The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1894-08-23
TERRIBLE DEED.
lEnHoid Fovor Patient Becomes q
Raving Maniac.
Yong Into tn" Kitchen He Secures , r.u..
ing Nnitc-hi* Wife F'ir.. At,ac,,cd
neh tiis Hrothcr-in-Law. Fo,,ovod
oS tis Shiidrcn-Thcn enitil..

H nro'hcr-in-l.aw. Followed
oF fiis Collaboration 4ujtil.,
! NEWARK, \. J.. Aug. oo.-I: a Itt,o
two-S'ory house on Davis arcnnn
hcarney' an awful tragedy occurred ut
TWO o clock Sunday morning. rcsnlt;no
IN the death of one man, the nro,.,hlo
oea IN on his wife and brothcrin-law
ara an attempted murder of fonr chill,
orcn. Thomas Hewitt. the central FIR.
urc IN the tragedy. lived on the second
moor with his wife Abel. and four chill.
"rcn and Fred Purcell. his w;fc.s
nro'hcr, YOU; g man - wears of ooe
lhfcc weeks ago Hewitt was conncllcd
80 l"'t work because CT his illness. Dir.
AilcrH' the family physician. diagnosed
me case as typhoid fever. and ono
week ago Hewitt was compelled to ,a,1o
to his bed. The family was Door and
could not have a doctor. in daily at.
tendance. but he left word to be sent
for If any change occurred in tbo
PATIENTS condition.
saturday night at II O'Clock Hewitt
hccamc irrational and called on hi.
49, WI" was III constant attendance
70 pray for him. She was about 10
call her brother. who was asleep with
the children in another room. when
TIE patient dropped into a heavy slnm-
ocr. The VIE, who was fatioucd Ev
her long vigil. %rasped the opportunity
to take little sleep. and threw herself
wear!ly on The bed with the children.
Two hours later Size was startled bv u
noise in her husbands room. and peer
ing through q small window. She was
borrl:icd to see l;n standing in the
center of the room, nude, with his
undcrciothes lying on the floor in
shredS
Before she could move ne rushed into
the room. and to where she sat ON tho
side Of the bed. ana said: Dol. my hour
has come; have got to die, For Gods
sake, pray Cor lnc
The next instant he dartcd out Of tho
room into the Kitchen, and before his
wife OWNED his intention. he reap
pcarcd with a large carving knife in
his hand. Fright rendered the terri
fed woman spccchicss and unable to
move. ard in The next instant be
plunged the long, keen blade into her
shoulder innicting Il wound SIX inches
long. As lie raised the knife for an
other blow, Mrs. Hewitt graspcd tho
blade with her left hand and he drew
it away, almost scvcring the hand in
two.
All this happened in less time than it
takes to relate it, and not Il sound
escaped but Mrs. I!cwitt's brother WAS
aroused, and %raspin& the situation,
rushed to save lis sister from her
inuniuc husband
The latter, with ii power born Of
frenzy. threw Purcell to the lloor like
u child. and. bouncing upon him, drove
the knife through the PROSTATE mans
shoulder into his left breast. Again
he raised the knife and Purcell. like
his sister attempted TO ward off Tie
blows with his right hand. With the re-
suit that his fingers were almost
severed from The hand.
Turning from Purcell. Hewitt rushed
20 the room where his children were
slctping,pcacefrlly, unconscious of the
terrible occurrence. until the trcnZlcd
father. with an awful lungc, attempted
to cut tho head of Adele, the eldest
child. who SLEPT on the outside lis
aim WIS unsteady, and he only sGc-
cecded in cutting 4 frightful cash on
the child's neck and shoulder.
She aNvokc with a wild shrek. which
caused her father TO drop the knife
and rush hcadlcng from the room.
Into the front room he dashed, and IN
the next instance he plunged through
window Il tie ground below, where
he was picked upa Sew minutes later.
The child's shrek lad aroused 'iofin
Terh!.nc and his son. They found
Hewitt naked on the street He had
received conclusion Of the brain ana
died at O'Clock. There are slight
hnDc, Of tha recovery of Mrs. Hewitt
ard her brother. Tie child is painful
lv, though not necessarily fatally
wounded.