Hunter - Henry - incest,bigamy,fight
Source: Crawfordsville Daily Journal Saturday, 26 December 1891
Henry Hunter, of incest and bigamy fame, lives with his family up on Franklin Street near Elm. The neighbors have not been aware of the character of the gang until yesterday when a jolly Christmas fight occurred. Mrs. Hunter or rather Mrs. Elmore since her marriage with Hunter is void, went with her son to Alamo yesterday, leaving the house in the care of relatives. Along in the evening, Hunter came home as drunk as a beast and found his sister and her husband sitting on the side of the bed. With an oath he attacked his brother-in-law, who quickly felled him to the floor and was proceeding to make Christmas hash of him when Hunter’s brother, Albert, stepped in. Albert is the youngster who went to Danville in the vain attempt to marry Lucinda, the victim of his brother’s crime. Albert pulled Henry’s assailant off and the fight then became general, extending to the street where stones and clubs were gathered up for use by the rival factions. So loud and disgraceful did the racket become that the neighbors ran out and separating the combatants sent for the police. At the mention of the police, the whole brood turned in and locked the doors and windows of the house. Two policemen who soon arrived were unable to gain admittance, the late combatants keeping as still as death behind the barricaded doors. Later in the evening, three other officers arrived to attempt to pull the roost, but with like success, the birds of ill omen refusing to open the doors or pay any heed to the voice of the law.
Source: Crawfordsville Daily Journal Tuesday, 18 August 1891
Old Mat Elmore, of near Alamo, was in the city yesterday and had a terrible story to pour into the sympathetic ear of Prosecutor Moffett. Some years ago Mat’s son, Taylor Elmore, was married and in due time a daughter was born to his wife and himself. Not long after, Taylor was killed in a drunken brawl at Jackville, being struck over the head with an ax handle wielded by a deliriously intoxicated companion. In due time Taylor’s wife united her fortunes with those of Henry Hunter and they set up housekeeping taking with them Taylor’s little daughter. If what Mat Elmore claims is true, Henry Hunter is a brute of a most unprincipled and vicious turn, devoid of all the attributes of decency and manhood. Although the little stepdaughter of Henry Hunter is now but 15 years old, she is soon to become a mother, and by him. The warrant for his arrest was sworn out by one Elmore and placed in the hands of Marshal Ensminger for service. The seduction is supposed to have taken place at Alamo and soon after it, Hunter and wife removed to Crawfordsville where they remained until about three weeks ago when they suddenly left for Indianapolis. Elmore says he is positive that Hunter is the betrayer of the little child as he would never permit her under any circumstances to keep company with young men and seemed at all times very jealous of her.
Hunter is a man between 35 and 40 years of age and if the crime is proved on him will likely receive a heavy dose. The little 15 year old girl is very pretty and that she should meet such a fate seems horrible in the extreme. Hunter’s side has not yet been heard and he may be able to saddle the blame onto someone else. It seems very strange, indeed, that if he is the seducer of the child, that his wife would stay with him and not denounce him. Elmore is most positive in his assertions of Hunter’s guilt and Marshal Ensminger went over this morning to make the arrest and bring Hunter back to answer to the charge preferred against him.
Source: Crawfordsville Daily Journal 19 August 1891
Henry Hunter, the man charged by Matthias Elmore, of Alamo vicinity, with being too intimate with his (Elmore’s) 15 year old granddaughter, was arrested in Indianapolis yesterday and was brought back here last night and lodged in the county bastile. The girl in question was also kindly escorted over by the obliging Marshal, and when on the trial she will star as a witness against her step-papa, who according to old Matthias is a bad man from the head waters of Bitter Creek.
Hunter was seen in jail this morning by The Journal and he enters a general, all around denial to the charge and declares that he is innocent of all though of wrong toward the child, whom he claims to love as well as he could one of his own. His wife is much older than himself, she being on the shady side of 45, while he is 38, and they have been married three years. She was the mother of six children, the eldest a daughter married and living at Terre Haute, the others are several of them grown and one younger than Lucinda, the girl in question. Hunter claims that he has always carried himself as a man should, and endeavored at all times to do his duty by his wife’s brood; that he always thought a great deal of the little girl and gave her good advice and would not allow her to attend dances nor kissing bees, and boys were not allowed to come to the house as beaux present or prospective of Cinda. He declares that the girl is all right and that she will on the witness stand indignantly deny that she was ever intimate with any man, young or old, and that no proof can be had to substantiate any such charge. He claims that he is anxious and ready for trial, and that he will immediately upon his release go for the scalp lock of old Matthias, and go to get it.
He says the first news they had of anything wrong was when the girl’s brother came home and informed his mother of the talk which raged in the Elmore vicinity in regard to his sister, and that it all came from a certain quarter and was caused by the heirs of his wife’s first husband not selling their interest in the estate of the late Taylor Elmore. They preferred to sell to their mother and her husband than to Matthias, who had always mistreated them, and Matthias to get even preferred a charge of bigamy against Hunter as soon as he married his son’s widow. Hunter lay in jail here for a long time and the proof of the charge not being forthcoming the case was dismissed by Elmore.
Now he has purchased the share of another heir and is in jail once more. He proposes to make the smoke fly out of the ancient hide of Matthias as soon as he gets loose.
As a sort of by-play, Matthias on yesterday had himself appointed guardian of the minor heirs of Taylor Elmore, which includes the girl, Cinda, and has enlisted as next friend for the war. The trial will no doubt show where the animus lies and somebody will no doubt be made to sweat blood.
Source: Crawfordsville Daily Journal Friday, 21 August 1891
The Mayor Hears the Evidence in the Incest Case
The case of the State vs. Hunter, incest, was called in the Mayor’s court at 10 o’clock today. The State was represented by Prosecutor Moffett, who was ably assisted by James Elmore, poet and attorney of Ripley Township. The defendant was backed by the brace of warriors, Colonels Courtney and Sellar, and the grind commenced.
The first witness was Elijah Elmore, who said that Hunter was his “step daddy,” and that his mother, Samantha, had married Hunter about two years ago. Elijah is 19 years of age, and according to his best observation, he believed his sister, Lucinda, to be pregnant, and had so informed Hunter, who kindly volunteered to kill him (Elijah) if he ever had him arrested for tampering with the girl. He says Henry and Lucinda would travel about together at night, go to town, to church and Sunday school and be out late at night. They would come to Crawfordsville together, drink beer and become “tight”—also bring home a bottle, out of which whisky had been taken. One time they had gone across the river and sent Samantha home on the train while Hunter and Lucinda drove home in the buggy. Lucinda never kept company with anyone. Hunter wouldn’t have it. Witness made affidavit against Hunter. No one told him to. It was his sister and he thought something ought to be done.
Lucinda Elmore, the girl in question, was the next witness. She denied the charge against Hunter and declared that she had never had intercourse with anyone and that if she was pregnant she did not know it, and much more of the same import. She admitted that she had drank beer and whisky with defendant, but emphatically denied that she was ever “tight.” Her mother did not come over to the trial, and she was stopping at the home of Mrs. Stump, Hunter’s mother, and admitted to having talked a little to her about her condition.
James Stump was next. James had talked to Hunter about the girl’s condition and Hunter got mad and wanted to fight—“he just snorted around.” He was going to sue everybody for slander. Said he was going over to Indianapolis; they would get rid of it there if they could and then sue these people for slander, and if they couldn’t get rid of it there, they would lay it on Mat Green. Had seen defendant and Lucinda come from town boozed, with an empty whisky bottle in their possession.
Dr. Thornberry was called as a witness of the girl’s condition but was fired on the ground that the witness must be protected from secrets revealed to a physician, lawyer, or minister.
Dr. Davidson did not know anything and got off easy. Elijah Elmore was recalled and divulged the fact that Hunter would never let his wife come to town with him because the load was too heavy, but he always found room for Lucinda.
Here the prosecution rested and the defense called James Elmore. He was not a profitable investment as a witness and was dismissed and court adjourned for dinner.
In the afternoon the defense refrained from putting the defendant on the stand and the case was given over to the Mayor. He at once bound Hunter over to the circuit court in the sum of $500. Hunter was not able to give it and was accordingly sent to jail.