Carrie & Bessie Waterman kill half-brother, James in Kansas, 1884
Item from The Winnipeg Times, 26 Sept 1884:
HELD FOR MURDER.
Two Little Girls Brutally Kill Their Half Brother.
They Hated the Child and Wanted Him Dead.
Ottowa, Kan., Sept 26 - Carrie and Bessie Waterman, aged twelve and fourteen years, daughters of James Waterman, a farmer, tied a rope around the neck of a half-brother, six years old, dragged him about and beat him with sticks till he died. The head of the child was nearly severed by the rope.
The girls stated at the coroner's inquest that they hated the child and wanted him dead. They were held for murder.
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Article from The Atchison Daily Globe
26 May 1885
Serious Injury - Indicted for Murder
Ottowa, Kan., May 26 - Mr. J. W. Starkey was seriously injured yesterday by being kicked on the side of the head by a young horse. Mr. Starkey was drawn as a juror on the Waterman murder case on Saturday. The grand jury found an indictment against James Waterman for the murder of his son last September. James Waterman was arrested last fall for the same crime, but was dismissed by the County Attorney.
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Note: The original article about the two sisters appeared in several papers - Atlanta Constitution on 25 Sept 1884; the Daily Miner (Butte, Montana) on 24 Sept 1884; etc. Though I am not related to the Waterman family, one can't help but wonder how things turned out.