News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1883-11-29
a Triple Murder at Laconia, N. n.

= Triple W. GFGSf at 6SASSihi@' S' -
James Ruddy, 40 years old, his
child of year and half and Mrs.
Ford were brutallY murdered Satur-
day night, at Ruddy's house in the
northeast part of Laconia, \. H.,
about a mile and a half from the post
office. Mrs. Ruddy was probably
fatally wounded. The crime was
committed with a Ratchet, and an at
tempt was made to burn the bodies
and the house. Thomas SamOn, SO
years old, an EngIishman, who was
acquainted with the family, and Mrs.
Ford's husband, an Irishman, have
been arrested on suspicion. Samon,
4 cook by trade, boarded with the
Fords not far away. He left his home
at IL o'clock Saturday morning, TAX
ing his trunk and wheeling it toward
Lake Village, a distance of nearly q
mile. He finally stopped at Ruddy's
house, and left his trunk i'll front Of
the house for two hours, but subse-
quentlv took it back to his room.
Shortly after + O'Clock ). 5. Andrews,
i neighbor. was alarmed by a wO-
mans screams. He aroused his son
and together they hurried to RuddY' ;
house. They found Mrs. Ruddy ~
ing on the ground under a front WIN
dow, through which she had made a
desperate leap. She was bleeding
protusely, and upon being asked what
was the trouble. said Pick me up.
| am all cut to pieces" Chief Officer
Jenkins was teIephoned for, and upon
gaining an entrance, the officer found
lying upon the kitchen floor the bodies
OF Ruddy and the child, both cut in 4
horrible manner and covered with the
contents of a feather bed, which had
been saturated with kerosene and set
on fire. They were 50 disfgured by
the flames as to be nearly past recog-
milton. In a bedroom was found Sa-
mons trunk and the lifeless body OF
Mrs. Ford, which WAS Identified 10y
her husband. One Of her LEGS had
been chopped of and the detached
member and the remaining leg were
bound to her body with a clothes line.
The bed clothes had been saturated
with oil and piled on the body and an
unsuccessful attempt being made to
set them on fire. Mrs. Rudy said
the crime was committed by Samon
with a hatchet. Coroner Ambrose
held an inquest at noon and Mrs.
Ruddy's deposition was taken, which
IS substantially as follows: 1--WE all
went to bed about Q o'clock. At II
Samon came into the front room and
looked out of the window, saying he
was nervous and could not sleep. l
got up and made him 4 cup Of tea
and went back to bed. At t clock
Samon came into the front room again
and acted queerly. He then went
back into the kitchen. My husband
and | then got up and Mr.. Rudy
also went into the kitchen. l soon
heard 4 fall, and going out | found
nv husband hanging over chair with
his arms down. Samon started for
me and struck me with the Ratchet on
the head. / grabbed his arm, but he
then struck me and threw me to the
floor. lie went into the front room
and killed the baby who was crying.
While be WAS there 7 tried to unlock
the kitchen door, Int he returned and
struck me on the head, knocking me
down. | lay perfectly quiet. lie
then went back into the front room
and got tie baby and then came back
and poured feathers and straw over
us and went out. | got up and tried
TO open the front window but could
not. ! then broke a pane Of glass
and jumped through"
Officers were sent out and SamOn
vas arrested in the afternoon on the
road between LacOnia and Plymouth.
He did not resist arrest, but denied
all knowledge Of the affair and seemed
perfectly surprised. SamOn has never
been regarded as vicious even when
intoxicated. Ford, the husband Of
the murdered woman, has also been
arrested. Several suspicious circum-
stances tend to implicate him. There
IS 10 evidence of Mrs. Ford's muir
der and it is thought her death was
caused accidentally by Samon, who
wishing to conceal the body, took it
down stairs at FOrd's house in a trunk
and thence TO Ruddy's, hoping, per
haps, to carry it from the house dur
ing the night.