Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1882-05-05
MURDERED HIS MOTHER.
BLOODY DEED In A TENEMENT HOUSE

I'LL ~ OIINAxlOO LIN "O AAA AO
BLOODY DEED In A TENEMENT HOUSE
John Dawson In a Frenzy OF Rage over |
Some Money Beats his Aged Mother
to Death with q Largo hammer
in Philadelphia.
In rickety old three story frame tene-
ment house, on Swanson street, just De!ow
Front and Bainbridgc streets, fhiladei-
phia, was, last evening about O'CLOCK
enacted ore Of the most horrible murders
that has occurred in this city for a long
time, Mrs. Susan Dayisson, an aged "o-
man, being killed by her son.
The building looks as if it had stood for
a hundred years. It has diiapidated
doorway opening upon the street, which
enters only into the single apartment on
the ground floor, occupied by Mrs: Cath
inc Prendergast and her family. Tho en-
trance to the upper floors is through side
door which opens upon a little alley, about
four feet wide. Mrs. Prendergast also
occupies the second floor. In the third
floor front, Mrs. Susan Davisson,
woman about 60 years Ofage, resided with
her son, John Davisson, aged S2 years
and his two small children. The half
story above is occupied by Mrs. Cameiia
Henry and her family. of the different
dodgers in the house the Davissons were
perhaps the best known, because Of their
frequent noisy quarrels and conduct. ihey
had moved into the house about three
months ago from No. 72O Swanson street,
the adjoining house on tho soutn size.
Both the mother and son were salu 10 Ce
| of Incorporate habits, and the police had
| been frequently called in to secure peace.
The old woman had kept a truck stand on
South street, above Second and her son,
who was separated from his wife three or
four years ago, made living by keeping
| a peanut stand near Second aud ooutn ano
by huckstering. Mrs. Davisson was known
to have sum of money coming to her;
and she and her son often quarrelled
about this matter. Yesterday afternoon
| Dayisson went home drunk and renewed
the quarrel with his mother about her ex-
pected money, which he said she ought to
have had long ago. lie threatened her
that he would take the matter in his
hands and soon get the money, and then
left the house.
Shortly after six o'clock he returned,
and going up stairs to the room occupied
by him and his mother, he began fighting
with her again about the money. One CT
his little boys was in the room at the
time. He told the child to 60 out and
bring his brother there, and pushed the
little fellow down stairs. Tho mother and
son then engaged in a violent alteration,
and spoke in loud tones.
Mrs. Henry, who occupied the room
overhead, heard the disturbance, which
was even more violent than usual. " was
sitting in the entry sewing carpet rags, y
she said, 'when 1 heard tho Davissons
quarrellins. They were very violent,
and l was afraid. He was fight
ing with the old woman, when
suddenly he stopped, and said to
his little boy, Richard, you go out and
bring your brother, quick heard fall,
and knew he had pushed the boy down
stairs. The boy hurried down, and then
I heard another crash that sounded like a
fall, and would not let my little girl go
down stairs. heard the old woman cry
murder three times, and then there was
a sound as of bones crushing. l waited
for little while, and then l went down
stairs. The door of tho Davisson's room
was open, The old woman was lying on
tho floor, with her blood streaming all
around her. John was kneeling over her
with a hammer, and was pounding her
head, saying, all tho time, Nov, what's S
the matter with yOu?' He never looked
up as passed the door, and kept chop.
ping right away at tho old woman's head.
hurried down stairs, and was so frightened
that could hardly tell that a murder had
been committed up STAIRS
The police were notified, but before they
had reached tho house, DavissOn came
down stairs and was passing out the alley
to the street, when John FitzsimmOns,
who resides in tho house, and another
!; young man, named VIM. Dudy, arrested
!, him. He was not violent at all, but simply
asked the young men to let him 90. His
clothes were drenched with blood. lie
was handed over to Policeman Murphy,
and taken to tho second district police
station at Second and Christian streets.
Upon going up stairs to the Davissons'
room a CHASTITY sight greeted one OF the
entering. There lying on the floor, with
her head not more than three feet from
the door, was tho old woman. She was
literally covered with blood. She was lying
on her face, and ON the left side of her
head, behind the ear, was deep hole from
which prOtrudcd part of the brain. Tho
hair was matted with coagulated blood
streams of blood ran from the clothing and
trickled over the floor spatteiing the
white bedsheets in a corner of the room
were drops of blood which had evidently
spurtcd from the body with each success.
i've blow. Beside the body was found 4
large carpenters hammer still wet with
blood. Life had evidently been extinct be.
' fore tho murderer had finished with his
| victim.
When taken to the police station, Davis
son was still under the influence of liquor,
and did not seem to realize, what he had
done. He was very boistcrOus, and kept
continually saying, s. want an investiga-
tlon." He was locked up, and soon had
fallen off into drunken stupor. He is
we'll known to the police, although never
arrested for anything except drunkenness.
He is isregarded as somewhat weak-minded,
is subject to commissions, and is greatly
effected by liquor.
Another witness to the murder, besides
Mrs. Henry, is little girl named Katie
Hogan, who lives on the second floor back
of the same tenement house. She was
going up stairs to borrow a match from
Mrs. Henry and when opposite Davisson's
room saw the man in the act of hammer
ing at his mothers head with the Ratchet
The child being scared ran down stairs and
was soon met by Mrs. Henry.
What an Engineer Found at His Home.
l.. J. Newton, an engineer on the Louis.
Vile & Nashville railway, returned to his
home in Louisville from a trip on the
road and found his wife in bed uncOn
scious and at her side four -ycar-old
adopted boy dead. A note on the table,
written by Mrs. Newton, was to the effect
that she had given morphia to the child
| II <D1ro n Co.