, 1896-04-17
LATE HORROR
A Mailman Attempts to Kill
His Entire Family.
PISTOL WAS TOO SMALL.
A Tiresome Fight With the Monster.
Consumption has Wreeke ed the
brain OIL = Loving
Husband.

AT D CLOCK tnlS morning j. /. Ken
nedy, a clerk in the auditors office of
the Denver and Gulf Railroad com,
pany, shot his wife, Mrs. Heloise Ken
needy, in the right temple. and his son
in the mouth, intiicting wounds that,
by the most providential chance, will
not prove fatal in either instance. He
was temporarily insane when the deed
was done. and, although he was taken
to the city Jail, charged with assault to
murder, there appears to be no reason
why he should be prosecuted. He will
be arraigned in the county court this
afternoon on a charge of insanity.
Immediately after he had wounded
his wife and boy, Kennedy attempted
to end his own life by cutting his
throat with a pocket knife. The inter,
ference of his wife and j. H. Stimson, a
neighbor, prevented his carrying his
attempt to a successful conclusion. In
the city prison at 10 o'clock he again
%endeavored to kill himself. In search.
ing him the officers failed to remove a
small pocket mirror from his clothing.
This Kennedy broke, and with one of
its fragments he opened an artery In
his right arm. Had he not been discov,
cred by the jailer when he was he
would have bled to death. AS it was,
ne was barely saved.
The only member of the family that
was not injured was the 5~-year-old
daughter. who escaped from the fact
that she was sleeping in an adjoining
room and from the fact that Mrs. Ken
nedy succeeded in disarming her hus.
band before he could reach the child's
bed with his revolver. Marks on the
child's throat. however, indicate that
he had tried to strange her. When
Stimson entered the room where the
tragedy had taken place, he found each
member of the family in night dress.
The blood from the wounds of Mrs.
Kennedy and the boy had trickled over
their clothing and the bedding. giving
them a CHASTITY appearance.
THE STORY OF THE WIFE.
Mrs. Kennedy's story of the affair
was in substance as follows: She had
been up the greater part of the night,
ministering to the wants of her hus.
band, who was seriously i'll with con-
sumption. He is employed al the Cult
ONCE, as said. but for the past week has
been unable to attend to his duties and
was confined to his bed. For the past
i've days Mrs. Kennedy has been almost
ceaselessly at his bedside, day and
night. The constant vigil told on her
strength and late this morning she lay
down by her husbands side to gain
what little rest was possible. She soon
fell into a deep sleep and was conse.
quently not aroused when Kennedy
slipped noislessly and cautiously from
the bed. The husband must have gon,
directly to the dressing case in the
room and secured possession of a re-
volver that was kept there.
The weapon was a 22-caliber affair.
rusty and old; it is due to these facts
that the mans act did not result, in the
death Of his wife and boy. and of Ken
nedy and the little girl as we'll, prob
ably instead of the wounding Of he
former named two.
With the revolver in his hand Ken
needy slipped back to the bedside of his
wife. placed the muzzle of the gun close
to her right temple and fired. The bull
let struck the temple bone and glanced
on under the scalp, instead of penetrat-
ing the brain, as 1t would have done
had 1t been Of a larger caliber. The
shock was suficient to render Mrs.
Kennedy unconscious. Thinking, no
doubt that he had killed his wife, Ken,
nsdy turned to the bed of his son,
Wulie. In an alcove on the bedroom OF
tie parents. The sound of the first
shot had aroused the boy and he was
Mtti1S up IN his bed when the insane
fskAar Approached him
"Oh, papa!' he cried.
THE SECOND SHOT.
Fl ~ he uttered the cry the father shot
HI eecond time. The bullet struck the
~ II the upper lip, penetrating it and
kMoektng . tooth loose. The boy spat
salist out.
Deeoss Kennedy could fire again, his
4fe rseovered consciousness and
- Ia 49, cho