Pleasant Pruitt

Pruitt came from an old, but wealthy Protestant family in his hometown of Edinburgh. Described by many as a man with higher than average intelligence, he was considered a respectable member of society. While still a young man, he wooed and soon married a Miss Van Meter, from Rushville, who gave birth to four children - Alice, Leslie, Ethel and Clyde (all of them later moved to Indianapolis). The family was regarded as an ordinary and happy one, with Pruitt at the helm of it. ==Murders==

First wife In 1888, the first Mrs. Pruitt suddenly died from poisoning. This event shocked the citizens of Edinburgh, but no suspicion was directed at Pleasant, at all. His seemingly righteous way of living prevented any investigation into the matter, leaving the people to wonder if the death was just a simple accident. Mrs. Pruitt's death remained an unsolved mystery, and Pleasant continued living as a respected and honorable man. The couple stayed there for some years, before moving to Indianapolis and settling on East Ohio Street, along with Winnie's 14-year-old son from a previous marriage, Jesse. Third wife and suicide Eventually, Pleasant was left without money, so his wife suggested that they turn their home into a boarding house. The business was going well, but Pruitt, who barely worked, began growing more and more melancholic. His worsening behavior resulted in him having problems with how the house was managed, which caused some boarders to leave, and thus, quarrels between him and his wife began. No longer feeling love towards her, Pleasant began plotting to kill her. On October 9, 1902, not long after Jesse left to go to school and after the same old arguing was going on, Winnie went down to the basement to work over a washtub. Pleasant purportedly followed her down, only to renew their quarreling. In the heat of the moment, he attacked his wife. Grabbing a nearby knife, Pleasant stabbed her twice to the heart, while still hitting her in the face. Winnie's face was horribly disfigured, with both her eyes punched out of their eyesockets. Pruitt left the basement, with the likely intention to escape immediately. For an unknown reason, he returned to the basement with a fully loaded .38 bulldog revolver, and subsequently committed suicide by shooting himself in the head, his body falling on top of his deceased wife. ==Discovery and aftermath==

At around 4:30 in the afternoon, Jesse Berry returned from school. When he entered the house, he shouted down the hall to notify his mom that he had returned, but with no response. Puzzled, he went upstairs to continue his search, where one of the roomers, Nicholas Yeager, told him that his mother had been in the basement since the early morning, washing clothes. Jesse then went down to the cellar, yelling out for his mother one last time before entering. == See also ==