The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1878-12-18
a FAMILY WHO KILL.
lChicago Times, Dec. IL.


The CannoDs came Of family in whose
veins there gurgles nothing but bad and
mischlevous blood. They live on the North
Side, at No. 81 East Erie street, in . dingy
and villainous looking building, which is
numerously inhabited by rats. lice, dirty
children, and a crowd Of tenants who blear
at respectable looking person suspiciously.
The missionary has never put his feet across
the threshold Of that place, or if he has the
bedlam within drove him away. The Cam
non family consisted of the mother, whose
age, Is p st the half-century mark; John,
the elder son, aged 81 years,
and Tom, whose age is 10.
They all drink, hut the most of the swillinQ
has been done by John and his mother. The
result OF a feud between these two on yester-
day morning at o'clock is an awful warn
ing, and is as strong an instance Of the total
depravlty which shadows ignorance and in
temperance as was ever traced upon the
criminal page. John had been out all night,
spreeing wherever he could deadbeat drink
or bully it. He was traced along Chicago
avenue, on Kinzie street, and about half
hour before he struck his mother he was
seen Keeling like storm tossed vessel toward
the howell which had nothing in it to sipnify
home, but which, nevertheless, was the only
haven he had when everybody else had
kicked him out. He staggered in. In half
hour after woman screamed. Her Younger
son, Iom, awoke and came into her
room. On the left side of her neck we're
three long gashes, from each of which the
n1e-plood was squirting, causing her to pre-
sent horrltying picture. Tom alarmed
nelghbor, who went for physicians. He told
them his mother had attempted to commit
suicide. But the old woman raised her
skeleton hand, and from her bloody throat
there gurgled denial of TOMS lie. Than
Tom said he had heard his mother and John
In an angry dispute, but he could not or
would not tell the nature of it. A TIMES re-
porter questioned the gray-haired old wo-
man, but, with some maternal instinct stil,
left IN her, she, too, denied the cause, and
only gave John away by saying: "Oh, John.
why did You do this?''
The gashes were stitched, and the old
form, marked by dissipation and care. and
perhaps trouble, laid back upon black and
unlnviting place of rest, while Tom sat be-
side her with bis hands folded, his eyes fixed.
ana a strange and incomprehensible express
sion upon his hardy fece. John left
as soon as he had done his inhuman job. He
was seen to Cross the Chicago avenue bridge
ABOUT o:oo O'Clock A. NJ, going west.
be Is notla stranger to the dark things of
lie. bis associations were such az drifted
into crime and seethed and fretted for
trouble. De was companion of Mike Mad
den, the thug. He was with Madden last
July when they both assaulted and cut. al
most to death, William Baruth. q saloon
keeper, on the corner of Illinois and Wells
streets. Officer Bowen afterward ATTEMPTED
to arrest Madden, and only oyerpowered
the assassin and thug BY put
ting death-shot into his heart.
John Cannon was arrested twelve years ago
and sent to Joliet for q burglary. He came
out after serving his time and has worked
along the docks as wheeler, for iveli-
mood, when not engaged in smuggling and
holding up peaceable and inoffensive citi-
zens. Last summer he fell from a ssrun'' in
a coal yard and broke his leg and still goes
on crutches. His brother Billy, now dead.
led him in the crooked way. He was thief
ana slugger. he was arrested for bur
glary, sent down, fell into consumption
and died in convict's suit Tom is said
to be the only one Of the tribe who affects
honesty; probably because he has be-
come ashamed of the carnival of dissipation
and hell which seems to pervade the place
they have for home. John has girl living
on dalsted street near the viaduct, who is
his companion at ''shindigs" and in dissipa-
ton. It is supposed that she is secretins
him somewhere. Capt. Gund and his lieu
tenants are upon his track. They say the
family is noto1iously dissipated and exceed
ingly quarrelsome, the pests of the neighbor-
hood In which they live. The physicians
say the mother cannot livo.