Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-11-27
ONE MANS FOUR VICTIMS.
THREE KILLED OUTRIGHT AND
A FOURTH LEFT FOR DEAD.
Bedding Saturated with Kerosene Piled
on the Corpses and MutiIated Survivor
and the MatchApplied-Screa Bring
Aid, the Flames Put Out and the Crime
Laid Rare-Tha Murdnrnr In IniI

Bedding Saturated with Kerosene Piled
on the COrpses and MutiIatcd Survivor
and the MatchApplied-Screa Bring
Aid, the Flames Put Out and the Crime
Laid Bare-The Murderer in Jail.
LACONIA, N. H., Nov. 26.-About 5
O'Clock yesterday morning the inhabitants
OF this place were awakened by the ring
Ing of bells and cries of fire. An investi-
CATION showed that not only fire had
occurred, but that most brutal crime
had been committed. James Ruddy,
with his wife and child, lived half a mile
from the post office, in the northeast part
of the village. Shortly after O'Clock S.
S. Andrews, neighbor, was alarmed by
a wOman's screams. He aroused his son.
and they together hurried to Ruddy,s
house. They found Mrs. Ruddv
lying on the ground under the
front window, through which she had
made desperate leap. She was bleeding
prCfusely and said, Pick me up, am all
cut to pieces" After removing Mrs.
Ruddy to a neighbours they broke open the
back door of Ruddy's house and flames
burst out. An alarm of fire was sounded.
but the flames were eXtinguished before
the arrival of the firemen. When gaining
the kitchen floor the bodies of Ruddy
and his child. both cut in
horrible manner and covered with
the contents Of a feather bed
which had been saturated with kerosene
and set on fire. Both bodies were so dis
figured by the flames as to be nearly past
recognition. In the bedroom was found a
trunk which had been brought to the
house the day before by man named
Thomas SamOn, who had engaged board
there, and the lifeless body of Mrs. Ford.
which was identified by her husband.
One limb had been chopped off, which, to-
gether with the remaining leg, was
bound to the wOman's body
with clothes line. The bed clothes had
been soaked with oil, piled on the body
and an attempt made to set them on fire.
Mrs. Ruddy said that the crime was COM
mitted by SamOn with a hatchet. SamOn
boarded with Ford. At Ford's there
was no evidence of Mrs. Ford's murder.
and it is thought that her death was ac-
cidental at SamOn's hands, that in wish
ing to conceal the body he took it down
stairs in the trunk and thence to Ruddy's,
whence, perhaps, he could carry it from
the house during the night, and that Ruddy
refused to assist him, when the fatal
struggle ensued. SamOn has been arrested,
He was arrested at Plymouth Yesterday.
He showed no sign of fear, slept sOundiy
last night, eat heartily, and was brought
here to-day. At the COroner's inquest the
physicians testified that Mrs. Ford prob
ably died by heavy blows or by means of
knees striking her breast, near the
heart, as she lay on the floor. She was
cut up after death so that the body
could be placed i'll the trunk. John
G. Ford, the husband of the MUIR
dered woman, who was arrested
on suspicion yesterday, was present at
the hearing and voluntarily testified He
was apparently uncOncerned. Consider
able of fracas took place at Ruddy's
house last night. Parties in town at
tempted to have wake, which caused a
row between them and those in charge of
the bodies. The parties were finally
driven from the house by officers. The
theory of the murders is as follows: Sa-
mon, while boarding at FOrd's, held
improper relations with Ford's wife.
He had intended to leave there,
and had engaged board in
Ruddy's family. 1t is supposed
that he killed Mrs. Ford, but under what
circumstances has not been learned, cut
her up and packed her remains in the
trunk. This trunk he wheeled towards
the river, but found no opportunity to
throw it in unobserved, and wheeled it to
Ruddy's house, and Ruddy helped him
carry 1t to his room. Mrs. Ruddy test fed
that SamOn brought trunk there. The
next morning she heard noise in the
kitchen, and on going there saw her hus-
band dead on the floor. Samon struck
her several times with hatchet and she
dropped to the floor and feigned death.
The child cried, and Samon
went to the room where it was,
killed it with the hatchet, brought it to
the kitchen, laid the father and child be-
side the mother, placed the feather bed on
them, saturated it with kerosene, set the
whole on fire and Immediately left. Mrs.
Ruddy sprang out of the window and was
found as stated. She may recover. The
suppostiOn is that Samon sought Ruddy's
aid to get rid of Mrs. FOrd's body. The
latter refused, and was accordingly killed
to prevent him from exposing the MUIR
der. Samon then conceived the idea of
numbering the whole family and disposing
Of the bodies of all, including Mrs. Ford,
by burning the building. He is very cool
and fatty denies all of Mrs. Ruddy's state
ments.