Daily Kennebec journal., 1898-12-02
BRUTAL MURDER.
Mrs. Hurley Of Peabody Kills
Her Daughter
And Seriously Injuries Her 7-Year-Old
Son While Insane.
Weapon Used Was Boot -jack-Woman Gives
Herself Up to Police.

Peabody, Mass Dec IA horrible
murder was revealed, to the police of
Peabody just before o'clock, TINS
afternoon, in singular way. Some
time this afternoon, Mrs. Richard Hur-
lev. wife of a gardener, employed by
stephen Blaney Of this town, murder
ed her 12-year- -old daughter Mary and
seriously injured her I-year-oid SON
The children had been terribly
beaten over the head by their
mother. III the Kitchen of their home
II is believed that the instrument used
by the woman was a large boot JACK.
Mrs Hurley was formerly an inmate
of the Danvers insane asylum ana was
undoubtedly insane when the murder
was committed The woman herself
reported the crime TO the police.
Mrs. Hurley entered the police sta
ton exhibiting some emotion and cooiy
informed the officer in charge that she
had murdered two Of her children. This
information did not surprise thu Off
Ger, as might have been expected, for
ii appears that the woman called at the
station some time as and informed
the officers that she had made away
with two of her little ones. but an IN
vestigation at that time showed that
they had not been seriously harmed.
Today. the woman insisted that she
had committed q double murder and
her plea that the police go to her house
and see for themselves what she had
done was so strong that the officer at
the station decided to send police
man to the Hurley residence. The wo-
man gave the police the key Of the
house and when the police entered the
kitchen a fearful scene was presented
The body of little Mary Hurley lay
on the floor in a pool of blood the
head bearing marks of heavy blows
caused by a boot-jack. One glance
was sufficient to show that the
girl was dead and near the body
was Mrs. Hurley's T-year-old SON
He, too. was lying on the floor
and his head was covered with blood
At first the police thought that he was
dead, but when they examined him
they saw that life was rot extinct
They picked him up and laid him on
couch in the house where he soon re-
covered consciousness and although he
was unable to speak he nodded his
the policeman Did your mother hit
Mary on the head with a boot jack"
DR.. Tucker was hastily summoned
and on his arrival announced the girls
life extinct. The doctor then devoted
his attention to the boy, whose name
is Thomas Hurley. He found that the
lad had sustained a severe conclusion
of the brain but Dr. Tucker thought
the injury would not necessarily prove
fatal.
The kitchen was then a remarkable
state of disorder. On every hand there
were signs of a violent struggle having
taken place between the children and
their insane mother. The remains of
the midday meal and the table crock
cry were streWn over the table and
floor curtain rod of a window was
badly twisted and the curtain had been
torn from its place indicating that the
little boy had endeavored to reach the
window and call assistance but had
been seized by the infuriated woman.
A further investigation by the police
showed that Mr.. Hurley had left his
home, at 12.40 o'clock in the afternoon.
to return to his work at Mr. Blaney's
Mr.. Hurley says that at that time his
wife manifested no signs OF mental
trouble, and that he is at a loss to ac-
count for the terrible affliction except
that his wife suddenly became insane
ana attacked the two children at home.
using large bootjack for weapon.
Mr. Hurley has three other children.
but they were not at home at the time |
AT the police station Mrs Hurley re-
manned in the waiting room some time
and at first was quite composed in her
manner but latter she began to rave
and make disturbance, even attempt
ing to destroy herself. She was seized
by the officers and after a brief strus-
gle was placed in a padded cell.
The weapon used by Mrs. Hurley was
black walnut bootjack which had
been in the family for some time. Ac-
cording to Mrs. Hurey's own statement |
she was seized with terrible pain in
the head soon after dinner and the |
noise made by the children provoked |
her to fit of rage She ordered the |
girl to help her clear away the dishes
from the table. The thought suddenly |
ran into her mind that she would chas- |
tise the children for dsobedience. She |
lost control of herself, seized a heavy |
anu oeal the deIencelesS
children over the head.
The children fell senseless to the floor.
ana supposing they We're dead and realiz,
ing what she had done she hasten .d 70
the police station. She told the Officers
what she had done. and was locked in a |
padded cell, while the case was being in
yestigated. Mr.. Hurley. accompanied by
Lawrence Waters, a friend, went to the.
house, where they found the two children
on the kitchen floor, the girl dead and the
BOY unconscious. The doctors say the boy
Will probably recover. There were finger
nali marks on his throat, as though he
nao been choked. Mrs. Hurley has been
are still living, who say she was a kind
and loving mother. r Neighbors also tes-
ti1y as to the womans character Her
husband was almost crazy with grief. He
says she had suffered a good deal lately
from pains in the head and chest About
IA years ago she went insane and was
sent to the DanverS asylum for some
tbs Sha -. s1nS