MULLINIX, Martha Sublet
Martha Sublet Mullinix
Source: MORGAN CO MARTINSVILLE GAZETTE NEWSPAPER
"Putnam County & Greene County News!!!"
25 April 1857
A SHOCKING OCCURENCE! On Friday morning, the 10th instant, Greenbury O. Mullinix, a resident of Washington township, in Putnam County, murdered his wife in a most brutal manner. We gather the following particulars from a letter published in the Greencastle Banner:
"MANHATTAN, April 10th, 1857".
Mr. Editor:
One of the most painful and heart rendering tragedies occurred in our midst this morning that any community was ever called upon to witness. A young lady, Mrs. Martha Mullinix, wife of Greenbury O. Mullinix, and daughter of one of our neighbors, David Sublet, who had been raised in our midst was murdered, as is universally believed, by her husband, to whom she had been married but barely three weeks. The neighbors in the vicinity were first alarmed by the screams of the family at his father's where he ran after the fiendish deed was consumated. Several of the neighbors and citizens of our little town immediately repaired to the scene, and all who witnesses the sight declare it the most heart-rending scene ever recorded. There she lay on the floor weltering in her blood, with the whole of her upper forehead and front of her skull smashed in. On examination, two other wounds were found upon her head, either of which would have caused her death. The one in front is believed to have been made after she had fallen to the floor and was weltering in her blood. The jury supposed the weapon was a large iron shovel which he had recently had made, but it looked to me as though he had taken an axe in both hands and struck her with all his force. The skin and skull was so broken in, that you could almost insert your doubled fist. You may think that to see a young and beautiful woman murdered and mangled would be a sight not to be desired, but you can form no just conceptions of it, unless you had witnessed the scene.
All who saw it say they expected the scene to be distressing, but was totally unprepared to witness a murder so cruel and barbarous in form. Such a sight I trust I never shall be called upon again to witness. The stroke is a heavy one upon her aged father and mother, and indeed upon all the surviving friends, and calls loudly to our countrymen to awake to the necessity of protecting the youth of our land from the demon of INTEMPERANCE the source of this and most of all such occurrences.
A. D. HAMRICK
24 Dec 1857 EXECUTED (Putnam County)
Greenbury O. Mullenix, for the murder of his wife, Martha Ann Mullenix, was
executed at Greencastle, on Friday last. A large crowd was present.
Source: Ft. Wayne Sentinel 26 December 1857
"Horrible Scene at an Execution in Indiana"
GREENBURY O. MULLENIX was executed at Greencastle, Indiana, on the 11th, for the murder of his wife. The Indianapolis Journal in giving an account of it, says:
The drop fell at twelve minutes past eleven o'clock, and in the descent of the prisoner the rope broke!
Blindfolded and choked, Mullenix still appeared to have reason and presence of mind, and walked in the direction of the steps as if to reascend to the scaffold. A horrid sound, like the rattle of death, escaped from his mouth a sound which made many of the immediate spectators sicken and turn pale.in a moment Mullenix was in the arms of men who held him while the sheriff tied the rope together and drew him from the ground.in a moment more, the object of the law's vengeance was swinging between earth and heaven. One or two slight struggles were made, and the spirit of Greenbury O. Mullenix passed from time into eternity.
After every motion of the limbs had ceased, the pulse continued to beat for some minutes. This became more and more feeble until it was altogether imperceptible. After hanging thirty-two minutes the body was cut down, placed in the coffin at which the dead man had laughed the evening before, and delivered to his friends, who immediately procceded with it to Manhattan, Putnam County, for interment
Source: Crawfordsville Review 25 April 1857 p2
The Putnam Banner of Tuesday contains the following letter from A.D. Hamrick: Manhattan, April 10th, 1857. Mr. Editor: One of the most painful and heart-rending tragedies occurred in our midst this morning that any community was ever called upon to witness. A young lady, Mrs. Martha Mullinix, wife of Greenbury O. Mullinix, and daughter of one of our neighbors, David Sublet, who has been raised in our midst, was murdered as is universally believed, by her husband to whom she had been married but barely three weeks. The neighbors in the vicinity were first alarmed by the screams of the family at his father’s where he ran after the fiendish deed was entirely consummated. Several of the neighbors and citizens of our little town immediately repaired to the scene, and all who witnessed the sight declare it to be the most heart rending scene ever recorded. There she lay on the floor weltering in her own blood, with the whole of the upper part of her forehead and front of her skull mashed in. Upon examination two other wounds were found upon her head, either of which would have caused her death. The one in front is believed to have been made after she had fallen to the floor and was weltering in her blood. The jury supposed the weapon was a new large iron shovel which he had recently had made, but it looked to me as if he had taken an axe in both hands and struck her with all his force. The skin and skull were so broken in that you could almost insert your double fist. You may think that to see a young and beautiful woman murdered and mangled would be a sight not to be desired, but you can form no conception of it unless you witnessed the scene.”