The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-09-02
SHE USED AN AXE.
Mary Kennedy Struck John Sears with
the Weapon.

Sears Was Fighting With her Husbupd
and Mary Took a Hand in the scran-
Fer Victim Was Seriously Injured
Mary and Her Husband Arrested
Yesterday noon John Scars who is no
stranger to the officers of tbs police force
and who has frequently figured In the
municipal court records was struck over
the head with an axe in the bands of
Mary Garter Kennedy and was seriously
injured. The woman and her husband
were both arrested and together with the
injured man were taken to the poliee
station where Mr.. and Mrs. Kennedy will
face Judge Robinson in the municipal
court this morning.
1t was about noon yesterday and
Officer Morse wa walking uD Middle
street on his way home when the little
sonsEof John Sears came up to him and
tald him that their father had been
struck with an axe and Knocked down
and that a family named Kennedy who
occupies the tenement on the Franklin
street side of Stafford block over Sears
were to blame for and had caused all the
trouble. Officer Morse hurried as fast
as possible to the Stafford block and
pushing open the door of the Sears tsne-
ment found big pool of blood on the
floor at the foot of the stair case leading
up to the Kennedy famlly's tenement
and John Sears lying in the front room
with a terrible out in the top of his head,
his face bruised and one eye in mourn
ing
1t seems according to the story told
Officer Morse by the Sears FAMILY that
Kennedy objeotsd to their using the front
door of their tenement as an entrance to
their dwelling. There are two doors to
the Sears tenement but for some reason
Sears had nailed up the side door and
claimed the right of using the front
door which the Kennedy family believed
to be their exclusive entrance. Kennedy
told Sears that he could not use their
doorway but Sears said he had the right
of using that door and he intended to do
SO. Yesterday both Sears and Mary Car
ter Kennedy and her husband had been
drinking cons iderable beer and when
Sears started to come in from the front
entrance he met Kennedy at the foot of
the staircase leading up into his tene-
ment and Kennedy tried to put Sears
out. The two men got into an argument
of words at first and this quickly de-
yeloped into one of blows Kennedy got
black eye at the first send off and had
succeeded in similarly decorating the
countenanoe of Sears when Kennedy S
wife hearing the fight ran down stairs
and took hand In the affray. Finding
her husband was getting the worst of the
scrap she returned up stairs got an axe
and came back to lay out Sears. The
low ceiling would not allow of Mrs. Ken
nedy's getting good swing with her
weapon but she sucoeeded in reaching
over her husbands head and gave Sears
a terrible blow over the head with the
axe. Sears fell like an OK and lay I'M
conscious on the floor bleeding from an
ugly cut in the head. ssIhe Kennedy wo-
man and her husband ran up stairs and
the two sons of Sears did their best to
bring their father to consciousness snd
after using several pals of water suc-
oeeded in their endeayors. The boys got
Officer Morse who as has been said ar
rested all concerned in the affair. The
Kennedy woman who is still known in
police circles as Mary Carter, altho ugh
her marriage with Kennedy has given
her another name, is an old offender and
has this reputation Of being a pretty hard
customer.
Sears was resting quietly last night,
the doctor who was summoned to attend
him having taken several stitches In the
wound in his head and otherwise patched
him up. The doctor was of the opinion
that Sears' escape from death was almost
miraculous considering the heaviness OF
the blow and the weapon the Kennedy
woman used in administering 1t.