Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-06-03
Public Buiidsugs and Grounds.
A MANIAC MOTHER.
q y = 80 ~ n .
Horrible Incident of the Strike.

HOrf1Die lncl0enC OF the SIrlkos
4 Woman Kills Her Husband and
\ Three Chiidren-Crazed for Want of
Bread. XII Rrsr
NEW YORK, June 2.-Soon after the
family Of Miehael Devine, of No. SO North
Eighth street, Brooklyn, consisting of him
self, wife and three children, aged seven,
four and two years, arose this morning, the
wife stepped behind the husband and
struck him on the head with a cooperis
adge. He wrested it from her and ran to
a statioa-house to have his wounds dressed.
Officers were sent 20 secure the woman,
and on arriving at the residence, found the
children lying on the floor dead, their
heads beaten to a jelly with tiat iron.
The woman being asked why she had
killed the children, answered she was going
to heaven and wanted them To 60 before.
The fathers wounds are thought fatal.
Devine is a cooper, and has been on the
strike for a week past, and thinks that led
TO his vifeas insanity. NserN} sNF-r
Later.
Michael Dwyer, the husband of the muir
deress, is a cooper who hasbeen on strike
with his Union for the past six or seven
weeks The deprivations this neceSsitated
in the family was the cause Of numerous
contentious between husband and wife, and
| it is believed that in the end it resulted in
| the over-turning of her mind. The woman
was in lunatic asylum about a year ago,
| but when she was released it was thought
she WIS completely cured. Dryer would
| doubtless have returned to work had he not
| feared the Union.
The Slaughter Scene.
The scene in the room after the tragedy,
| begcars description. The murdered chill
| dren were lying side by side, blood and
brains slowly exuding from their skulls.
4 The bedclothes were soaked and heavy
with sickenine stains. The body of little
Tim was not so badly mangled as were the
bodies Of the older children. From the
terrible wounds found on Maggie's face and
| skull, it is evident that the mother must
have pounded the child's head with the
flat-lrOn for several minutes. Jenny, the
four-year-old boy, is also horribly mu-
tilated. tl.s-e. -EL,s igi !
| Mrs. Dwyer expresses no remorse, does
not CRY, and says they are better of. In
answer to questions at the station-house, she
said:
l have defed the law, but my little ones
thank God, are in heaven. have often
felt like killing myself, and knew if
went inst and left them behind, they would
never reach heaven. Ny husband wouldn't
90 to work. l warned him to 90, and YET
he persisted. and my brain is not quite
right sometimes and that is the way il
happened / took the lives of my children
1t was for their souls sake. First l killed
the baby, my little Tim. He was one yea
and nine months old. The reason
took the baby first was because
he was lying nearest to me. He made
some noise. think ne cried quite hard
but it didn't last long. L hit Maggie sec
ond. She woke up and said mamma.
said, ats me, Maggie" then put her out
of her trouble. Maggie was good girl
She told me many times she wanted to g
toh eaven. Once l asked her whether sh'
would feel bad if l should drown her in the
river. She said no, for she should 60 t.
heaven. Then took Jimmy. BE wok
up and moaned so l turned him over to lie
the blood run out Of his headfaste The!
were good children.
| 1t is hardly possible that the husband vii
survive his injuries.