Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1882-07-12
THIRD EDITION.
THE SALONS, HEATED.
A man who MuE dered his Mother
hangs hlmseIf TO escape being
huDR by tn 1 w.

A man who Mur dered his Mother
hangs himself TO escape being
hung by TN 1 w.
John Davidson, an inmate of Moya-
mensing jail awaiting trial for the
murder Of hio aged mother, committed
suicide on Monday afternoon by hang
ing himself in III" cell. Davidson was
discovered ltiin an orr after he com
mitted the deed. Ha was found per.
fectly nude, suspended from the gra.
ting of his cell window by a white
shirt, which was ingeniously wound
around his neck When the body was
cut down the face Of the prisoner was
black, indicating that he had been
strapgled. 1t is believed by the prison
Officials that he made an Intellectual at
tempt to hang himself with another
shirt which was found Oh his bed.
DAVIDSON ADROITLY PLANNED
everything SO as not to arouse the
suspicion of the guards. He stood on
a stool while he arranged the shirt
around his me- { and the window graf
ing, and when all was ready he launched
himself into eternity by kicking the
stool from under him. No noise was
made by the stool as it fell over, as the
floor was covered with several articles
Of clothing which deadCued the sound.
The prison officials were greatly sur
prised at Dlvidsou's act, because he
appeared to them as being always in
good spirits He ate his meals egu,arly |
and seemed to live as contented as any
of the other prisoners.
Tho TnroOnr wi hold n iu1,iaGt tbi q |
morning. A a,taChe Of the COroner's |
office yesterday visited Mrs. Davidson,
the wife of the suicide, and asked her if |
she desired TO take the body of her hus.
band. The woman replied that she did |
not care what became of it, and refused /
to give the least directions as to what
disposition should be made of her hus-
bands remains.
DAVIDSON COMMITTED
one of the most brutal murders which
has occurred in this city for a number
of years. He resided with his mother,
Susan, aged 60 years, and two little
sons, in third story front room of the
miserable tenement house No. 718
Swanson street. For several years he
had been separated from his wife owing
to his drunken habits
He was 81 years old, and a peanut
vender by occupation. Ga the after
noon of May he quarreled with his
mother about a tritiing matter. He
returned home in the evening very
drunk and upset bucket of garbage
on the landing near the head of the
stairs, for which he was upbraided by
his mother.
Angered at this reproof, he rushed
upon tho helpless woman and felled
her to the floor by blow on the head
with Ratchet.
The merciless wretch continued to
batter the head and face Of the unfortu.
nate woman with the Ratchet until he
became tired, whereupon he threw the
bloody instrument of death alongside
the corpse and struck out into the hall.
way and down into the street. When
he began the murderous attack his two
children rushed from the room and ran
crying into some of tie neighboringI
houses. An alaIm was thus given, and
before the murderer had gone far from
the house he was arrested
The prison authorities have been
roundly censured for not reporting the
suicide until twenty hours after it oc.
Cured. Although Lieutenant Quigley 8
of the Seventeenth district, was aware
of tie fact on Monday night, he did not
report it to thu Central Station until
noon yesterday.