Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1886-04-27
4 FRANTIC MOTHERS DEED.

FRANTIC MOTHERS DEED.
On the back road between Keyport and
| Port Monmouth, Il. j., Nesting among a
few old trees aud close by running brook,
in the little village Of Harmony, suburb of
Middletown, stands small two ostory,
pitched.roofed farm house. In this house
Friday lncrHiDg Mrs. Fannie Smith, the
wife of J. NJ. Smith, farmer, in q fit Of in
sanity, deliberately attacked her four child
ren with an axe, killing one outright and
iuiuring the others so badly that there is
little hope Of their recovery.
Ever since the birth of her second child,
ABOUT thirteen years ago, Mrs. Smith has
suffered occasionally with deep fits of mel.
anchoa At that time her disorder was so
marked that she attempted to kill herself,
and she was placed temporarily in the Tren-
ton insane asylum. About six months ago
she had an attack OF malaria. She was run
down aisO from oVerWork. Added to this
she Was oppressed with constant fear that
tho interest of q mortgage on the house,
which is the old family homestead, would
rem would hecome homeless. This so prey
el upon her mind that it finally determined
ier 10 Kill her children rather than see
them s.arvo. Thinking that u change
nigh, benefit her her husband sent her TO
the mousse Of her brother, George W. Hop.
pins. in Elizabeth. Here she stayed until
ten days ago, when she became so excited
and restless that it was thought best 10 al
low her to go home again. After her re-
turn nothing unusual was noticed in her
actions except that she was constantly rest.
less and melancholy. 1t never entered her
husbands head that she would attempt
anything desperate.
During Thursday night Mrs. Smith be-
came very uneasy, and getting out of bed
she walked up and down the floor repeating
over and over again:
am lost, [ am lost"
Her husband finally persuaded her to get
iuto bed again, and she apparently went TO
slecg.. at 5 o'clock this morning both Mr..
and Mrs. Smith got up as usual, and after
dressing, both went down stairs and out
| into the yard. Nothing was said about the
occurrence in the night, and Mr.. Smith no.
ticed nothing strange in his wiIe's manner.
| AS he left her to 20 to his hotUeds, which
are near the house, she said to him:
John, it is very careless OF you TO leave
the hen house door open. IN so and shut
| it.n
She starred 10 10 10 the hcn house, which
| is in front Of the house, near the barn. AT
| ter closing the hen house door, she stopped
at The woodpiie on her way back, and, ST.
curing an axe that was lying there, con-
ceaed it under her dress. She then ran
steal.hiy to the house apd Went. up the
back stairs. Her l-year.od daughter
Edua, Il beautiful child, Iay asleep in the
roDm ut the right of the head OF the stairs.
The frenzcd mother brought down the edge
of the axe On the little ones head and
Drained her. She next went into the room
of her 13.year-old son Rufus, who was also
asleep She struck him on the left side of
| the head three times, laying it open so that
the brains protruded In the next room her
two daughters, Bessie, II years old, and
A ida, years old, slept.
Bessie had been awakened by the screams
of her brother, and getting out of bed, had
seen her mother strike Rufus the last time.
| pening, the poor child ran back to her bed,
and kneeliug down by its side, began to
pray. In this posture she was discovered
moment later by her mother, who, despite
| her piteous cries for mercy, attacked her
with the bloody axe. The child crawled to-
| ward her mother on her knees, holding up
her hands to protect herself, but at the
| fourth blow she fell forward on the floor
horribly gashed. Mrs. Smith then went to
| Alida's bedside and struck her six or seven
times. The child evidently put up one little
arm to ward off the blows and received q
fearful cut across her four fingers. Then
putting out the other arm, she received an
other blow which nearly severed her hand
| at the wrist One Of her eyes was entirely
cut out and her skull was fractured.
Beyond the children's rooms, in small
room in the end of the house, the eldest
daughter Fannie, Is years old, slept with
her little 3 year-old sister Nancy. Fannie
was awakened by the screams of her two
sisters, and jumped out and threw her whole
weight against the door just as
her mother was pushing it open.
She was not moment too soon.
The frantic woman, maddened by the scenes
through which she had passed, strove with
ali her strength to gain entrance. After q
ing the door. All this took only very few
minutes. When Betty Beldo, the old COL
ored family servant, who was preparing
breakfast down stairs, heard the noise above,
she ran up stairs and tried to prevent Mrs.
Smith from completing her bloody work.
Mrs Smith chased her down stairs, and she
ran instantly for Mr.. Smith. He reached
the room Just as his wife was beginning to
batter down her daughter Fannie's door.
Az soon as his wife saw him she stopped,
and he led her down stairs and placed her
on the lounge. Her strength then seemed
completely gone, and she lay there mutter-
ing:
"God told me to do it. 1t was the only
way. killed them rather than to have
them homeless and 90 to hell"
Telegrams were sent Immediately to Mid
dletown, Hendrickson and Keyport, sum.
moning doctors to the house. The wounds