The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-12-06
MAD MOTHER KILLS CHILD.
SHOCKING TRAGEDY IN A BROOK
LYN HOUSEHOLD.

Mrs. Glennan Nearly Cuts on the Head of
Her Six-Year-Old Daughter and When
Her Mother Arrives shows Her the Body
ana Asks IL She Hns Done Wrong.
While suffering from n relapse OF insanity
Mrs. Anna Gicnnan of 403 Douglass street.
Brooklyn. killed her six-year-old daughter
May. yesterday morning, by cutting the child's
hend nearly Off with n bread knife Nobody
else was in the fiat but Elizabeth Glcnnan. the
dcnd girls seven year-od sister. and she has
since been too da2ed with terror to give any
intelligent account OF the killing. That the
mother was insane there Is no room for doubt
as she has already been in asyums three
tines She seemed stupefed and asked II she
mad done wrong in killing May.
The GeHnan family live on the third floor OF
the Nat house in three rooms. With them
lives Mrs. Hl"nnan's mother. Mrs. Cusack, who.
after her daughters commitment to the insane
ASYLUM nearly year and half ago. came to
take care Of the children. and remained after
Mrs Glcnnan's release cary last September.
She left the house to 90 to mass at q o'clock
Yesterday morning and shortly afterwnrd Mr..
Glcnnan. who has been out OF employment and
is looking for work. went out. At that time
Mrs G'cnnan was busy at her homework and
seemed In ordinary spirits. Ever since her
discharge from the asylum she had seemed 80
well that the others felt no anxiety about leav-
ing her with the children alone, particularly
ts hcr mania had never taken IA dangerous
turn
Unon her return from church Mt 10 o'clock
Mrs Cusack rang the bell. but there was no
answer until she had pressed 1t q seconi time.
Then Mrs. Grnnan came to the door and let
corner. Of the parlor Mrs ,Cusack saw her
granddaughter. Elizabeth. with her apron IN
over her head and shaking with suppressed
Whats the matter with Elizabeth" sho
... she. irish'cne,d' replied Mrs. Glonnan.
saw you do what2" asked Mira. .Cusack. be-
ginning TO be frightened. for the mothers
manner was full of excitement hardly con-
;, saw me kin May" was tho reply. II killed
Mrs. Cusnck stood and looked at her
daughter. who plucked her by the sleeve. say
Come and soc her. want you to look at
ho7; then you can tell me II you think did
Both women went into the kitchen. In the
middle Of the floor !ay the body OF the ltts
girl. the heat hacked almost oil. The mother
You See" she said. She's surely dead.
NTWW: DO YOU thrk lid wrong to DO i,;%
mint ~ All" was. got the maniac into the front
room ami got on" u the ncighhors 10 run for
incnt her daughters insanity m ght break out
~ violent form again. In few moments
IolieemnaE nmserlain arrived and sent for
an ambulance, which came from Seney Hospi-
The child has been dead some time" said
Surgeon Buc&i"y, The first cut probably dld
II. II looks as i the first cue had severed the
GnnIiGr q az after that the murderer iabbed
Capt White OF the Bergen street station was
sent Tor and mad" an examination Of tho
place. He found no blood stains on the floor
but there were several wet places. which had
cyl lently been recently scrubbed. and these
showed reddish tinre, In the kitchen drawer
he found a large bread knife. which had so
been washed Taking IL to Mrs Glennan he
asked her IL tina, was what she had cut her
daughters throat with
Yes said she. That is the knife used"
Alter being taken to tn" police station she
became apparently stupencd and an ; wersd all
Magistrate Teac in the Myrtle Avenue Court
and committed to Raymond Street Jail for ex-
animation on Monday. Cart. White says there
Is not the slightest doubt that she Is insane
attack OF insanity occurred about thirteen
years ago. She spent year In the Flathush
asylum and WAS discharged apparently cured.
Shortly after her discharge she married Glen
man,, who Is carpenter OF good character
nth three years ago she was in good mental
health. Then an attack Of Illness, not in itself
serious, was followed bv mania and she re-
turned t. the FiatbuSh asylum. where she
she had a third attack and was confined
In the Kings Park Asylum for fourteen m onths
At no time did her insanity show murdcrous
or violent phase, it, chief characteristic was a
strong desire to wander away from all compan-
ionship and n mental inactivity that at times
approached coma, All experts OF insanity say
however, that there IL no way OF telling when
the mania which Ia apparently harmless will
assume "A homicIdal or suicidal form The
n"ghborl all say that little MAY was her
mother inNorto child The father had not re-
turned HON" lat" in the afternoon and the no.
lie" were trying to locate HIM to let him know
o he tragedy.