The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-04-24
The Boys Strangled and Their
Bodies Then Roasted.
FEARFUL SCENE IN THE STATION HOUSE
The Bodies Found in a Washtub
Stripped Naked.
Particulars Of the Horrible
Occurrence.

curreu IN tnlS CITY Tor years was enacted last night
in the tenement house, No. 81 Third street. Mrs.
Hennessy who occupied back room on the fifth
moor, in a tit OF melancholy or puerperal mania,
killed her two little sons George, aged three years.
and Francis, aged five months.
About eleven O'Clock last evening intelligence
was brought to the Seventeenth precinct station
house by DR.. Thompson OF Twelfth street. That he
had been called to the tenement house above men,
toned when he found the two dead bodies OF the
children in washtub and the mother sitting at
the edge or the bed In = state OF insanity
He Immediately, finding that he could
be OF no use, went to the station
house and informed the police OF the terrible
occurrence The Captain ana couple Of officers
instantly repaired to the scene OF the tragedy The
house Is most respectable one In the exterior, and
is situated In very quiet neighDorhood. The peo-
pie In the vicinity had not heard OF the matter
when the police came, and In consequence there
was not the slightest excitement when the police
arrived. The Captain proceeded up stairs, accom-
panied by the Doctor and the officers and the fear
full spectacle met his view. Lying in the washtub,
within feet of the stove the bodies OF the
two
INNOCENT AND UNFORTUNATE CHILDREN
They were completely Naked and SO mutated
that their features were not recognizable. The
flesh had been burned from their faces and
shoulders, the eyes had been roasted from their
sockets and the lips of the little ones awfuy
dis1gured and swollen to an unnatural size. The
unconscious cause of all this misery sat upon the
bed without speech or motion, evidently not having
the slightest idea OF the murders she had perpe-
trated. All efforts to make her conscious OF the
occurrence were unavailing; her features wore an
expression OF the deepest melancholy, but she
manifested neither regret for, or knowledge Of the
death OF her children.
The bodies were covered over with q white
cloth and removed to the station house, and the
mother was arrested by Captain Walsh. The facts
OF the fearful affair are as follows George Hen
messy, the husband OF the woman and father OF
the children, came home from his work about half
past seven O'Clock. He Is by trade shoemaker,
and works with his father on the corner Of Nassau
and Fulton streets. The apartments occupied
by the Hennessys, as stated before,
are on the top moor OF the house
and consist OF three rooms, kitchen sitting
room and o bedroom. The kitchen is the outer
room and when Hennessey came to this door he
found 1t locked. He knocked repeatedly but re-
ceived no response for more than half an hour.
At last the door WAS opened by Mrs. Hennessey,
and, by the dim twilight, the first sight that met
his view was the tub containing the bodies OF the
children. His wife clutched him by the ARM and in
an unearLhly VOICE salu, ''GeOrRe," AT Cnc same
time pointing to the tub "the children are all
right-they are happy now" She repeated this
several times and then said, IL will soon be happy
too.n The feelings OF the unfortunate husband at
the pitable avowal, and the thought OF the fate
that had overtaken his innocent offspring. can be
better imagined than described. He was almost
stunned by the catastrophe, and for more than an
hour could scarcely persuade himself that 1t was
not
FEARFUL DREAM.
When he had somewhat recovered he thought that
IL would be well to summon assistance, and was
about going out when the poor woman chung to
him and endeavored to draw him back. She
seemed to be apprehensive OF some dread calam-
ty; but after the first mention OF the children she
did not again allude to them, and seemed to have
forgotten them completely.
One OF the strangest features Of the case was the
fact that the eldest child OF the woman little girl
aged five, was peacefully sleeping in bed In the
OF this child was spared while the others were sa-
crinced 1t was impossible to say; but the people OF
the house say that she had been playing upon the
street up to late hour in the afternoon, and
from the appearance Of the bodies and their
Goddess, 1t was evident that the children
had been killed In the early part OF the day. When
MIR. Henessey returned the Are had burned COM
petely out in the store, and there was no light in
the room, save what was afforded by the dying
day. When the husband had succeeded in pacify-
ing the wretched woman he was about to take the
little girl out Of the room and go for assistance.
but she would not let the child be disturbed.
From the manner In which the bodies were disfg-
ured the doctors suppose that death had been
caused by
STANDARDIZATION AND srABBrNG,
after which the dead bodies had been roasted on
the stove. Whether they had been denuded OF
their clothing before being murdered or not could
not be ascertained, but they had been stripped
before being put upon the stove, as the garments
we're found in q corner OF the room without being
singed. The apartment was pervaded with the
sickening smell OF burned flesh, which remained in
It after the tub and Its bloody contents had been
removed. The people living In the tenement
heuse-and 1t Is thickly inhabited-heard no
unusual noise during the day, the house
not being in the least disturbed by the crying OF
children. SO quietly had the crime III crime 10
may be called under the crcumstances) been COM
mitted that no one knew OF IL until the husband
returned; and even after the arrest had been
made and the bodies taken Of the residents OF
the tenement house had no idea OF the fearful
tragedy that had been enacted In their midst. A
reporter Of she HERALD, who made inquiries in
saloon next to the tenement house, was astonished
to nd that the people In the saloon had no idea Of
what happened, as there had been no excitement
or unusual noise In the locality. The stove In the
kitchen was covered with fragments OF hair and
burned flesh, as was the floor around, which was
also thickly sprinkled with blood.
When the
BODIES WERE TAKEN TO THE STATION HOUSE
n chair was provided sor the woman, and An amDu-
lance was telegraphed Tor to Bellevue Hospital.
reporter of the HERALD got to the station house
heore the woman was removed TO the hospital and
while the police surgeons were still In attendance
upon her. She sat in the seat, her face as pale
as ashes, her eyes wild and wandering, and her
whole appearance expressive OF insanity mingled
with melancholy. Mrs. Hennessy Is a native OF
dublin ireland, and is about twenty-six years
old When in health she must have been an
extremely beautiful woman, and IL Is she still
very lnteresting-looking. she is OF medium height
and OF slight build, and her features are small and
regular. Her eyes are dark as IL her hair and her
forehead denotes that she has been woman OF