The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1882-05-10
AN INSANE MOTHERS DEED.
She Kills One of Her Children and
Stabs Three Others.
FEAR OF STARVATION PROMPTS HER
TO E DESPERATE ACT.

BOSTON, NJ " ga terrible act occurred at
an early hor his morning at No. Warrenton
place, which is sort OF passageway leading
from Warrenton street, where an insane
mother conceived the idea of taking the lives
of her four children to prevent their starving,
as she feared The woman, Mary Konig, who
is German, and is spoken of as an industrious
and frugal wife, has recently been deserted by
her husband, and the thought that besides sup
porting herself she must provide food, clothing
and shelter for her four children worked upon
her mind to such an extent that her reason
finally gave way, and but one thought seemed
to control her, which was, that by Killing her
children and herself all of her troubles would
be ended. The children consisted of Emil, II
years of age Mary 13, Alfred, 10, and August,
5, all of whom were bright and intelligent, and
the three eldest would soon have been able to
support their mother in comfortable manner
Mrs. KONG, who is 46 years of age, occupied
rooms on the third floor Of what is known as
the Warrenton Block, and arming herself
with table knife and pocket knife she en-
tered the room whore the children were sleep
ing at six o'clock this morning and commenced
her deadly work. Her first victim was her
little son August, whose throat she cut from
ear to ear, and it is not supposed that he made
any sound, else the other children would have
been awakened, and she might have been pre-
vented from further proceeding with her in
sane delusion. She next turned her attention
to her daughter Mary, whose throat she cut in
three places, DuJ Tue WOuuuS, buOuSu uduScr-
ous, will not probably result fatally. The girl
succeeded in escaping from her mother and ran
screaming out .of the apartments occupied by
Mrs Konig across the hallway into rooms oc-
cupied by other persons. The screams OF the
girl were supplemented by the shrieks OF Mrs.
Konig, and the widest excitement prevailed
in the vicinity, though none of the neighbors
dared enter the rooms to discover what was in
progress there. In the meantime Mrs. KONG
had stabbed Alfred in a dozen places in the
left arm, and then encountered Emil, who re-
sisted her assault quite successfully, although
he received wound on his left arm at the
elbow. The children then left the room, and
Mrs. Kong was alone until the arrival of
Sergeant Houghton and PaIrolman Boston of
the Fourth Division, who found her sitting on
the floor in pool of blood, having cut severe
cash in her left leg below the knee and made
unsuccessful attempts to open the arteries in
both wrists, from the several wounds in which
the blood flowed freely. She appeared very
composed, and expressed herself quite satisfied
with the job, which she thought was thorough
ly DONE The officers took her to the Fourth
Police Station, where her wounds were dress
ed by DIR. Bush, and she was afterward taken
to the Tombs and placed in padded cell. The
wounds of the children were also attended to
by DIR. Bush and DIR. FL. G. Newton, and no
serious results are apDrehended. Mr.. KONG is
a lithographer and is employed in Boston.