Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1888-06-29
An almost lncre,ible Crime.

Io Howard county, Md, Charles Wash
ington, colored boy, only 10 years old, on
Tuesday Deliberately cut the threats of two
white children, both OF whom are still alive
but in very precarious condition. The
father of the children is Mr.. p d. Layton
The negro boy was left by the Chi dren's
mother to attend them while she went to
the home of neighbor. the children IS
father was at work in full sight Of the
house Late in the afternoon be called to
the boy and told him to bring him some wa.
ter. The boy was long in obeyjDg the sum-
mons and in the meanwhile Mr. Layton
had worked his way over a hill and could
no longer see his children. When again
near the house and in foil sight of it, the
boy came with tia water. He told Mr..
Layton ia the most nstierof-fact manner
that some che bad cut the threats of his
believe it but vert to tile house, and there
on the Bad lay his two children with the
blood streaming from L r IDLE gashes across
their threats. The oder ore "a girl three
years OF age and the younger is only four
teen months old. Both were unrecogniz :
bile, and both seemed to be in DEATHS grasp
The father relieved tire suferiDgs CT the lit
tie ones ss best be could and then question
ed the boy as to who had committed the
deed. The boy, in straightforward mar
ner, told him that white man had cut the
throats and had jumped oyer the fence and
made his escape TO lhs woods. So tho
rough was ne in his account of the
affair that be pointed out the exact
place where the man had leaped over the
fence. On the side ofthe fence from the house
was plowed field Mr.. Layton examined
this very carefully, but he could dis
cover no footprints, and was at loss in
what direction to pursue the perpetrator of
the crime. Iu the meantime the mother ar
rived, and WAS overcome when she found
her children SO terribly mCtiated. The
wlndpipe OF the boy was found upon exami-
nation to be severed just at the prominence
known as Adams apple. His coalition is
critical and his death is expected. The
neck of the girl was gashed severely on the
right side, but no arteries were severed.
When her wounds had been dressed and
restoratives applied, 10 response to cues
ton as to who had cut her, she pointed to
the colored boy and said that he had done
it with big butcher knife, which was sub
seQuently found. The boy then confessed
that he had cut the children's throats. and
explained as his motive that he was tired of
minding them. He said that the mother
frequently left them, and that he was COM
PEELED to take care of them The boy was
placed under arrest. Before the crowd of
men who gathered to hear the trial be con-
fessed that he bad cnt the cbildren's threats.
He was not at all abashed, and while being
examined he most strenuous,y denied that
he had cut The windpipe of the boy, declar-
ing that it was done while the neck was be
ing washed. He was bright and alert, and
could not be tripped in his cross examna.
ton. He said that he did not wish to kill
the children, but he was tired OF attending
them. He wanted to get them out of the
way, snd he thought be could DO it without
killing them. He expressed himself as
willing to go with the sheriff if he would
treat Tim kindly. He was committed for
tho action of the grand jury OF Howard
county.