Above Submitted by
Laura Vonk
Poster-#-13-
*From the Banner Press
January 14, 1932
The Devenport Family
- The people of this county were stunned Thursday morning when it became known that Oliver Devenport, age 39, a farmer who had apparently became crazed by financial worries, had killed five of his children with a claw hammer, seriously wounded his wife and another daughter with the same weapon, and then ended his own life by placing the muzzle of a single barrel shotgun to the side of his head, blowing the top of his head off. The scene of this awful slaying was the Devenport farm home on Highway 51, four miles south of Patton. Those dead are Oliver A. Devenport, the father, aged 39; Verda, aged 10, and twin sister of Virgie, who is in the Cape hospital; Clara Fay, aged 7; Raymond, aged 5; Louise, age 3; and Vaughnita, aged 10 months. The injured the wife, Mrs. Clara Devenport, who is in the Cape hospital, and Vergie, aged 10, who is also in the Cape hospital. Wooster Devenport, aged 12, was the only one of the family to escape unharmed. The slaying happened as near as can be ascertained between 3 and 4 o'clock in the morning.
According to Mrs. Devenport, her husband waked her up and told her that he could see no other thing but starvation facing them and that she was the cause of his financial difficulties, and if she hadn't been so extravagant, he would have a home to move to and that he was going to kill them all and pile them up together. The crazed husband first hit his wife with the hammer and she begged for mercy telling him that she did not want to die. He struck Mrs. Devenport several times with the hammer with which he killed the five children. The little boy Wooster, and his sister Verda, hearing the cries and commotion, had rushed into the room with the other children, but escaped, but Verda was hit with the hammer before she ran out into the yard and the father struck at Wooster as he ran out, but missed him. The two children ran out into the yard between the barn and the chicken house in their nightclothes and barefooted, where they stopped. Verda told Wooster that she was going back and Wooster told her not to go back into the house, to wait there but not to go back to the house, that he was going for help. Wooster ran on for help, but the little girl went back into the house and was killed by her father.
Wooster ran to the home of Fred Stone about one quarter mile to spread the alarm. He was sent on with a lantern to Polly Sitzes home for help. The little lad made the trip over the cold frosty ground barefoot. Mr. Sitzes, who was awakened by Wooster, heard screaming at the Devenport home, and also the report of a gun. He did not go to the Devenport home at that time but went after help to the home of Mr. J. I. R. Devenport, who lives in that community and is a half brother of Oliver, who was told of the tragedy. He went to the home, but did not go in immediately, but went up on the porch and heard someone groaning. He called to Mrs. Devenport, who answered "Oh, Uncle Roy, he has killed us all. Come in quick." He asked her where Oliver was and she replied that he was in there dead.
When Mr. Devenport and others went into the house the wife asked him if he thought the Good Lord would forgive her for not answering her husband when he called to her. Before he shot himself, he called to his wife three times, but Mrs. Devenport, although badly wounded from the hammer blows, had the presence of mind enough not to answer him. Her husband, thinking her dead, placed the muzzle of a single shot shotgun to the side of his head and fired.
After Mr. Devenport killed himself with the shotgun, Mrs. Devenport got up and although seriously hurt, went amoung the bodies of her children, who had been felled by the hammer blows. When they came in, she was lying on the bed. She had placed Clara Fay on the bed to the left of her, the baby was up against her right side, the 3 year old girl was next to the baby and Virgie, was in the bed next to the wall. Clara Fay was still living when help came but expired about fifteen minutes after their arrival.
Dr. Vaughn, who lived about one half mile from the Devenport home, was the first physician to arrive and he was quickly followed by Dr. O'Kelly of Patton. The Cape ambulance was called by the two doctors and the mother and Virgie were taken to the Cape hospital as soon as it was possible. Dr. VanAmburg, County Coroner of Lutesville, and undertaker A. J. Baker of Lutesville, were sent for and arrived on the scene.
When those who first arrived went into the room from the kitchen, the body of Verda was lying about two feet from the east door that leads into the kitchen and at the foot of the bed little Raymond was lying in about the center of the house, with his head nearly against one leg of the stove. Mr Devenport was lying with his head against the door frame of the partition door of the west side. Mrs. Devenport and the other children were on the bed.
The gun, which was a single barrel 12 gauge shotgun, would always break down when shot., we are informed, and this gun, broken down, and the claw hammer, (a regular carpenters claw hammer) was under his body. The gun was gripped in his left hand and the hammer was gripped in his right hand. He had pulled his boots off and placed them neatly where his body was found. The children and mother had been struck with the hammer on the top of the back of their heads. Mrs. Devenport was hit nine times with the hammer.
Oliver Devenport was a son of the late J.W. Devenport and was reared in the community thirteen miles northwest of Marble Hill. Besides his own family, he is survived by three half-brothers. The wife is a daughter of the late Jack Fulbright, who lived in the Bessville community. A brother still lives in that section.
The family had lived at Elvins for about six or seven years. The father purchased the Tom Pulliam place where the tragedy occurred about two years ago when they moved there. He sold the place to Fred Stone about ten months ago, and planned to move the same day as the tragedy to the Ben Tinnin farm near Yount's store. He had even engaged men and teams to help him move.
Friday and Saturday, as the news of the terrible tragedy spread, hundreds came from all sections of southern Mo. Such a tragedy is unknown in the history of this county.
The Devenport people are all highly respected citizens of that community and as a result, they are left grief stricken and dazed. The father, Oliver, was not so well known in the two towns, but was well known in the Patton section.
Funeral services were held Sunday morning at 1000 o'clock. The funeral procession headed by two hearses moving from the Baker Funeral home in Lutesville to the Plainview Church. The bodies had been placed beside the church building according to their ages and Rev. J. M. Trentham, Baptist Minister, stood in a back side door, with the body of the father on his right and the bodies of the children on his left, and preached a short funeral sermon. He told of the good reputation the father had always borne, his acquaintance with him and of his great love of his children. The silent and solemn file of people moved past the casket, in single file for an hour and a half. The bodies were then lowered to their final resting place, the body of the father in one grave and the bodies of the children in another large grave nearby.
Bollinger County has never before witnessed an assemblage as large as this one at a funeral. Conservative estimates place the number present at 3500 people.
The boy, Wooster, is now with his aunt, Mrs. Minnie Criddle, who lives near Oak Ridge. The young lad went home with his aunt and family and will make his home with them for a while.
Relatives moved the household goods away from the home Monday to a building belonging to J.N. Sitzes and put it under lock. Sunday afternoon relatives informed us the house was broken into by the curious and it is estimated that several hundred visited the scene of the killing. Relatives of the family went to the house, got the people out and nailed the house up. They had to threaten to nail some of them in before they could get them out of the house.
*From the Banner Press
January 14, 1932
Laura Vonk
Poster # 13
Above Submitted by
Laura Vonk
Poster-#-13-
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