The daily gazette., 1883-11-26
A FAMILY MURDERED.
A TERRIBLE CRIME IN A NEW
HAMPSHIRE TOWN.
A VILE MURDER In NEW JERSEY
Two Women, a Man and a Child Killed
by Wretch IN New Hampshire The
Murderer Under Arrest.

haps four lives, were most brutally and
flendshly taken, occurred here at an early
hour this morning. The murder was dis
covered in the following manner: Shortly
after s O'Clock the ringing of bells and cries
OF fire awakened the sleeping citizens and
they were soon hurrying to the house of
James Ruddy, half a mile from the post
office, In the Northeastern part of the vii
lage. The flames had been extinguished be-
fore the arrival Of the fire department, and
it was found that the fire had been only an
attempt 10 cover up the fiendish act of the
assassin.
Ruddy was a respectable man Of Irish
descent, A years of age, who has been en-
pIoyed for years in the car works here. He
had lived In town for great periol, and his
family consisted only OF his wife, aged 80,
| and child 18 months old. Thomas Samon,
an Englishman, s6 years old, cook, who
| has been employed In various mountain
houses during the summer, was an acquaint-
ance of the Ruddys. He has been married,
but separated from his wife, and has of late
been occupying the upper part of house in
| the lower tenement Of which lived John
| Ford and his wife.
Samon has been drinking hard of late and
was seen by neighbor on Saturday night
| taking down clothes line in Ford's yard.
Later he took trunk on a wheelbarrow
and wheeled it about q mile through the
village, finally stopping al Ruddy's house,
where he went in and stayed some time. 1t
/ appears he engaged room and board for a
| short time, aud soon after the trunk was
taken to his room. Ruddy returned home
| from work at his usual hour last evening
and during the night everything was quiet,
| though 1t Is said that lights were seen NOV
| ing about in the house by the neighbors.
Soon after O'Clock this morning s. 8
| Andrews, who lives near Ruddy's house,
was awaked by blood-curdling screams. He
reused his son and they hastened to the spot,
| where they. found Mrs. Ruddy on the ground
under the front window, through which she
had sprung, iearfully mangled. She ex-
claimed: "Pick me up, l am all cut to
pieces"
She was taken TO q neighbours directly op-
posite, but became unconscious before she
could tell the cause of her wounds. Andrews
tclephoned for the Chief of Police and q
doctor, and on their arrival the rear door oi
Ruddy's house was burst open. A torrent
of flames poured out, but they were soon
subdued, and the officers entering the
kitchen found on the floor the bodies OF
Ruddy and his child, both horribly cut and
covered with a feather bed which had been
soaked with kerosene and fired.
Near by in bedroom was the trunk
Samon had brought and the body of a
woman, which was identified by John Ford,
who soon arrived, as that of his wife. The
bedclothes had been piled upon her body
and covered with oil, and near by was the
kerosene can nearly empty. Ford declared
that the trunk and the wheelbarrow on
which It had been brought were his
property.
An examination showed that one OF the
woman's legs had ceen CHOPPED of and the
limb tied to her body with clothesline
Mrs. Ruddy's ante mortem statement wal
taken substantially thus:
GAIL went to bed about 8 O'Clock
but at o'clock Samon eamt
out and went into the kitchen. Ny
husband also went out there, and soor
heard fall-went out and saw my hus
band hanging over chair. Samou camt
at me and began striking me with tht
hatchet.
"He then went into the front room ant
killed the baby. tried to get out the bacl
door when Samon struck me again. j lay quie
and Samon got the baby's body and brough
1t out and began putting feathers and straw
| over us. / ran to the front window an(
jumped through the glass;"
A verdict was rendered against Samon a
the Coroner's inquest.
THE MURDERER ABB RESTED.
PLYMOUTH, N. H., Nov. 25.--Samon, tn
Laconia murderer, was arrested near thi
place at o'clock, by Manson Brown, of thi
place, who passed him on the road, AM
hearing by elephone of the murder, with
description of the assassin, went back AM
took him into custody. There is much ex
: element and threats of lynching the pris
oner.
YOUNG GIRL MURDERED.
ORANGE, N. j., Nov. 25.-About o'ciocl
l nftarnonn phOaha .Iana Pol{na
bright and handsome miss of II years, lef
her home near Eagle Rock, West Oronge, b
make Tome purshases. She never returnet
alive. She resided with her parents opposit
Goss' stone quarry on the Upper Livingston
Road, over the mountain. 1t was her inten
tion to remain over night at a friends hous
near Orange. Before reaching the house
appears that she was attacked on the high
way by two ruff1ans, who outraged her AM
then murdered her. The blood on the road
side shows that there was a terribl
. struggle. During the struggle tn
5 girl was stabbed twice In th
l neck but not fatally. To stife her cries fo
help the rufiian then began to choke her, a
Z the bloody imprint on her neck OF the mur
{ derer's hands and fingers show. Her as
!. | sailaut stabbed her again In the Leck, kill
D ing her. They then dragged the body int
r the woods, distance OF 30 feet, where
7 | was 1Ounu yesterday uy u hidh anu his hOI
e who were ascending the mountain.
e County Physician Hewlett, of Newark
G | was no fled. He made an examination an
: took the body of the murdered girl to he
parents home. The doctor is satisfied tha
robbery was not contemplated, because til
girls watch, chain and money were not dit
:, turbed. The muIderers have escaped, hu
q the authorities claim to have clues whic
will lead to their arrest.
3 wIFE's CONFESSION.
d K1TTERY, Me-, Nov. 25.-The myster
J. surrounding the murder of Thoma
v Barrows, on November IA, was cleared u
I. Yesterday by the confession ef his wife an
son-in-law that they were the guilty partie
Detective Wiggins and Wood, of Bostol
after seven hours interview, obtained
brief confession from Mrs. Barrows an
!. Henry Blaney. The former said she instigi
y ted the latter to commi. the crime, and thi
he did the shootinge Blaney stood und'
d the open shed and fired four shots
le Barrows as he was going to the barn. se'
v ing his victim fall, he threw away the r
in yolyer and ran home. Barrows crawled to IL
W house and into the bedroom. Mrs. Barrow
finding he was not killed, ran mile and
in half to Blaney's house and brought hi
At hack to finish the job. When Barrows sa
. Blaney come In he said; swell, Henry,
4. guess Pve got to CO." Eyes" said Blame
q. and you've got to go right now" Wi
"a that he fred two shots, one of which sha
tered Barrows' hip and the other pierc'