Evening journal., 1899-06-28
A FIENDISH MURDER
Young Colored Girl Applies
Match to a Bahy's Clothing.
INFANT BURNED TO A CRISP


MARY BARRETT, AGED SIXTEEN
YEARS, ARRESTED AT LEIPSIC
BY DETECTIVE M'VEY-GRL
WAS EMPLOYED BY MR.. AND
MRS. LAFFERTY AND REPAID
THEIR KINDNESS BY MURDER
ING THEIR CHILD.
State Detective Bernard j. McVcy
yesterday arrested Mary Barrett Of
Leipsic. a colored girl, aged 1G years,
on the charge of having set fire and
burned to death the lS-months-old
child Of Mr. and Mrs. James N. LAT.
ferty
The Laffertys live near Leipsic, al
the Barrett girl was employed by them
as a nurse.
The matter was reported to Detective
McVey yesterday and he went to Dover
on the first train in the morning. He
first went to the house Of Mr.. Lafferty,
at Leipsic, and inquired into the cir
cumstances regarding the burning of
the child.
Mrs. Lalferty was not inclined to be-
lieve that the girl in whom she had
the greatest confidence would do any
thing of the kind. She said that on
May 25 she and her two small daugh-
ters were outside of the house and the
servant girl and the small child,
Jackson, were in the kitchen together.
The baby was playing with a stick,
and was crawling about the floor and
Laughing.
The Barrett girl finally came out OF
the kitchen and shut the door. In about
fifteen minutes she went back again
and then came running out, calling to
Mrs. Lafferty that her boy was on fire.
The mother rushed into the room. The
baby was tottering about the place. Its
small body was enveloped in flames.
As its mother came into the room 1t
held its little hands toward her, and
fell face downward on the floor, burned
almost to a crisp.
The flames were quickly smothered,
but the child was dead. 1t was thought
at the time that the baby had fallen
against the stove and his clothes
lcaught fire.
SET FIRE. TO BABY'S DRESS.
When arrested yesterday the girl at
first denied any crime, but afterward,
breaking out in tears, confessed 70 the
detective that she had set fire to the
babys clothes. She said she was tired
of attending to the infant, and wanted
to be relieved. Besides, the baby cried
too much.
While the baby was playing in the
kitchen, with its mother on the out
side, she lit two matches and applied
them to the child's dress. She closed
the door so the cries of the infant
could not be heard, and after waiting
until she thought the baby was burn
led to death, she called the mother. The
girl also confessed that she had made
lseveral attempts to set the Lafferty
house on fire.
She seems to have a mania for fires,
as on one occasion a bag Of rags was
found to be burning in her room, and
on last Friday her bed caught fire in
lsome mysterious manner.
After this fire the family suspected
something wrong and the matter was
reported to Attorney General Robert c.
white. Their suspicious were strength
ened by the story told by Levi Pyle, il
years old, who was adopted by the
Lafferty family some time ago. On
Friday morning the Barrett girl left
! the Lafferty home, saying she was sick
{ She went away with her mother, who
! happened to be passing in a carriage
, The little Pyle boy went to Mrs. Laf
! ferty and informed her that the negro
, girl had told him she set fire to LEI
bed. She warned him not to say any
thing about the matter Of she woulC
kill him.
e The Barrett girl was taken to Dovel
and locked up. She will be given +;
hearing before Magistrate Cooper 20
morrow on the charge of murder.
Detective McVey also thinks that sh'
!. tried to poison the family, as som'
time ago a green substance was ioun'
in the coffee, but fortunately Mrs. Laf
s erty detected something wrong and tn
coffee was thrown out.
COMMENCEMENT TONIGHT.