In the quiet town of Hartford City, Indiana, the morning of February 2, 1960, brought with it a chilling event that would forever mark the community. Harriett Robson, a dedicated 52-year-old teacher and assistant principal at William Reed Elementary School, was beginning her day with her fifth-grade students. Without warning, the school's principal, 44-year-old Leonard Redden, entered her classroom.
The students, accustomed to his occasional playful costumes, initially thought little of his hunting attire. This time, however, he was armed with a shotgun.
In a moment of shocking violence that unfolded before the eyes of her young students, Redden fatally shot Harriett Robson in the chest. A witness, who was a student in the classroom that day, recalled the terrifying scene, stating that after the shot, the principal uttered, 'Hang me, will you?'. The impact of the blast caused Robson's glasses and one of her shoes to fall off, searing a lasting image in the minds of the children present.
After leaving Robson's classroom, Redden proceeded to the fourth-grade classroom of 62-year-old Minnie McFerren, where he shot and killed her as well. A custodian's attempt to intervene by throwing a crowbar at Redden proved futile. In the ensuing chaos, Redden fled the school, leaving behind a scene of terror and disbelief. The traumatized students were instructed to run home, many of them without their coats as Robson's body blocked the classroom's coat closet.
The search for Leonard Redden concluded within 24 hours when his body was discovered in a wooded area of Blackford County. He had taken his own life. Later, his wife revealed that he had been suffering from paranoid delusions and had an appointment to see a psychiatrist scheduled for the very morning of the tragic events. It was speculated that Redden believed Robson and McFerren were conspiring against him and undermining his leadership at the school. In a poignant gesture years later, the graduating class of 1967, which included many of the students who witnessed the tragedy, dedicated a memorial bench to both of the slain teachers and to the principal who had taken their lives.
