisoned by an Ungrateful Son. FULL PARTICULARS, The Arrest and Confession of the Pris- oner, Funeral Services, and both Sermons in Full, with In- cidents, Interviews, &c. EASTON, PA. : WEST & HILBURN, PUBLISHERs. 1876. PREFACE. On Wednesday evening, May 31st, 1876, a large, respecta- ble, intelligent and industrious family, consisting of nine per- sons, father, mother, brothers and sisters, and an aged relative, boarder, sat down to their pleasant evening meal, little dream- ing that there was “death in the pot,” and that a Judas sat at the same board and “dipped his hand with them in the same dish.” Accustomed as we are to reading in our daily papers descriptions of horrible, brutish, fiendish murders, and other crimes daily occurring, yet the recent wholesale destruction of a peaceable, thrifty, respectable family, in our close vicini- ty, harrows up a deeper degree of horror than anything of the kind ever brought to our notice. And then “horror on horror's head accumulate; " a son, a sober, intelligent, fine- looking man grown, turns out to be the infernal demon that coolly and deliberately planned and executed the cruel, hein- ous, devilish outrage. - The annals of crime do not portray an equally brutal case of moral turpitude. The fiend incarnate, sitting at the festal board and witnessing a father, mother, brothers and sisters taking the fatal dose which he had, all unknown to them, pre- pared for their destruction. Is it possible for the “human form divine” to descend to anything more brutal? Yes, when he saw his agonized mother run to a neigbor to get some “liquid” to relieve her distress, his hard heart did not relent, or, seeing his little sisters rolling in misery and pain in the yard, his father and brothers, and the poor old boarder, doubled up with cramps and violent retching, he stoically held his peace and let them writhe, and retch, and die, when a timely relenting and confession would have saved their precious lives and much of their dreadful suffering, and his 4 own reputation, also, in a measure; for it would have been sure evidence of sincere repentance, which always obtains forgiveness and the sympathy of all right thinking mortals, and especially the forgiveness of the Great Judge of all. But no, Allen Laros had no such thing as a heart. He seems to belong to the semi-brute, semi-human species, of which Jesse Pomeroy and Piper, the Mabel Young murderer, afford recent examples; who candidly confessed that they enjoyed the agony and horror of their victims in their death-struggles, and had no other motive in their murders. Most cases of murder show some palliating or extenuating motive for the dreadful deed, but this heartless, unfeeling wretch, seems to have been actu- ated by sheer, wanton devilishness. The small amount of money would hardly have tempted a tramp to murder one per- son, (let alone a whole family of near and dear relatives), and then only in case of detection or exposure. But this filial child comes to town, buys arsenic, takes it to school with him, carries it home after school, and while kindly conversing with his indulgent and loving mother, and going in and out of the house in familiar home habits, he slyly and secretly drops the death-dealing potion into the life fountain of the family, the vessel from which all would partake, and with full knowledge of what would be the result. His estimate of human life was some $400.00 for a father, mother, three brothers, two sisters and a friend. The wretch There is no palliation or shade of excuse whatever for the fiend who perpetrated this awful list of murders and attempts at murder, and robbery. He appears to have had all that heart could wish in the shape of a pleasant home, indulgent parents, loving brothers and sisters. The family were respectable, intelligent, industri- ous, and everything was pleasant and comfortable in their home-circle. The poisoner was considered in the family as one of the brightest of their home-nestlings, and yet, with all these delightful surroundings, he could calmly and deliberately plan and carry out such a diabolical scheme as the murder by dreadful, excruciatingly painful torture, all those near and (ought 5 to have been, and apparently were) dear to him, in that loving home-circle, and especially that kind and indulgent mother, whose years of care and watchfulness over her boy were thus rewarded and appreciated by him. There is no excuse for or palliation of this hardened crimi- mal's guilt. It is proven by circumstances and his own confess- ion, and yet the cry is, “O, they wont hang him " ' Why? He is neither a fool or a lunatic. “O, but they wont hang him”! Why? He was intelligent enough to keep school and commence the study of law. “Yes, but you see if he had only murdered on E of the family, they would have hung him, sure, but having killed so many, he will be sent to the Asylum, and then be petitioned and pardoned out, and turned loose on the community again for the benefit of lawyers.” It roused the people of our county and town like a tornado sweeping over it, when the news arrived and began to spread the next morning; additional reports varying the number of fatal cases continued to arrive for a day or two, and the excite- ment was intense in all quarters, as the family were well known. Many people flocked to the scene of the tragedy, for days following, and when the first victims, the father and mother, were buried on the following Sunday, an immense concourse of people assembled at the house and church, lining the county roads for miles on either side of the church. And what of the criminal? He is passing his time in our jail, using a Bible for his pillow a la Rubenstein, trying the piety game to awaken sympathy in the community in his behalf. Two keen lawyers have undertaken his case; to de- fend him from what? Simply from JUSTICE. Every man, woman and child in the vicinity, old enough to read, and having sense enough to go in out of the rain, knows and believes in his heart that Allen C. Laros is guilty of patricide, matricide, attempted fratricide, and the downright murder of a friend; triple-dyed in murders “most foul,” and yet every effort will be made to save the incarnate fiend from the gal. lows, or going to his own place, like Judas Iscariot. TESTIMONY, &C, On Wednesday evening, May 31, 1876, about 7 o'clock, the family of Mr. Laros was called to supper, which was spread in a small kitchen or building immediately in the rear of the main dwelling. Gathered around the board were Mr. and Mrs. Laros, an old gentleman boarder named Joseph Schug, Allen Laros, a young man of about twenty years, Erwin, Alvin, Clara and Alice Laros, children ranging from eleven to fourteen years, and a grand-child, Flora Bauer, a baby of but a few summers. Uncon- scious of danger, suspecting no harm, eight people began the evening meal. The little girl, Clara, took several swallows of the coffee, when an intense burning in the mouth and throat, and a nausea at the stomach seized her and drove her out of the room. After vomiting, she returned to the room, only to find the others discussing about something tasting queer, some supposing it was the meat and others the coffee. Soon the same pain that had taken hold of the first girl, seized upon the others, and, in almost less time than it would take to tell, the entire family, with the exception of Allen, were attacked. The symptoms were of the most violent and painful character. Mrs. Laros hurried to the hotel of Mr. Kichline, almost immediately opposite, to secure some liquor. From her information of the dire calamity spread to the house of another son, Clinton, who lives near by, who hurried, with others, to the assistance of the afflicted. He found Allen, the only one not prostrated, engaged in assisting the stricken parents and the helpless children. By the advice of a neighbor, Clinton at once started to bring a doctor. At a late hour Allen began to complain, and took to his bed. He was not in the habit of drinking coffee, but when the others said at the table that it tasted queer, he took a couple of swallows to see what was the matter. What pen can describe that night of agony” The testimony of Dr. Seem, which we append, can bring to our mind but a feeble conception of the intense suffering of this family. We leave to our readers the imagination of the long hours of the might as they were struggling with death. 7 At 7 o'clock the next morning, Mrs. Laros was set free by the hand of death. Mr. Laroslingered until 1 o'clock P. M., when he, too, passed away. During the forenoon, the absent children. and the relatives and friends arrived. Many strangers, hearing of what had happened, also visited the scene of sorrow. The doctors remained until noon with their patients, administering antidotes, when they left, leaving medicines with careful nurses for further use. The condition of the different members of the family indicated that, with the advance of age, the poison was the more violent in its effects. The baby, who had taken but a few swallows of the coffee, vomited freely and soon recovered. The little girls, Clara. and Alice, although suffering intensely, were soon placed out of danger. Erwin and Alvin appeared to rally, but for seve- ral days their condition was regarded as very critical. Allen, who only tasted the coffee when the others said it tasted queer, was the last to succumb, and pretended to be alarmingly ill- Moses Schug struggled against the destroyer until 3 o'clock on Friday afternoon, when he was relieved of pain by the sympa- thetic hand of death. The poison from which all these horrible circumstances pro- ceed, was arsenic, as the testimony of the physicians show beyond a doubt. - The main facts and circumstances relative to the actors in this melancholy affair, are as follows: Mr. Martin Laros, the father of the family, moved to the residence occupied by him at the time of his death in 1846, and has resided there since that time. His family consisted of seventeen children, thirteen of whom are now living. Those who were in his immediate household, are Allen, Erwin, Alvin, Clara, Alice, and a grand-child. Moses Schug also an inmate of his household, was a gentleman sixty-two years of age. The family of Mr. Laros, all who testified say, was a pleasant, and happy one. He was a gentleman who stood high for honesty and probity in the estimation of his friends and acquaintances. Mrs. Laros was a woman of domestic habits, and with all of an agreeable disposition, and of a very lively temperament. Allen taught a neighboring school, and the smaller ones attended the school in which their brother, Clinton, was teacher. Moses. 8 Schug, an old bachelor, who had his home in the family for seve- ral years, was an assistant to Mr. Laros in his various duties as undertaker and carpenter. He was a quiet, inoffensive old gen- tleman, who loved to joke, and without an enemy in the world. Such was the family that on Wednesday evening, May 31st, sat down together, and with no thought of death, put the fatal cups to their lips. The anguish of the surviving members of this family, none can portray. A number of the children are grown and have gone out into the world. These returned, and viewed with speechless agony the terrible calamity that had overtaken their parents and kin. On Thursday afternoon, June 1st, Deputy Coroner Henry S. Carey, proceeded to Sandt's Eddy, and impanelled an inquest consisting of the following citizens: James E. Reilly, George Sharp, Jeremiah Uhler, Samuel Sandt, Jr., Levi Sandt, and J. P. Correll. After viewing the bodies of Mr. and Mrs. Laros, the jury adjourned until 9 o'clock Friday morning, June 2d, when the inquest met at Kichline's hotel and the following testimony was laid before them : * THE TESTIMONY. ALICE LAR0s, sworn—I am ten years old; live with my parents; on Wednesday evening, when the 7 o'clock train went up, we were taken sick; my sister Clara got sick first, then Alvin, Moses Schug, mother, father, Erwin, Flora Bauer, the baby, Allen and myself; all threw up; the baby, too; all got sick at the same time; when we got sick we ran into the yard; I made the coffee; I put coffee and essence in the pot ; I looked in the pot and saw coffee in the pot before putting in essence; the pot was kept in the cupboard; the cupboard is in the wash-house; I drank no coffee at dinner as I was in school; the essence I used was in the same cupboard; I put two table-spoonsfuls of coffee in the pot; I ground the coffee; next I put a teaspoonful of essence in the pot; then I put the pot on the stove and it boiled; I put no water in, for the pot was about half full; the essence used was from the box I now see; it boiled on the stove in the wash-house; Cora put water in when supper was ready; I saw no one go to the coffee when it was boiling; don’t recollect whether mother was in the wash-house during the preparation of supper; I got supper 9 myself; mother put the meat on the stove; after mother put the meat on the stove, she sewed, and then left the wash-house; I didn't stay in the wash-house while the coffee was boiling, I went down to the spring; I was sick before my mother; she was the last one taken; when we were taken sick we thought it was in the meat; we had veal for supper; father said there was some- thing on the meat, and then mother said she only put pepper on ; father, mother and Moses drank nearly two cups of coffee; not all eat meat; when we were at the table, father said I should go and fetch the baby, which was at my brother's ; the baby is my sister's child and my sister was on College Hill; my father gave the baby the coffee when I brought it home; all but Allen drink ceſſee; when mother said there was something in the coffee Allen tasted it; the coffee tasted like pepper; during supper, my mother talked as usual; before my mother got sick she went to Kichline's for brandy for Moses; I was in the school during the afternoon; after I came home I helped to pick potato bugs; the coffee pot, coffee, essence and coffee-mill were in the place where always kept. CLARA LARos, sworn–I am twelve years old; I am a daughter of Martin Laros and live at home; after dinner I went to the field to set up corn; before dark Erwin and I caught bugs; then we went home; when I got home coffee was already made; I helped bring the eatables out of the cellar; father was in the shop; I don't know where my mother was at that time; I filled the coffee pot when it boiled ; I looked in the pot when I filled it; the pot was about quarter full when I began filling it; I filled the coffee pot full; when I looked in the pot it seemed to me as if milk had been poured in ; I spoke to Alice, and she said she hadn't put it in ; I drank coffee as soon as I went to the table; the coffee tasted “peppery’; I said nothing; we took supper in the wash-house; I only took two swallows of coffee, and then my mouth and throat began to burn; Moses Schug had boarded with us two years; he helped my father work; my father was as usual; he was not melancholy; my mother was not melancholy; their relations were pleasant; Moses was also pleasant; my father con- templated building a kitchen, and had already hauled the lumber. AMANDA. KICHLINE, sworn—I am a danghter of Daniel Kich- 10 line; Mrs. Laros came to our house on Wednesday evening; she said she wanted liquor, that they were all sick, she wanted it for Mr. Schug; she said she didn't know the cause of the sickness, that she made her supper as always; she took the liquor along; Mrs. Laros looked very pale; this was right after the train went up; I can see over to Laros', and saw no tramp or strangers about. MARY ANN KICHLINE, sworn—I am the wife of Daniel Kich- line; I went to Laros' when I saw something was the matter; when I got over, I asked what was the matter, and Mr. Laros replied: “I don't know what is the matter, but I believe there was something in our coffee”; then he got very sick; Mrs. Laros said: “I made supper as always'; then she got sick; I asked if they had sent for a doctor; Mr. Laros replied: “No, Moses wouldn’t have us send for one *; no one was very sick then but Moses, and he didn't want a physician; then I went home; I told Dan. to send for a doctor; the family relations were all right so far as I could see. DR. A. K. SEEM, affirmed—I was called on last Wednesday evening, between 8 and 9 o'clock, to attend the family of Martin Laros; I was told that they were all sick; I proceeded there at once; I found Mr. Laros on the lounge, Mrs. Laros in bed, and the rest on the floor; they were all vomiting, excepting Allen; I interrogated Mrs. Laros as to the cause; she said she couldn't account for it, that she prepared her supper as usual; she told me they had fried veal, bread and butter, pickles and beets, rhu- barb pie and molasses cake, and coffee; then I asked how they had partaken of their suppers, and found that all had drank coffee but not eaten of everything else; the way of making coffee was described to me by Mrs. Laros; I examined the essence and found nothing unusual in it; I couldn't tell from the earliest symptoms whether it was arsenic or a vegetable poison, or a com- bination; I then immediately administered an emetic of sulphate of zinc to each of them; the medicine promptly induced copious vomiting; after the emetics ceased operating, they all seemed better; Mrs. Laros said she felt well, that she thought she was all right; then again they would commence vomiting and purg- ing; this was toward midnight; I gave each of them tincture of opium, doses regulated according to their ages; afterward Mr. 11 Laros' purging increased, and his extremities became cold, when I proposedaconsultation; I told the messenger to go for Dr. Junkin or Mixselland to bring along the antidote for arsenic; when Dr. Jun- kin arrived we fixed the antidote—hydrated peroxide of iron—and administered it; and whiskey to those who were becoming de- pressed; I am the regular family physician for Mr. Laros; I don't remember that Mr. Laros said anything; he seemed indisposed to talk; he was generally talkative; Mrs. Laros said very little while I was attending to her; all that I remember was that she said she couldn't see how they all got sick; I could scarcely get an answer from Mr. Schug; arsenic would not have a stupefying effect, at least not the primary effect; I have no reason, from the circumstances of the night, to believe that any of the members of the family put poison in the coffee; when Dr. Junkin arrived, we examined the coffee pot; we found a white powder at the bot- tom; I should judge about four or five ounces; about a half a teacupful; a pint of boiling water will dissolve about 870 grains of arsenic ; I have no sufficient reason for an opinion as to who put the poison where it was found; Mr. Laros, at no time during my intercourse with him, exhibited such symptoms of depression as would affect his mind, nor anything that would be natural with other persons under similar circumstances; there was a package of arsenic in the room of the brick house that was dusty and looked as if it hadn't been disturbed for a long time. DR. J. M. JUNKIN, affirmed—On Thursday morning, at 2 o'clock, I was called to bring up antidotes for arsenical poison- ing; I arrived at Mr. Laros' at about half-past 3; by that time they had nearly all ceased vomiting ; after consulting with Dr. Seem as to the symptoms, I examined the patients; I hesitated to pronounce the poisoning by arsenic, as there were symptoms of vegetable poisoning; we at once, however, used the antidote for arsenic ; Mr. and Mrs. Laros were so far gone that but little of it could be administered ; as the coffee pot gave evidence of being the source of the trouble, we poured off the liquid, reserve ing it for examination ; we found a white sediment on the bottom. which appeared to be about the depth of an eighth of an inch; the coffee grounds did not seem to be mixed with it, as the poison being the heavier had settled to the bottom; I remained until noon of Thursday, continuing to administer the antidote to all 12 who would take it ; when I left I took both the sediment and liquid with me; (the doctor exhibited two test-tubes, one con- taining sulphite of arsenic and the other arsenite of copper, obtained from the liquid contained in the coffee pot. The doctor also exhibited a test-tube containing metallic arsenic obtained from the sediment found); there was enough arsenic in the cold solution of coffee, so that two drachms would produce death if taken and not ejected; the taking of the arsenic in this coffee was what caused the death of the two people; there was a quart of liquid remaining in the pot, which contained about 600 grains of arsenic, in addition to the arsenic remaining in the sediment, which latter was estimated at considerable over an ounce; esti- mating the temperature of the coffee at the time it was drank, more than 1,200 grains would have been taken; a far less quan- tity than this would result in death; when I arrived, Mr. Laros was in a stupor, and so was Mrs. Laros; both refused to take the medicine offered; they spit the medicine out; subsequently Mr. Laros said he felt better; the little girls told me of the making of the coffee; Allen seemed to lie in a stupor, with his face to the pillow; he complained at the stomach and flinched upon pressure more than any of the rest; he was not unconscious; he answered in monosylables; the poison over the clock was shown by the family, and the indications were that it had not been dis- turbed; I recently came from the house; I found Mr. Schug in a very critical condition; the little boy, Erwin, is convalescing; I found not so much depression in the case of Allen, the depression is very slight, with the pulse and the skin natural; the chief feature is a sensitiveness about the bowels, of which he complains much on pressure, which none of the rest do; he is not yet dis- posed to converse; he answers questions in monosylables; he has not been out of bed to my knowledge since he was taken down; I see no reason why he should not get up; it is possible that what he complains of might have been induced by the emetic; a severe emetic would produce a soreness of the stomach; I have no rational basis for any suspicion as to who put the arsenic in the coffee. CLINToN J. LARos, sworn—I am a son of Martin Laros, aged twenty-seven; at about dusk, on Wednesday evening. I learned of my father's illness : my smallest sister came to tell me; she 13 said I should come immediately, all were sick, that I should go to the doctor; I found the sick all in the yard; when I got in the yard, Allen held Alvin and said I should come in and help him; I talked to no one but Allen, and then went to the stable and started for a doctor; when I returned I found them as I left them; I recollect no conversation with any one after being at- tacked: Allen has not been up since he went to bed at 10 o'clock ion Wednesday night, and has held no conversation nor made any inquiries about any other members of the family; my brother-in- law, Vanselan Walter, attends him; my parents lived happily to- gether; I know of no family trouble or quarrel; I know father had some money in his desk on the first floor; I have made search since and find none now ; my brother Charles told me that the money was missing. WANSELAN WALTER, sworn—I am a son-in-law of Mr. Laros; I got here at 7 o'clock, Thursday; I held no conversation with Mr. Laros, as he was unconscious; none of the sick could give me any information as to how the coffee became poisoned; I heard no member of the family say anything of any suspicious person or stranger, on Wednesday afternoon, about the premises; I know of no difficulty in the family, the relations were pleasant throughout ; I know of no present or prospective trouble in the family. WILLIAM SCHUG, sworn—I am the brother to Moses Schug; while I sat at my brother's bedside, yesterday, Clinton Laros came to me and said his father's desk was broken open and his money gone; he said he didn't know how much ; he then sug- gested that we should ask Moses, as possibly some one had been at his trunk; Clinton then asked Moses, “Where is your money”? Moses answered, “In my trunk”; Clinton asked Moses whether he and I should look for the money; Moses answered “Yes”; Clinton then asked, “Is the trunk locked ”? Moses answered, “The trunk is not locked, but in the trunk is a small box in which is my money and my notes and papers ”; then Clinton and I went on the garret; we found the box in the trunk, and the box unlocked ; we found papers in the box, but no money; he said he had money in the box but named no amount. The inquest then adjourned until Saturday morning. 14 MARGARET LARos, sworn—I am a daughter of Martin Laros, aged twenty-two years; I live home, but go out sewing ; was not at home on Wednesday; got home on Thursday morning, near 8; we had a place in the cupboard for coffee, coffee pot and essence; my father always kept his paints in the shop, never in the cup- board; my mother was careful in her household duties; the cup- board, we kept our dishes in, and was closed ; my father said he would buy no poison for potato bugs; a stranger could go into the wash-house without being seen from the main building; I know of no one who is at enmity with the family; our relations were pleasant ; no one about our house is subject to derange- ment; I know my father had money, but I don't know how much ; he always kept his money in the secretary in the back room; he kept the key to the inside drawer in his pocket-book; the key to the outside of the secretary was always kept in the lower drawer; I tried to unlock the secretary, but was unable to do so; this was Thursday, at 6 in the evening; I found the out side lock broken, and when I opened the outside lid I saw the inside door open and the drawer out, the money and pocket-book my brother Uriah suggested that I should look; my sister Clara was with me; then I called in my brothers and sisters to see it; my father had a small pocket-book that he carried in his pocket, and a large one in the drawer. CHARLEs A. LARos, sworn——I live on College Hill; I am a son of Martin Laros; I just examined the secretary in my father's house; I found the catch of the outside lock broken ; very little would have forced open the lock; the inside lock is not broken; there is a hole right at the lock, where it looks as if something had been stuck in to pry the lock; I have seen nothing to form an opinion as to who put the poison in the coffee. EDWIN LARos, sworn-I am a son of Martin Laros, aged sev- enteen ; I live at home; on Wednesday forenoon I was in the fleld; took dinner at home; father, mother, Moses Schug, Clara, Flora and I took dinner; I drank coffee and so did the rest; all from the same coffee pot used in the evening ; after dinner I went back in the corn-field; staid there till supper time; the corn-field is a mile or so down the river; supper was ready when I came home; when I came home I don't know who was there; my father was in the shop; Allen was in the shop with father; don't know 15 where the others were; I went to supper with the rest, and drank of the coffee; father said the coffee didn't taste as usual; felt sick and got out; the rest got sick, all that drank of the coffee; became very sick, and don't know what occurred; saw no stranger, 9. Wednesday, around the premises; saw no one but the members of the family. TESTIMONY OF THE ACCUSED. ALLEN C. LaRos, sworn—I am a school teacher; teach in Schoe- nertown; son of Martin Laros; live at home; was twenty-one 9” the 8th of last March; unmarried; taught three days, this week; when I went to school, took my dinner along in the morning; Wºº not at dinner on Wednesday noon; got home at 6 or 6.15; got home three-quarters of an hour before supper, perhaps an hour ; when I got home, took my blickey in wash-house; none but mother there; when I got home, the little ones were hunting potato bugs: saw no strangers about; when I put my kettle away, mother wanted me to make a box for flowers; looked for box in shop and barn; found one in barn, and went to shop to fix it; when I had the boards sawed out, supper was ready; when supper was ready I sat down with the rest; all partook of supper and drank of the coffee; father said something was in the beets, and I took a piece; then some one said it was in the meat, and I took a piece; then Clara said the coffee tasted “peppery,” then I took a swallow to taste it then took a second swallow; the first swallow was a large one, but the second still larger; took the second swallow to try it; the rest became sick; I didn't get sick till the doctor came; the doctor was here about 10 or 15 minutes; vomited and the doctor gave me medicine; one of the boys told the doctor I was sick and he gave me medicine; the medicine stopped the vomiting; tried to throw up but couldn't: father and mother said they felt very sick; mother went to Kichline's for liquor; all said they felt bad; went to bed and staid till morning; didn't get down stairs Thursday morning, but in another bed; didn't know father was dead till yesterday, when Mr. Schug was told; when I came in with the blickey mother was doing some patching; put my blickey in the sink behind the door; mother sat in the rocking-chair, in the north-west corner; she was looking at me toward the door when I put the blickey in ; didn't notice whether there was anything on the stove; didn't see 16 the coffee pot on the stove; and didn't look at the cupboard; saw nothing out of place or if any strangers had been about; put my blickey away, and then mother said: “I want you to make a box”; as soon as she spoke of the box I went to look for it; my mothor said nothing of any suspicious persons being about; my mother was, as usual, pleasant and agreeable, said she was going to town the next day; Moses said, when he was outside: “We must all die”; I suggested that a doctor be sent for, but father and Moses didn’t seem to care; about two months ago we had rats, and father put poison in the cellar; I didn’t think when they became sick, or when I became sick, that we were poisoned; when I was first taken sick I felt as if my head was full of sulphur; don't feel as bright as usual, now; suffer pain, now, occasionally; suffer in the head; don't suffer about the person or stomach, but did before; I felt too bad to ask about how the others were; would know a person who would come in the room with whom I was acquainted; know noth- ing of the symptoms of poisoning; commence school at 9 and close at 12, commence again at 1 and teach till 4.30; on Wednesday, turned out school as usual; stopped with Adam Job, on the way up, perhaps three-quarters of an hour; takes me three-quarters of an hour to walk up; was in Easton, on Monday or Tuesday, and got some tooth-powder; got the tooth-powder above Jacob Sandt's, in the drug store; went down on Tuesday night, after school; got medicine on Wednesday or Tuesday of the other week; brought the tooth-powder home; have used of the tooth-powder; have some of it yet; it is down stairs, now ; got the powder in a bottle; (powder shown witness); got nothing else at the time. DR. C. A. VoorhEEs, sworn–On Monday, Tuesday or Wednes- day last, a person called at my store for rat poison; mentioned the different proprietary articles to him, and he was not disposed to take any, but inquired for powder which he thought was used for that purpose; I suggested that arsenic was used and would give dime's worth if he wished it; while I was weighing it out, he said I should make it a quarter dollars' worth; before I got it wrapped up he said I should make it fifty cents worth, which I did; this was about four ounces and a half of arsenic; I asked him if he knew it was poison, and he said he did; I put two wrappers around it and wrote on with a pen, “Arsenic–Poison for Rats”; then he asked me to prescribe for him for an eruption on his face; I did ſapat uºſ ao quºd qļºſ) ģog dal åp1， a2， ſpºſtºotioſo sex Kouoſ， aqq aoqw ºoel. I øųJ, � № · ） #±，±）， ±√≠√∞a', ·…·… %º （º<！-- ± ſae 17 so; I put him up a four-ounce mixture with directions on ; then he gave me a five dollar bill in payment; we couldn't well make the change; then he negotiated for a few little things, including one bottle of “Brown's Camphorated Dentifrice”; (bottle shown, which the doctor, to the best of his knowledge, said was the bottle pur- chased, at least the same in kind;) there is no question about it being the same article; after he had left the store, I discovored that he had a dollar too little change; I called him back and gave him his dollar; I have since seen this person; Allen Laros is the per- son; to the best of my knowledge and belief, he is the man; I state this from my observation of the man at the time of the pur- chase, and when he was called back to take the change, and from a critical observation just made; this was some time in the afternoon; I should snppose in the neighborhood of 4 o'clock; was in the store alone; never saw this person before to the best of my knowledge; I recognize him by his moustache, hair and complexion; he was in the store about 15 minutes; he seemed to be in no hurry; he semed a little nervous; when I called him back he was about twenty yards above the store, going south; during the time he was in no one else was in the store; had been in the store since 2 o’clock; I thought strange of it as the young man wanted so unusually large an amount; when I put up the mixture for the eruption, I noticed a few pimples on his face; I am positive that the person that bought the tooth-powder bought the arsenic; there is only one kind of arsenic. THE VERDICT. When the testimony of Dr. Voorhees closed, at about 5.30 P.M., Saturday, the room in which the inquest sat, in Kichline's hotel, was cleared of all save the officers. The jury was unanimous in its opinion that Allen C. Laros was the murderer of his parents and Moses Schug. The foreman hurriedly and with nervous hand, wrote the following as the dreadful opinion of the jury: “That the said Martin Laros, Mary Ann Laros and Moses Schug, came to their deaths from the effects of arsenic poison, administered in coffee, on Wednesday evening, May 31, 1876, and that they believe that the same was administered by Allen C. Laros.” 18 As soon as the verdict was rendered, the jury adjourned. The Coroner at once waited upon Justice Hidebrand, (who, with Consta- ble Schooley had driven up from Easton, at the request of the first- named officer,) seated in the adjoining room, for a warrant for the accused. It was issued at once, and placed in the hands of Officer Schooley for service. While the last recorded proceedings were in progress, William Bitters had been deputized to watch the house so as to prevent Allen from escaping. Upon Schooley arriving with the warrant, he and Bitters proceeded to the room in which Allen lay. The warrant was handed to Deputy Bitters. The officer went up to Allen, and laying his hand on the shoulder of the prostrate man, said: “Allen Laros, you are my prisoner.” The reply was a question from the doomed man: “What does this mean”? The Deputy then read the warrant to which Allen made no answer. When this was over, Allen continued to protest his innocence, but without showing any especial signs of distress. In the meantime the dreadful accusation became known to the family, and the building resounded with their screams and lamen- tations. A search for the missing money was made in the room, but without a result, Allen all the time lying still and motionless. The room having been cleared of all but the officers, Mr. Samuel Sandt, Jr., was admitted. Mr. Sandt spoke to Allen, telling him of the proofs of his guilt and the certainty of his fate. He plead with him not to hide any facts, but to unbosom himself. After Mr. Sandt ceased speaking Allen lay with his head averted for several minutes, and then turning, said “I DONE IT.” All present exclaimed at once, “where's the money?” He answered “Out in the yard, between the privy and sheep stable.” Constable Schooley started out and with Coroner Carey began the search. Unable to find the spot they returned and were told by Allen that the money was in the ground, about the depth of a spade from the surface, and that a board had been placed over it to hide the fresh ground turned up. A second search soon developed the spot, and the missing money was brought to the surface. While these pro- ceedings were in progress outside Allen made a full and free con- fession in the inside, which, reduced to writing, is as follows: . “I took the money on Wednesday evening before I put the poison in the pot. The reason I took father's money, I knew he had money 19 but didn't know how much. I took Moses Schug's money too, but how much I don't know. I took none of his papers. I done this so that they might all be dead, so that I could do with this money whatever I pleased, that nothing more would be said about it. I confess that the money that was taken from the place a long time ago, I took too. I don’t know how much it was, but I think about $50 or $60. I took two swallows of the coffee too. I was not as sick as I pretended to be. I only drank it so as to throw them off of suspicioning me. I admit that I took a false oath this afternoon. I know that it is wrong what I have done. I want you to pray for me, and ask all of God's people to pray for me. I have no wife nor children. My name is Allen C. Laros. The silver I took out of father's drawer and put it in Moses Schug's pocket-book. I found Schug's pocket-book in his chest in the garret. Schug's pocket-book was a new one. Father's was an old one. This is my confession, true and faithful, made in presence of Samuel Sandt, Wm. Bitters and Officer George Schooley.” (Signed) ALLEN C. L.A.Ros. The pocket-books were both found to contain money, Mr. Laros' about $90 in bank notes, and Mr. Schug's $250 in bills and $1.80 in silver, a total amount of $340.80. The officers,when the confession was made, proceeded at once to bring Allen to Easton. They helped to dress him and soon had him In a Carriage. Before leaving the house Allen was asked whether he wanted to see his parents. He said he did, and was conducted to the room in which the cold clay of those to whom he owed his existence lay, cold in death by his hand. He stooped over the ice boxes as if he wanted to kiss the clammy lips of the dead,but being unable to do so he only passed his hand slowly downward over their faces. He also stood for a second beside the remains of Moses Schug. He man- ifested no especial grief, and did not break out in tears. During all this time his brothers and sisters were crying as if their hearts would break, their shrieks and groans moving many to join them in their lamentations. The officers next had their carriages brought to the door, and Allen was assisted into the one with Officer Schooley. Be- fore they drove from the door he bid a number “Good bye,” and asked that they pray for him. While riding down the road toward Easton the prisoner spoke to 20 Constable Schooley about the poisoning, saying, “I don't know what I did it for. My parents were always good to me. Only two weeks ago I went to Philadelphia when they gave me $25 to spend.” When passing the Schoenertown schoolhouse, Constable Schooley said: “This is where you taught school, ain't it?” “Yes,” said the prisoner, “but I won't teach any more.” A party of children on the road said: “Oh, there goes our school teacher.” “See” said the prisoner, “they all know me.” Arriving in Easton the carriages were driven to Esquire Hilde- brand's office. A large crowd collected at the office. A commit- ment was made out, and without delay he was taken to jail to await his trial. At the prison Laros did not lose his presence of mind. He asked for a Bible. A cell had been prepared for him, and a prisoner named Gangwere passed the night in his company. He passes a great deal of his time in reading the scriptures, praying, etc. IN JAIL–A. TALK WITH THE PRISONER BY PRESS REPORTERS –– WHY HE COMMITTED THE DEED. When asked why he had poisoned his parents, and brothers and sisters, he was much affected, and said he wanted to study law, and his mother and father had laughed at him and told him they could not afford to keep him; and so he thought to get the money to buy books with. His father had black-guarded him, and told him he would have to pay his board at home. HOW HE DID IT. He said: “I put away my blickey, and went out to look for the box. Mother went out, too. I came back and went into the wash- house again, and put the poison in the coffee pot, which was sitting on the stove. I do not know whether it was the coffee that was left from dinner, or whether it contained water to make the coffee for supper. It must have been three-quarters of an hour before supper time. I went into the house and unlocked father's secretary and took the pocket-book and money out: then I went up stairs to 21 Schug's trunk and took his pocket-book. I did not have time tº count the money. I then went out; saw mother sitting in the wash-house doing some sewing, and then I buried the money. After this, I went over to the shop where father was working and sawed some boards to fix the box for mother, and while planing one of them my brother Clinton came in, and I gave up my bench to him. so that he could fix some shutters that he was going to hang. Aſh. this time I was thinking of the poison boiling in the pot. I think Clara called us to supper. We all sat down together. I sat behinº the table, between Mr. Schug and Erwin. Clara complained first- When I saw them all so sick, and heard them screaming, I was very sorry, and took two swallows of the coffee, as I wanted to die. too. This is Gospel truth. I knew if I took too much it would not kill me. I was the first who proposed to send for a doctor The reason I was not taken sick as soon as the rest, I had eaten all. my supper before I drank any, while the others ate and drank at the same time.” When told that it was reported that his favorite brother had died. the prisoner was very much affected, and burst intº tears, exclaiming: “Oh, God! Oh, God!” and it was some time before he became quiet enough to talk. When addressed, the prisoner took no notice for severº minutes, but finally turned over upon his back, opened his eyes. stared confusedly about, and signified his willingness to speak by an almost inaudible murmur. He was much dejected, and in order- to hear his responses it was necessary to close the cell doors. He appears rational, and realizes to the full the fearful consequences of his deeds. As the interview proceeded he grew gradually more communicative, and while speaking of his parents and the family. tears coursed down his cheeks. He gave vent to his feelings seve- ral times by such expressions as “God help me!” etc., and his requests for prayer, as well as his positive assertion, indicate that he does not despair of his soul's salvation. The cell is light, has two beds—the one in the south corner being occupied by the pris- oner; a low bench, a side-board, on which were the remains of his breakfast, of which he had eaten very little. The water faucet anº. closet make up the ſurniture of the room. 22 Rep. Allen, it is reported about Easton that you said you hung your brother, some time ago. That is untrue; I didn’t do it, and never said so. When did you first think about committing this deed? On Monday of last week. What did you purchase the arsenic for 2 I purchased it to commit this deed. Had you any trouble with any one? No, sir. Had you any trouble with your parents? No, sir; I had good parents; good brothers and sisters. I had no trouble with any of them, whatever. R. When did you think of the robbery” P. I thought about it before I purchased the poison. R. What did you intend should become of the family? P. I did not intend to kill them. R. What did you suppose would be the effect of the arsenic? P. I thought it would only stupify them. R. What led you to think so 2 P. I had heard that if you gave a great deal it would make them very sick, but not kill them, and I thought I would give then enough. R. Why did you partake of the coffee? P. I took two swallows myself so that they would not suspect ºne. R. Did you intend to give it to any one except those living at home? P. No, sir. R. What was your motive for the whole transaction ? P. I did it to obtain the money; I was studying law at Scott's office, Easton; my parents told me I had to go through with it my- self without their assistance, and laughed at my ambition to become a lawyer; said I would make a fancy lawyer. R. Did they refuse to help you? P. They did, about two weeks ago; then I made up my mind to have the money somehow. R. Did you know there was money in the house? P. Yes, sir; but I did not know how much. 23 R. When you came home from school, on Wednesday night, what did you do? - P. I went into the wash-house; put my blickey in the sink; mother was there; I then went out; I saw mother go out of the house, and went in and put the poison in the coffee pot. R. How much did you put in P. I put the whole package in. R. What did you do with the wrapper? P. I threw it in the stove. R. Where was the coffee pot? P. It was on the stove, and the coffee was boiling. I then went out to make a box. Supper was being prepared then. R. Did any one see you put the arsenic in P. No; I watched my chance. R. Did you ask your mother whether she always emptied out the coffee that was left for dinner? No, sir. Did you think you would be found out? No, sir. That's why I took the coffee. Did you hesitate when about to drop the poison in 2 No, sir. What did you think, when you heard of your father and mother's death 2 P. I wished I was dead in their place. I made a great mistake. R. You were teaching; did not your salary support you? P. My parents kept it all. Whenever I wanted any they would give it to me. Seven or eight weeks ago, I went to Philadelphia. Father gave me $25. He asked me if that was enough; told him yes. R. Did they ever refuse you money? P. No, sir. - R. In giving your testimony, on Saturday, what did you think of your situation? I thought I was safe; didn't think they suspected me. When did you first realize you were suspected? When they read the warrant; then I wished I was dead. Had you no thought of making your escape? No, sir. i 24 R. Did you think any of your brothers suspected you? P. I did not. R. Did you intend to confess at once, upon your arrest? P. I did not, at first. R. What led you to confess? P, I thought if I would confess I might go to Heaven for all. R. Are you a church member? P. I am a member of the Forks Church-Reformed and Lu- #heran. R. Did you attend regularly 2 P. No ; was to church three weeks ago yesterday. R. Have you any desire to see any members of the family? P. Yes, sir! Would like to see my brothers. How are they getting along? - R. Yesterday, at 5 o'clock, they were doing well. Did you recognize Dr. Voorhees? *P. Not at first. R. Coming down to Eacton, on Saturday night, did you con- verse with the officer 2 - P. We passed some of my scholars; they said “There goes our school teacher’”; passing the school house I said “There's where I ºught school, but don't think I'll teach there any more.” it. Did you say that you thought there was a circus coming to ºwn? P. & did not say anything like that. - R. Were you afraid, when you saw the crowd at the Squire's ºffice? P. Yes, sir! I heard a person say “Hang him before he goes any farther.” R. Did any one beside yourself know of your intention to dose tº he family - P. No sir, no one. Were there many at the funeral, yesterday? R. About 5,000 people were there. P. God help me. (The unfortunate man was here ovecome and *ears flowed freely over his haggard cheeks). R. How do you feel now? P. I feel badly from the effects of the medicine and worry. I was often attacked by a rush of blood to the head, while teaching -- i. * §º : | | º! º º º |ºl - | - º - | º º ir Coffins. Qie etmorbeten Gltern in ibren ºrgen. \|| &| º º º º - º º, º º º º º || || || | º |\º ºſſ º N º - |ſ. º º º / | The Coffined Corpse of Moses Schug. Qie in bem earſ liegenbe Veide von Dicies eduº. | 25 school, which was relieved by bleeding at the arm. I am troubled. that way now, and want to be bled. R. Are you confident of salvation? P. I am, and want all good people to pray for me. I was sarº when I did it, am now, and if I had known it would result tº way I never would have done it. THE BODIES OF THE VICTIMS. The bodies of Martin Laros and Mary Ann, his wife, lay in tº rear room on the lower floor. They were both enclosed in hand- some dark rosewood coffins, with silver handles and mountings, anº. large ornamental plates on the lids contained the inscriptions: MARTIN LAROS, BORN FEBRUARY 1, 1819, DIED JUNE 1, 1876. MARY ANN LAROS, BO R N AUGUST 25, 1825, DIED JUNE 1, 1876. - The bodies were enveloped in shrouds of white flannel, tastefulº trimmed with two rows of satin piping, and upon the breast of eacº. lay a few sprigs of flowers and green leaves. The countenances ºf both showed a perfect repose that was beautiful, and it was impossi- ble for the most callous heart to look upon those lineaments, now so cold and quiet, but which showed in every feature the stern hºm- esty and uprightness of the lives now passed away, and remain unmoved. Here were an aged father and mother of whom tº 26 neighbor spoke save in kindness, whose honest, quiet lives, had been given to the careful rearing of their children, to justice and kindness to their neighbors, and in loving worship to their God, stricken down and passing away side by side across the dark river that divides this from immortality. They lay here silently, beauti- fully, coldly unconscious, gone to their rest; while out in the bright sunlight the balmy air of this glorious morning was filled with de- nunciations of the unnatural son, who had, with unfilial ferocity, sent them to their graves. In the small room adjoining, lay the body of Moses Schug, envel- oped in ice, the features calm as though death had been but a peace- ful retiring to rest. THE SCENE OF THE TRAGEDY. The scene of this horrible tragedy is a little hamlet of seven families, situated immediately upon the banks of the Delaware, in Forks township, Northampton county, four miles from Easton. It is a neat little place, giving evidence on every hand of the thrift and good taste of the residents. The Laros property, or at least the house, out-kitchen, barn, garden and out-buildings, faces the public road, and extends down to the river, a distance, probably, of fifty yards. On the opposite side of the road is the shop, where Martin Laros carried on the cabinet-making business. THE LAROS HOUSE. The house is a two-story brick, with an attic, and is about 38x25 feet, divided into three rooms and a hall down stairs, and two rooms up stairs; the attic being all in one room. The out-kitchen, of which so much has been spoken, is a frame building, about 18x20 feet, detached from the main house, and standing some twenty feet nearer the river, All the fences and outbuildings are neatly white- washed, the garden is thrifty and well kept, and the whole place bears evidence of occupancy by people of industry, who like to live with the comforts about them that industry will bring. At the foot of the Laros property, just across the line is the Mineral Spring, from which the place takes its name. SUNDAY MORNING---THE FUNERAL. About six o'clock the expected throng began to arrive. Whole 27 - families in wagons and light buggies, men on horses, and crowds of men, women and children on foot, came along the different country roads and over the hills. By nine o'clock the vicinity of the Laros house was one vast mass of people, the teams lining both sides of the roads for fully a mile from the scene of the tragedy. The bodies of Mr. and Mrs. Laros were viewed by a continuous line of people, who passed in at the front door and out at the rear. The remains lay in the back room, encased in handsome caskets, with the faces exposed to view. - AT THE CHURCH. At the Forks Township Church, where the services were held, and about four miles from the residence, had assembled an immense concourse of people from all parts of the county. The road leading from the house to the church was lined with vehicles of all descrip- tions, and it was estimated that there could not have been less than 700 in the processsion, or in its advance. THE FUNERAL SERVICE. The services were held outside of the church, and were witnessed by at least 4,000 people. The Rev. E. W. Reineke announced that the services would be partly in English and partly in German, and since the deceased father was a member of the Reformed Church it had been considered appropriate that he should speak first. 28 THE SERMONs SERMON BY THE REV. E. W. REINECKE. Text: Psalms lv., 6–Oh, that I had wings like a doveſ for then would I fly away, and be at rest.” I have nothing to do this day with the exquisite poetic language * which our text is expressed. Even if I were able to do so, I would not regard this occusion a fitting one, to point out its poetic *auty, or the aptness of its imagery. I have chosen these words, *ecause there are thoughts underlying them, which I think are ºalculated to comfort and strengthen you, my sad friends, in the profound affliction which has come upon you. I ask you, then, to fºllow me, while I try, brifly, to unfold these thoughts to you. 1. Our text evidently refers back to a certain condition of unrest, ºf want and dissatisfaction. This feeling the psalmist expresses in the verses preceding it. Says he: “I mourn in my complaint, and ºake a noise; because of the voice of the enemy, because of the ºppression of the wicked ; for they cast iniquity upon me, and #he terrors of death are fallen upon me. Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me, and horror hath overwhelmed me.” Evidently it was not the object of the psalmist, in our text, to note down a pºetic gem, though such it is; but, unconsciously he wept forth the profound experience of his life. But his experience is not a single and isolated one, and, therefore, not expressed for himself alone. There have been men whose minds and lives have been so universal, that their utterances have expressed the experiences and yearnings ºf generations and ages. They have lived so in the very center of things, that their voices and thoughts have reached every point in the circumference and surface, and found a universal application. Read the experiences, trials and sorrows of the holy men of the $criptures, and you will find that they are your own experiences, trials and sorrows. - And now look for a moment around you and within you, and tell ºxe, does not our text express with perfect aptness the condition of ºngs around you, and the experiences of your life within you? There is no condition of rest in this world; no such perfect and ºssolute satisfaction, as would remove the last hindrance of our hºppiness and rest. How many men have we not seen in these last few years, whose wealth was supposed to rest on a solid foundation; ºo were objects of envy to others; and yet, in a few days, their wealth was swept away into bankruptcy. See others, whose race ºr wealth has been the race of a lifetime. Their life, in this one - 29 point, has been a success. And yet, when they have come into the coveted possession, they have sunk down exhausted, and the sup- posed success has been an utter failure. And what a strange spec- tacle to the point our country presents to us now. Here is a coun- try, immense in its extent, with every variety of climate and soil, with inexhaustible resources in the bowels of the earth, with won- derful achievements in every department of human life and indus- try, a season of “unparalelled prosperity’’ just preceding; and yet, at this time, the whole nation lies prostrate, industry mostly stopped, the signs of recovery faint, if any at all. Who, in this vast congregation, to-day, can find satisfaction and rest in himself? I think I can speak for you all. The gilded fleeces which floated softly in the skies at the early dawn of our lives, have been changed into dark and threatening clouds; the beautiful day-dreams of our youth have vanished into empty air; and the efforts and struggles of our riper years have ended largely, if not entirely, in disappointment. And if we regard ourselves, especially in our relation to God, our creator and judge, then we can only say: “Few and evil have the days of the years of my life been.” We have all been unprofitable servants. And in order to show how unsatisfactory our condition is socially, how unreliable, and how incapable of affording us that solid rest which we need, let us merely refer you to the profoundly sad occurrence that has brought us together to-day. Who, in all this generally sober, se- date and Christian Northampton county, would have thought such a thing possible in our very midst P Our hills are crowned and our valleys are adorned with churches; the public schools are in successful operation; we have colleges, seminaries and academies all around us; from earliest youth our children are taught their duties in the Sunday school, and they are carefully instructed by their pastors, And yet, how were we one day, startled by the news; the entire Laros family, father, mother, six children, and Moses Schug, an inmate and friend of the family, have all been poisoned, and it is doubtful whether one of them will recover ! Husband and wife, father and mother, are now lying lifeless before us, and we have gathered here to do them the last sad honors. Martin Laros, a husband and father, providing diligently for a large family, a citizen honest and upright in all his relations, quietly obeying the laws and working out his vocation, a faithful member of the Reformed Church, and at one time an active elder in it; Mary Ann Laros, the wife and mother, quietly and diligently attending to the affairs of her household, watching affectionately over her large family of little children, attending cheerfully to their thousand and one little wants; they have both been taken away from our midst by a most foul murder. Is it not horrible? If an earthquake had shaken our entire county, we could not have been startled more than by this occurrence. We all felt as if the 30 - very foundations were taken away from underneath us. And are We not all ready to exclaim: “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest.” 2. Our text refers us to a state of longing, a seeking after some- thing better and more reliable than anything in this present world. This longing is represented to us in the lines of the patriarchs. They had no abiding habitation. Said Jacob unto Pharaoh: “The days of the years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty years; few and evil have the days of the years of my life been, and have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.” (Gen. xlvii., 9.) “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraccd them, and con- ſessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.” (Heb. xi., 13.) Paul has much the same thing in view, when he says: “Not as though I had already attained, either were already per- fect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which I also am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not my- self to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. iii., 12: 14.) But what is this final consummation which satisfies all our long- ing, and every desire of our heart? What is that which alone gives rest to the soul of man? This has been answered perfectly and finally, in these words: “ Thou, God, hast created us for Thy- self, and our hearts are without rest, until they rest in Thee.” If we are from God, then we must return to God, in order to be happy forever. We sing “Heaven is my home,” but heaven is our home only, if it is the home of the Everlasting Father. This rest in God, is what we long for, is what we need. 3. I wish, finally, to point out to you the means by which we are enabled to reach this rest. The reality of heaven and of the life to come, the very existence of God himself, the perfect rest of the soul, are often classed among the uncertainties, because they have not, and perhaps cannot be demonstrated with mathematical precision. Suppose we admit this impossibility of demonstration; and does it then necessarily follow, that God, heaven, and the fu- ture life are naught? Must we necessarily doubt everything, which cannot be demonstrated to our understanding P Here, the sun is shining over our heads, and shedding its light around us. If I had been born blind, no possible demonstration could prove to me the existence of light and of the sun. But having eyes to see—that is, having organs to see the light, I need no demonstration. Yonder, stands a tree. The permanent miracle of its existence and growth is, that there is a certain life within it, which takes up within its power certain dead elements of the earth and air, and transform 31 them unto its own nature. Who has seen this life? Who has an- alized it? And yet we do not doubt its existence. We admit its existence by a process similar to that by which we admit the reali- ties of heaven and of the life to come. Is it consistent to accept as true and real some things we cannot understand, and yet doubt other things, simply for the same reason, and none other? Thank God, he has endowed the soul with an actual and real power, by which, as by a divine intuition, we become aware of the reality of the life to come. As the dove spreads its wings in the fickle and treacherous air, and uses it for the purposes of its lofty flight, so faith enables him who possesses it, to soar above all the doubts, fears and uncertainties of our weak minds, and to reach at last the perfect rest in the bosom of the Father. And, as regards you, my deeply afflicted friends, I feel that any word of comfort which I might speak, would be poor and weak, indeed. I will therefore only say, direct your faith to your Heaven- ly Father. Let him be your strong tower and hiding place, until this storm be overpast. And I pray to him that he may so over- rule this sad affliction, that it may work out for you all an exceed- ing weight of glory in the life to come. Amen. ºcidemprebigt beg &ſjru. A. 3). Stuitſ. Žert: 3eremia, 31: 15, 16. ºn bºret eine fligſide etimme unt bitteres Seinen auf ber 555e: Stabel bemeinte ibre timber unt will ſid midt trèſtem ſalien über ibre ºin- ber, bent tº it quº mit ibnen. Iber ber ºerr ſpridºt alſo: Qafi bein ©dreien unt Qºcinem, unt bie Ribrünen beiner Qugen; bem beine ºre beit miro mob belobnet verbert, ipridºt ber ºerr. &ie jolten mieber tom- men quá bem Qambe beć §tinº." nºtabel mat bie ºutter \piepb's unt Senjamin 3; ppm ºn eit großer 3 beil be; Rönigreid's Sirael'3; unb º ben Simmobitern Seruialem's ºie (Sbaïbier mapmen bag gamb ein tº be teten piele ber 9tadtommenidaft ºpiep5's umb Subd uns fibrº eine große 3ab berielben in bie babiſoniide (Sefangenjödit. Stabel virt in pen series lºorten poetiid bargeſteſt, as māre ſie aus ibrem Ørabe, miſden hand unt bettlebem, quierſtanben umb bitte m. bergeiſhaut, unb as ſie ihre timber, had tommenidaft, midt mebr jab º unt flagte, umb polite iid midt trèſten ſalien, benes war gue mit 10ttent. 1. Jºan bºret eine flüglide ºtimme umb Seinert. $43 bat bieješ Ragen unt ºeinen unter uns peruriad tº a) ºas ºbinid eiben weier Cheleute, Sater unt ºutter einer;amilie *Senn ein Sater burd ben natürlichen Rob won ſeiner theiren sami. bitmeg genommen wire, pirº jºin Singang iſſon won ſeimer Samitié ºil. bemeint umb ber ºerſuit, ben ſie baburd peripiiret tieſ empiunben, Mºit 32 iðm feliſt ibrio pieſ unb ſein (at tann burd, feinen (nberett crieſt per- ben. Rimber fönnen tur einen red ten Sater baben. Qie Ślad barn unb §reunbe ber 5amilie theiſen mit ibr ben ºdºmer; unb fommen mit £iebeş- tripeijungen ibnen freunbliſh entgegen um ibrem Rummer unb ºribial ju limbern. Sie piet größer aber it bet Serluſt, ber 35mers, bie Rrauer, penn Sater unb ºutter pſºlid, umb unerpartet babin genommen were ben. ©er Serluſt virt juiebr gefübſt, bie Sunben in tieſ in's jer; ber * geidºſagen, um midt jum Sebtagen unt Seinen gebraditiu were ent. §ei bieier ºraueraniaſ; birt man iberalſ fläglide &timmen unb Sei- men. Qie Rimber bieier Lieben Gltern, bie Gemeinben, äu benen fie als thūtige unt geidjitten ($liebern gebärten, bie Stad, barn, bic fie cºrten numb liebten, umb mit ibnem alle, in meit bie ſtadridt ging pom ibrem idymāblie den Robe, flügen unb meinen über ibren ºingang. § º paſt, man biºrt eine flüglide &timme umb bitteres Seinen auf ber DI) e. b) QSegen ber ºſrt umb Seije iſ reş Robes flagt umb peint man. §br jingang par idymer;bait, unperbient, unermartet, idynell. 3M lice benémürbig, ºu treu, äu moblivollenb gegen ibre Rimber, ºu uniduſbig um pon einer bijen jamb unt nod, einem bějeren ºer; in bie Smigfeit geipen- bet u perpen. Mber bier jeben mir, baſſ pit im Qambe beć Šeinbes, ber (§efabr, be: Glenbeş mobitem, umb tiglid in (Şefabr iteben unier Seben ju perlierent. QSie ſtille umb uneripartet ber 5eimb uté eridleiden, umb jelbit mit freunbſidier Jºiene uns begegnen, unt uns ein plºtlides &mbe ber- bei bringen permag. śirmabr, ºmitten mir im Seben ſimb mit bem Rob umfangen." £er yingang bieier (Sltern it ju idimer:bait, um midt bağ jer; ber per- bätteſten )teniden äu belpegem. limb fein Sºumber bab: 2. Jºan ſid, midt träften miſſ (aftem. 3ei natiriidem żobeşfāſem famil man ſid) ſeiðt tröſtem. Qer §err bat feine Sege mit uns, miſſt ung uniere 8abn unb ºebens;ieſ, unt ment baš od it gebt man getalien ben QSeg aller QSelt suicinem (§rabe bin, im §ertrauen qui cine fråbſide Mujerſtebung, unt ſpridit: Sater ºein Siſle geidebe. Oft ſit ber tiebe (Sott umā nod por unierent eterben beion- bere buff- unto borbereitungs-3eiten femmen, legt ung auf's ºranten- bett, umb lift ung erfahren, baſſ, feine (jnabe midtig iſt ju belien in ber 3eit ber ºoth. Qie Qebensträfte verben burd bie Rrautbeit persebrf. ºlam finit ſtufenmeije bem (§rabe entgegen, alle Silege unt Illittel ºut §erſtellung ber (Seiunbbeit ſino pergebens, e3 with mitiebent age idlintº mer, umb emblid ergibt man ſid) ſeinem & diſtial, umb gebt rubig in bie 5in be feines bimmlijden Saters iber. Senn ſold ein &mbe ſid bei ben limitigen eingeſteſt bat, ſo beugt man ſid, unter bie midtige pant ($ottes mmb inridºt: , ºer jert bat es gegeben, ber ©ert bat eſſ genommen, ber Stame beg jerrn iei gelobet." Jian ſtilt icinem ºdºmers, trottnet icine $bränen ab im Sepubtiein, būš ber §err es alie gemciſt. mºst ºil . ſºlſ||Nº||||||||| || || - | || Wºm | º | | |º | > | |\ Will. º º - º |º ſºliº * L- | | * N , ll l - tº | -i- ſ | Imiº | ill |lº º º - º º - º º | Himi mºll"Tº 1|l. º | º \\\}, \ ". M. wº º | º º | - 33 QIber pie jell, mie tamm man ſid träften bei bieien bergeridjitternbert *Sorialſ 2 ſtan milliid midt träften ſalien, bemn bie the uren (Sbcleute limb babin, umb es it aus mit ibitem, ºie mei Şauptplite im Yauſe ſimb teer, bie Rimber limb mit cinem étreid ºuijentimber geºporten. Sºmen febit was tiebe Rimber am ungermitem entbebren. §§men feblf, was eine mal ibre Seriorgung, Silege unb ºreube mar, umb iie bitrfeit mobſ agen: *Sie ſellen mir uns trèſtem 2 ©olſte man betten birfen es qābe ein ºer; ſo faſt, jid in jeſbit perſo- ren, unt in tieſ in Gimbert perinten äu tännen, ein inde 3 bat u crime men nod quéâuführen º limb both it fie geitheben, umb mir fönnen lie midt ungeideben mathem. Whitijen baber ber ºimme (jottes (Sebür geben, bie ba ipridot; 3. Sufi bein Göreien unb ºrimen, fie jollen pieber fommem. ºie Geligteit bes ºſteniden bing midt ab won ber 20tt umb Seije jet- neš Robes. Jºit Qeiben umb Sterben mirb ber ºimmel midt perbient, ionit bätten jū Şiejenigen ben Soryug elig ºu merben, bie bier piel ge- plagt umb piel Streus unt ºribial au crbulben baben, unt ºiejenigen, bie idinell babin iterben, bitten ia ben letten Seibenélobn midt guermarten. Qie &eliqteit miro bloſ, ben mahrbaft frommen gläubigen ºenichen perheißen. Obie mun ióneſſ oper langiam, jung ºber alt babin fabren, būš it einerlei, aber bem ºerrn milien ſiegefallen. Qer Rob an id ſelbſt it immer paſſelbe, umb madt feinen belier med, idled ter. QSuá ber ºenid ſein mill in per (Smigfeit—ieliq ober unjelig —barnad, tidºtet er lid idiom in bieier 3eit, unt bus alle Rage in lange er tebt. (Sr it entmeter qui bem idymalen Seg sum ºeben, ober qui bem breiten QSeg bet um Serberben fibrt. QSill ber Jºenid elig merben, in beſteſt et ſein ºdus biemeil es Sage beißt. (Sr. eripartet midt feinen (Şott au begegnen biº per Rob per ber Shire briut umb ibnt ein pſºlides &mbe antinbigt, Sr. bilt id in iteter bereitidhaft burd Sathem unt Seten, im Bertrauen auf einen Seilamb, ber aſſein elig maden tumn umb mill, bie, bie ibre beſtāmbige 8ttitudºt ju ibnt nebmen umb ben (Slaubenstampf treu qu&fimpfen big an ibr (Sube. Goldbe limb mobſ qud felig, memn aud, idion eine bêie Yamb ibren Rob per- uriaden jolte. 4. Gie jollen mieber tommen quê bent ºan be beg Seinbes. QSir müſſen in bie 311tunit idauen. Señere Rage unt 8&item als bie jetigen eriparten. Qie Sergingenbeit fommit midt mieber ºurid, aber ber 3utunit geben mit entgegen, umb in ibr freien mit was mir bier entbeb- ren milien. ©ie tommen pieber, bie tieben &Iterm. Stidºt tommen ſie, mie lie bingegången imb, burd & dºmer; unt Seiben; jomberm mit Steuben unt frei pon (§efabr tommen fie qué bem Sambe beg Weinbes. Qer Gie- ge&firit, Seius (Sbritus, ruit lie qué iſ rem (§ribern. Oas Sterblithe mirb angetban baben bus limiterblithe, unbie merben beintjieben in bus gamb be: Stiebens, bus bú oben it, umb bereitet it allen benen, bie ibre (Slaue benºid ritte barmad geridºtet baben, umb in ibrem ºeilamb emtid lufen imb. 30 mir glauben, būš Šejuś geitorben unb quierſtanben it, alſo virt (§ott 34 aud bie ba entid (dien inb burd Spriſium, mitiid fibren. (I ºbei. 4, 14.) limb (Sott piro abmiſden aſſe brinen ppm ibren Mugen; umb ber Rob piro midt mebt ſein, ited Seib, nod (Seidrei, med, 3d mer; with mebr jein; benn bas (Stite it pergangen. (Ojib. 21, 4.) Qarum, tiebe Rime ber, trètet euth, unb nebmet eure 8 tiludit u &eiu, ºutfit ºn sum §rcuitbe ju baben, in miro (Sr bei eud mobilen, mit eud, eine umb quse geben, unt bie 3eit berbei fomment laïen, mp ibr eure tieben (Stern pie- ber finben perpet. (TRANSLATION.) SERMON BY THE REV. A. D. KUNTZ. Text: Jeremiah xxxi., 15: 16–"A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping; Rachel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not. Thus saith the Lord; Refrain thy voice from weeping and thine eyes from tears: for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the Lord, and they shall come again from the land of the enemy.” Rachel was the mother of Joseph and Benjamin; from Joseph sprang a large part of the Kingdom of Israel; and from Benjamin many of the inhabitants of Jerusalem. The Chaldeans conquered the land, slaughtered many of the descendants of Joseph and Judah, and led a large multitude of them into the Babylonian captivity. Rachel is, in the words of the text, very poetically rep- resented, as if rising from her grave, which lies between Ramah and Bethlehem, and having looked around and not perceiving her children, wept bitterly and lamented, and would not be comforted because they were not. - - 1. Lamentation and bitter weeping were heard. What has caused this weeping and sorrow among us? (a) The death of two parents, the father and mother of one family. When a father is taken away from his dear family by a natural death, his departure is bitterly lamented by his family, and the loss which they sustain is deeply felt. With him they lose much, and his place cannot be filled by another. Children can have but one right father. The neighbors and friends of the family divide their pain with them, and come with friendly offers of condolence, to soften their grief and sorrow. How much greater is the sorrow, pain and mourning, when father and mother are suddenly and unexpectedly taken away. The grief is too keenly felt and the wounds sunken too deep in the hearts of the children as to exclude weeping and lamenta- tion. By this sad case, we have everywhere weeping and lamenta- tion. The children of these dear parents, the congregations to which they belonged as good and faithful members, the neighbors, who loved and esteemed them, and all, as far as the report of this dreadful death reached, lamented at their demise. Truly a sorrow- ful and bitter weeping is heard from Ramah. (b) On account of the manner of their death do we weep. Their departure was pain- ful, unmerited, unexpected, sudden. Too loving, too trusty, too benevolent towards their children were they, that they should be launched into eternity by a base hand and a still baser heart. Here we can see, that we live in the land of the enemy, of danger and of misery, and are daily in danger of losing our lives. How silently and unexpectedly does the enemy crawl in our path, and even with a friendly countenance, hurls us to an untimely end. Truly, “In the midst of life we are in death.” The departure of these parents is too painful as not to ºove a heart of stone, and it is no wonder that— 2. We will not be comforted. At a natural death we can easily be comforted. The Lord has his way with us, measures our way and our allotted time, and when this is up we contentedly go the way of all flesh to our graves, in the hope of a happy resurrection, and say: “Father, Thy will be done.” Often before our death, God grants us time for repentance and preparation; He often lays us on a bed of sickness and lets us perceive that his grace is great to help in time of need. Our vital powers are often wasted All care and means to restore health are lost; step by step we are draw- ing nearer the grave, resigning ourselves to our fate, we go peace- fully into the arms of our Heavenly Father. If death enters thus into our midst, we bow submissively to the decree of our Heavenly Father, and say: “The Lord gave, and the Lord taketh away, blessed be the name of the Lord.” But how shall we, how can we, be pacified in this heart-rending calamity? We will not allow ourselves to be comforted because these dear parents are no more. The two chief places of this household are vacant, and by one fell stroke these children were made orphans. They have lost those whom dear children can least bear to lose. They have lost their protectors, their peace and their joy, and they dare will say: “How can we be comforted '' 2 Could we dare to think that there was a heart so cold, so lost in itself, so deeply sunken into sin, to harbor the thought of such a deed, much less carried out? But yet it was done and we can not undo it. We must therefore listen to the voice of God which says: 3. “Refrain thy voice from weeping and thine eyes from tears, for they will return.” The salvation of man is not dependent on the nature of his death. Eternal happiness not merited by suffering and death, or else those, who suffer a great deal of affliction and sorrow would be the only ones to be crowned with the crown of eternal life, and those who die a sudden death would have no hope of salvation. The heavenly happiness is promised to all true, devoted and faithful men, and it is the same whether they die young or old, a slow or a sudden 36 death, if they only please God. Death in itself is always the same, it does not make men better nor worse. The state of man in the future life, whether blessed or not, is governed by his deeds while on earth; he is either on the narrow path to happiness, or on the broad way to everlasting damnation. The man who wishes to be blessed, worketh while it is day, he does not wait to meet his God until death approaches to make an abrupt end to his life, but he is always prepared by watching and praying, and with trust in our Savior, who alone can and will bless those, who in faith will seek refuge in Him, and even they will be saved whose death was caused by a base hand. s 4. “They shall return again from the land of the enemy.” We must look into the future. We must expect better days and times. The past is irrevocably gone, but we approach the future, and there we find those things which are now denied us. The dear parents will return again; not, however, as they departed, in pain and suffering, but with joy, and free from danger, they will return from the land of the enemy. Jesus Christ, the prince of conquer- ers, calls them from their graves. The mortal will have clothed himself in immortality and will journey home in the land of peace above, prepared for all who have taught themselves in their faith to await it, and slept the sleep in Christ Jesus. If we believe that Jesus Christ died and rose from the grave, so will God bring with him hose who died and slept in Jesus, And God will wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain, for the former things have passed away. Therefore, dear children, comfort yourselves, and seek refuge in Christ Jesus. Seek him as your friend, and he will live with you and will await the time with you when you shall again see your dear parents. - The Grand Jury of Northampton County at their sitting, June 14th, returned true bills against Allen C. Laros, on three indict- ments for murder: one for the murder of Martin Laros, one for the murder of Mary Ann Laros, and one for the murder of Moses Schug. His counsel requested the postponement of trial, which was granted. Thus we leave the prisoner in his cell, awaiting his trial, a trial for a crime, the committing of which shows an absence of all the finer qualities that make man “the noblest work of God-” º - /5 º/( % - yº - - - - 323 - - - lsº © . º -- BEATTY Prax Crand, square & Upright. From Rufus Snyder, of the firm of Snyder & Hendricks, Carrriage Manufacturers, of the City of Allentown, Pa.; “I must confess I hardly know how to express my gratification on receiving the BEATTY PIANO you shipped me. It is at least all ! could ask, wish or expect. 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