Family recalls 1893 rape, murder

HISTORY In 1893 one of the most gruesome murders in the history of the Ennis area took place. The fatal rape and mutilation of 15-year-old Frantiska (“Frances”) Cervenka, a daughter of Karel Cervenka, a well-known Czechoslovakian farmer, held the attention of the state for a week as horrific details of the crime were reported and two suspects, Abe House and Ed Gibson, were arrested. The horror of …