National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1880-07-03
A HORRIBLE TRAGEDY.
An Insane Mother Kills Her Three
Children.
Shocking sacrilioo Of Little Children.

JERSEY CITY, N. j., July 2--Nlary O'Con
nor, forty-fvc years old, living at No. 45 Wal
ter avenue, this city, murdered her tire,
children at 2 o'clock this morning by cutting
their throais with u razor. She says she first
tried to kill them with carving.knife, but
she did not succeed. Edward, tho youngest.
lay in bed with her. She killed him first, then
went TO a crib alongside of her bed, IN which
were her two oldest children, David, aged siS
years. and Francis, aged four and half, and
murdered Fraucis, he being on the side Of the
crib nearest hor bed Her husband all thi.
timo lay on tho floor at tho foot OF her bed
asleep. lilo was awakened by the dying strug
gle of his eldest child When no SAW what hi,
wife had done ho ran ont Of tho house crying
Mrs. OConnor says sho has boon sick for 4
long time, suffering from malaria, and has
boen unable to take caro- OF hor children and
sho thought that by killing them they would
80 to heaven, and that there was no other
cause for her killing them. She was exam.
ined by Judge Peloubet this morning anl
committed TO the county jail.
HORRIBLE RECITAL by THE HUSBAND.
MIS-. O'Connor had been i'll three months
with malariul fever, had grown>vcry despoud-
ont, and feared tho expenses of her sickness
would bring her family to starvation. Her
husband, Il sober, industrious man, was de-
voted to hor in her illness, aud cheorfully
procured every comfort she required. Hc
tells the following story: II was Sleeping on
the floor of the front room, and my wife was
In the bed with the baby, Freddie, two years
old, while frankie and David, aged flv0 aud
eight years, were sleeping in the back room.
| WAS startled by aChild's cry and a smothered
groan coming from tho back room, so | spiang
up and hurried in there. AS passed the door
my foot slipped on tho wet boards. 1t was
so dark that | could not see anything. aud
taking match from tho box lit il. The
sight discovered set me wild. In one corner
lay the dead body OF tho oldest boy, aud
across the bod ticks saw tho bloody face Of
tho baby and Frank. Their night clothes
were red with the horrible blood stains aud
their littlo faces were # and stark in death
In one corner l saw the crouGhing form of my
wife with the blOOd.staincd razor in her hand
She was looking at the floor. l was paralyzed
| with freight aud ran TO the hallway shouting
Murder, for Gods sake help, police.
l ran down stairs aud up tho street
shouting to all the neighbor5 that tho chill
dron were dead. | was afraid to 90 back t,
the room, for tho horrible sight seemed to b,
ever before my eyes. | can't tell why Mar,
did this horrible decd. We always liveC
happily aud never had any trouble"
The cuts wero all in the throat and EXTENDED
| lIOlll W nc HtdtS VI bhb TWO Olu
est children were almost severed from thei
bodies
cALMNEss or THE MURDREss.
The mother was taken from the scene o
tho murder by several Of tho ncighbor anC
Captain McKaiguo to the fourth police prccinc
station, where She was secured until dayligh
aud thence removed to tho police headquar
ters. When found in the room after th,
murder she appeared cool and collected, an,
said that she had killed the children to sent
| thom to heaven. She could not take care u
them, and now she was satisfied they wer,
well of. When asked by tho court il sh,
knew what she had done she answered, "Ye5
sir; | could not do for them, so | sent then
to heaven. | don't expect to live long, aHC
they are well oil now" When the question
was asked what she killed them with, sh,
said, "First took the knife, but 1t was no
sharp enough, so took the razor"
| In reply to tho inquiry when she made VI
her mind to kill them, she answered: "Not
until that very moment when | got up" She
appeared very weak in body aud to all OK
ternal appearances seemed to appreciate tho
situation. She answered all questions asked
her by the physicians in clear and composed
mannor. After they had finished she was held
by the court for further examination and re-
moved to the county Jail. Large crowds con
gregatsd about the premises where the deed
was committed, and an extra detail of officer.
was station cd on tho street 10 keep tho curl
Gus from entering the house,