The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-04-18
Sad Tragedy that Shocked the City
Yesterday.
MRS. JAMES ROBERTSON WAS DE.
MENTED BY SICKNESS.

Stairs In His House Yesterday After
noon - The Poor Woman Murmured
that the World Was Dark.
The little story and half house at No.
% Emerson street, in the eastern portion
of the city, was the scene of terrible
tragedy yesterday afternoon. 1t is the
home of James Robertson, an honest and
Woodworking cabinet maker employed
by the Walter Corey Company. Yester-
day morning Mr.. Robertson's family con-
sisted of himself, his wife, aged 81 years,
and live children, the oldest about eight
years old and the youngest three weeks
old. 1t seems to shave been a happy
family, except that the mother had been
sick with the grippe during the winter,
and had just recovered from the birth of
her youngest child. The father had been
making gallant struggle to finish his
little home, and this, with the sickness
Of the wife and the many mouths to feed,
had probably reduced the family ex-
chequer considerably. This thought
preyed upon the mind of the mother, al
ready predisposed to gloomy thoughts
by the facilitating effects of the attack
of grippe during the winter and the
recent birth of her youngest child. She
had been heard lately to deplore that she
was running her husband into debt"
But beyond this there seemed to be no
unusual signs of dependency. But she
has been so sick during the winter that
she was much reduced in bodily vigor,
and, as it turns out, unbalanced mentally
also.
No one seems to have noticed that
Mrs. Robertson was appearing different
| from usual. She went about her work
| yesterday, having become so far recovered
as to dispense with the help that had
been with her during her sickness. In
the early portion of the afternoon Mr..
| Robertson went up into one of the cham
bers and lay down upon lounge. The
mother, with the baby, was in the living
room below, while the other children
were playing out of doors, except little
two-year-oid, who was running about the
house with the mother.
| About quarter past three o'clock the
father, who was lying upon the lounge in
| the chamber,
Heard Shrek
from the room below. Thinking
it nothing but some slight acct
dent to one of the children, he did not
arise. But the next instant the shrek
was repeated, this time louder and more
startling. He sprang from the lounge
and bounded down stairs and into the
living room, where he, had left the
mother with the baby. A horrible
spectacle met his eyes. There sitting by
the stove was the mother, a bloody raz-
or in her hand, the blood streaming from
gashes in her throat at which she was
still making Intellectual gashes with the
razor; while-most horrible spectacle of
| all-across her lap lay her babe, it's
throat cut until it's head was barely held
onto it's little body. The father thinks
that the little two-year old child ran
from the room just as he entered, and
l
| full deed.
| Mr.. Robertson at once snached the raz-
or from the grasp of his wife and ran to
the door to call a neighbor. He then re-
turned and seized the wrists of the bleed
ing and now raving wife. Emerson
street is part of Officer Fred Norton's
beat, and he with Officer F. NJ Smith,
were just coming along The news Of
the tragedy spread rapidly from house
to house and the officers were soon told
| of it. They fastened to the house, ar
irving a few minutes after the deed. The
woman was still sitting with her bleed
| ing babe across her lap, and her husband
was still holding her wrists, while her
throat was bleeding freely. She was
talking incoherently about the earth be-
ing dark and dead, about there being too
many people living, and declaring that
she would go to state prison. The
bloody razor, which the husband had
taken from her, was lying upon the stove
| hearth and the room was one Of the
bloodiest spectacles that the officers had
ever seen.
| Officer Smith seized Mrs. Robertson,
while officer Norton ran to the nearest
telephone to notify Deputy Marshal Nc
| Callum, DR.. Sullivan and Coroner Gould.
| The neighbors had meanwhile telephoned
for DR.. Alfred King, who arrived soon
with DR.. Sullivan. The police mean
while took charge of the premises, and
| admitted to the house none but relatives
and neighbors who could be of assist
ance Drs. King and Sullivan gave at
tention at once to Mrs. Robertson, who
was bleeding profusely. They found her
throat cut badly, but tile poor woman
had been too weak and sick to inflict any
wounds that will be necessarily fatal.
The baby was dead.
Kind neighbors took care Of the child
rem, who had crowded into the porchway,
terror stricken at the horrible change in
their home.