The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-04-18
A TERRIBLE CRIME ExPIATED.
Hanging Of Thomas Samon, at Laconia, N.
IA History of His Crime.
TACOMA. April 17.-Thomas Samon was
hung at 11:30.

TACOMA, April la-InomaS oamon was
hung at 11:30.
The particulars Of the crime for which
Thomas Samon was hanged to-day, are as fol-
lows: Thomas Samon vas the perpetrator of
one of the most fendish crimes ever committed
in New Hampshire, his victims being Mrs. Jane
Ford, aged about sixty years; John Ruddy,
aged forty.fiye, and his little boy, Frank. thir.
teen months. who lost their lives November "a
and %, 1883. Samon, then a married man, had
boarded with Mr.. and Mrs. Ford, having, it is
alleged. been on terms of intimacy with the
latter for several months preceding the
tragedy. Both were more or less ad-
dicted to drink. Samon was well ac-
quainted with the Rudy family, having
been quite a constant visitor at their house. On
the afternoon of Saturday. March "a. he came
there, having with him a wheelbarrow, upon
which was a large trunk. Mr.. Ruddy was not at
home, but his wife gave Samon permission pre-
move the trunk, which seemed very heavy when
lifted into the house, and also told him he might
remain there that night if her husband did not
object when he returned from work. Mr.. Rudy
readily assented to this when he came home, and
all retired about 8 o'clock. Samon arose about 4
o'clock Sunday morning, and in passing through
the apartment occupied by Mr.. and Mrs. Ruddy,
awoke them. and they saw him look out into the
street. They both got up, and Mr.. Rudy fol-
lowed him on into the kitchen. Soon afterwards
Mrs. Ruddy heard something fall, and going to
the door leading to the kitchen, she saw her
husband hanging over a chair, arms down. No
sooner had she appeared than Simon rushed
upon her, struck her on the head with a Ratchet
and felled her to the floor. Meanwhile the little
child had been awakened by the disturbance in
the kitchen, and began to cry. AS soon as
Samon had knocked Mrs. Rudy down, he went
into the front room, aud, going to the bed where
the baby lay, he killed it, nearly severing the
head from the body with the Ratchet. He then
returned to the kitchen and dealt Mrs. Rudy,
who had arisen with hope of making her escape
from the house before he came from the front
room. another blow on the head with the axe,
supposed, killed all the members of the family,
he dragged the bodies of Mr.. Rudy
and the baby to where the wife and
mother lay, made a pile OF them, and took a
feather and straw bed and placed them on the
bodies. He saturated the bed with kerosene oil,
and after setting them on fire escaped from the
house. No sooner had he gone than Mrs. Ruddy,
who, although suffering terribly from the effects
of her injuries, was able to realize what was
taking place, dragged herself TO the front win
dow. and after a desperate effort succeeded in
rousing some of her neighbors. Fortunately
help arrived before serious harm was done by the
fire, either to the bodies Of Mr.. Rudy and the
baby or to the house. In the chamber opening
off from the kitchen was the large trunk brought
to the house by Samop, and in which
Ford An effort had been made
to destroy the trunk and contents
by igniting a lot of bedding which had been
placed upon and about the trunk, and then
sprinkled with kerosene oil. When Mrs. Fords
remains were removed from their receptacle, it
was discovered that the legs had been chopped
off near the knees. and that the limbs had been
bent up and tied down to the body with a piece
Of clothesline. The murderer had found it
necessary to mutilate the body in this shocking
manner to get it into the trunk. Mrs. Ruddy
had thirteen wounds on her person. One hand
was nearly severed at the wrist, two fingers were
cut off. and there were also several ugly
cuts on her hands and face. Samon was captured
near Portsmouth, and confessed his crime. He
was an Irishman, and about forty years old.