, 1891-02-21
TORTURED UNTIL DEAD
Edward McMullen Kills His
Wife with a Hot Poker.
Pushes the Iron Into Her Flesh
in a Dozen Places.
Both Parties in a State of
Drunkenness.
Murdered WIN a Red-Hol Poker.

village Of Shermerville, five miles from
this city, was the scene Of a horrible muir
der about midnight Sunday. Edward
McMullen killed his wife with a-red=hot
poker, WOunding and mutIlat'uR her in a
shocking manner. McMuilen was about
80 years Of age aud so was his wife. They
had been drunk all Saturday, as was their
custom after pay 6ay. In the evening
they were alone in the house, and were
heard by the %neiRhboss quarreling all the
evening. No attention was paid to this.
but about midnight shrieks were heard
coming from the house, which were soon
followed by groaus. Soon after McMul-
len came rushing out Of the house shout
ing and cursing like an insane man. When
the neighbors ventured in they found the
woman lying on the floor with every par
ticle of clothing torn from her body, which
was burned and mutilated in a horrible
manner McNIullen had evidently taken
a red-hot poker, beaten her on the head
and thrust it into her body and pressed it
into her flesh in dozens of places. Justice
ofthe Peace Stanton was aroused and a
constable was sent in search of McMullen.
He was found lying in a drunken stupor
on the road about half a mile from his
ho.use. When aroused and told that his
' e vas dead he said: Il know it;
didn't 1 kill her MYSELF
He was placed in the lookup, and this
evening was brought TO this city and
lodged in the county jail. The crime was
the outcome of almost lifelong drunken
ness. Not only have McMullen and the
murdered woman been drunkards for
years, but their children have inherited
the vice. Two wears ago, in the same
house, their only daughter, a girl of 20
years, was burned to death, with her in
faut child. lyiog in bed in a drunken
stupor, while her father and mother we're
10 the next room in the same condition.
The scene. as described by Mrs. Nc
Gowan and her daughter, the neighbors
who tirst entered the house, was hOrrity-
ing. Tho woman, with some fragments
OF clothing around her waist, was living on
the floor of the dirty room in a condition
beyond words to describe. She was still
breathing. Around her a great pool OF
blood had collected. The walls were
spattered with 1t, and the few bits Of .ur-
niture were daubed red. The murderer
was probably ball an hour about his
butchery, for the poker must have been
heated again and again. The house was
filled with the odor of burning flesh. 1t
is believed that the drunken rufian was
stirring the fire with the poker. The
couple had been quarreling, the woman
evidently said something that angered
him, and he wheeled around and struck
her on the head with the poker, knocking
her down. He struck her again while
she was PROSTATE. Stupeded with liquor
and the blows, she only laid there aud
shrieked.
A fiendish determination came into his
head. He thrust the poker into the stove
and when it was red hot turned to the
woman on the floor, tore off her clothing
and laid the glowing iron on her flesh.
Then must have come the piercing shrieks
that the neiGhbors heard, but she could
not stir. Again and again the hot iron
was applied. 1t grew cold and he thrust
it once more into the fire. and when it was
again red-hot he returned to the groan-
ing, dying woman, and tearing what re-
manned of her clothes of thrust it into
her body, The blood burst in streams
from the wound. and perhaps the awful
agony brought another shrek from the
dying woman's lips. again the poker
was heated and again and again applied
to her quiverinG form, but she was proba-
bly, then far beyond feeling pain. He
then discarded the poker and took up a
pair of tongs. They were found covered
with blood to the fmadle. The fend
made them red hot, too, and then plung-
ing them into the gaping wounds he had
already made, tore and mangled the siz-
cling flesh with his new implement OF tor
ture.
What motive impelled him to this hor-
rible mutilation no sane brain can imagine.
From every wound blood had streamed.
Everywhere around the room where he
had laid his reeking hands on walls or
furniture they lettred stains. When at
last his fearful work was lone he turned
and fed from the house reellng in his
drunkenness and frenzy. After his arrest
be was brought back to the house. A
physician had been summoned and the
fearfully mutiltfed woman's body was
picked up and placed on a lounge where
the doctor made an examination. AL
most as the murderer entered the room she
breathed her last. He was then taken to
the lookup while the neighbors busted
AiNhlatlhGS III CICduluB w luC SSGuC VI
slaughter and washing the mangled body.
Coroner Pier was summoned early in the
morning, and after viewing the body i'm
panelei a jury tad adjourned the inquest
u I'll tomorr".. when testimony will be
taken. WI the news of the awful deed
spread Throughout the vicinity a feeling
of horror and rage soon became manifest.
The house was surrounded by curious
crowds, but no idle spectators we're admit
ted. Threats of lynching were heard,
but 10 attempt was made to carry them
into execution. Fearing that some vio-
lence might be attempted during the
nighttime prisoner was taken from the
lookup and brought to the county Jail.
Skipped with the Spanish Dancer.
BosToN, Feb. 2O.-Al Haynes, one of
the proprietors of the dime museum
known as the NickeldeOn, disappeared
Tuesday morning, and so did Cyrene, a
Spanish dancer, who has been billed as
Carmencita's rival. Judging from the
fact that Haynes left a letter for his part.
ner, Austin, stating that he had eloped
with the woman, this statement of the
case is probably true. Early yesterday
morning Cyrene settled her bill with her
landlady on Allston street and drove
away with her Trunks in n hack. A short