Newspaper reports from Logansport describe a brutal family tragedy near Metea, Indiana. The articles connect the Bassler family to an older Metea line: John Bassler and Christina Landschooft.
In late December 1924, Emma Hobaugh (née Bassler, 33 years old) was formally charged by the coroner after four deaths in one household: her father Henry Bassler, her mother Mrs. Henry Bassler, her brother John Bassler (23), and her own three-year-old daughter Viola. A sanity inquest declared Emma “of unsound mind”, and she was committed to the state hospital at Longcliff.
Family link noted in the article
The newspaper explicitly calls Emma Hobaugh the granddaughter of John Bassler and Christina Landschooft of Metea, Indiana. That single line is the genealogical hook — it ties this tragic 1924 story to an older Metea family network.
The coroner’s findings, based on neighbor depositions and examination of the bodies, reconstructed a grim sequence: Henry Bassler was believed to have been the first victim (Sunday evening), followed minutes later by the sleeping child, then the mother, and finally the brother John in the early hours of Monday. Powder marks and entry wounds were used to infer distance and direction of the shots.
Depositions were taken from several neighbors and witnesses, including members of the Moyer family (with whom Emma reportedly left money Monday morning), Daniel Murphy (who discovered Henry Bassler), and others who reached the scene. At the sanity hearing, testimony described earlier episodes of strange behavior, including an incident years earlier at the Gossard corset factory where Emma allegedly tried to stab a co-worker with a tool.
After the sanity commission finding, the sheriff transported Emma from the county jail to the Northern Indiana Hospital for the Insane at Longcliff for treatment. The prosecutor stated the case would go before the grand jury, while legal commentary in the paper tried to explain how commitment and indictment could still intersect.
The victims were reported to be buried side by side at Metea, with the article noting the extensive work by undertakers to prepare the bodies for burial. Another piece describes relatives keeping the news from an elderly family member, fearing the shock would be too great.
Source: Logansport Pharos-Tribune — 31 December 1924 (pages 1 and 9).
“Emma (Bassler) Hobaugh charged with murder: taken to Longcliff.”
Henry Bassler · Mrs. Bassler · John Bassler · Viola.
Local setting referenced in the genealogical line (Bassler × Landschooft).