The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-10-27
KING ARRAIGNED.
A Verdict Of Not
Guilty in Fiskdale
Murder Case.
THE DEFENDANT is INSANE.
Sent to Bridgewater Hos
pital- McMahon's Light
Sentence.
THE DEFENDANT is INSANE.

The case that naturally attracted the
most attention yesterday in the supe-
rior criminal court was the trial of Pc
ter F. King for the murder of his father
and mother at Fiskdale, Sept. -, The
court room was crowded when the dis
trict attorney said that the next case.
in order was the trial of King.
At o'clock Peter F. King was ar
raigned and pleaded not guilty. Dis
trict Attorney Hoar moved that a jury
be Immediately impaneled, and the
defendants counsel, Haggerty &
Kane, said they were ready for the
trial. Maj. Harlow, assistant clerk of
courts, at once proceeded to read the
names of the IL jurors drawn to sit on
the murder trial On the bench were
the two judges required by law, Judges
Sherman and Hopkins
After the reading of the indictment,
charging King with the murder Of
Mary King, his mother, on Sept. u,
at Fiskdale, in Sturbridge, District At
torney Hoar gave a brief statement of
the case, and said that the government
and counsel were agreed as to certain
facts. as follows: Apart from his habits
Of intoxication, Peter F. King was an
obedient and affectionate son. Once
before he had been so much affected
by the excessive use of liquor, that he
attempted to take his own life.
About a week before this lament
able occurrence took place, he had
been on prolonged drinking spree, but
several days before the tragedy had
stopped drinking; but was broken
down mentally and physically. On the
day on which the terrible affair took
place Peter was lying down most of
the day, but was seen to get up and
reach out for fancied objects on the
wall. Later the brother saw Peter get
up and go into the kitchen and try to
break the stove. The brother inter
fered with him, but Peter, catching up
a chair inflicted a blow upon his
brothers head. The mother interfered,
and was also struck. The brother, who
was feeble himself, was unable to cope
With the frenzied man and rushed out
for help.
District Attorney Hoar then gave a
brief account of the terrible scene that
followed, In which the father and
mother were brutaIly murdered, and
he referred to the voices and decisions
that afflicted the mind of King. The
district attorney also told of the in
sane acts of King when brought to the
county JAIL and said that one of the
l
the country, DIR. H. M. Quinby. would
give his opinion as to the sanity of the
defendant
The district attorney then said: 1.-THE
commonwealth asks that the jury ac-
quit the defendant of the charge of
murder, on the ground of insanity"
DR.. Quinby was then called in as the
only witness, and testified as an ex-
pert, on the mental condition of King.
In substance he said that King had
narrated the story of the murder to
him, at the jail. He believed King was
telling the truth, as far as he knew it,
and was not shamming. King told
him of his voices, speaking of them
as they"
on such mental condition. DR.. Quin-
by believed that King was insane when
he murdered his parents.
Counsel for defense said that nothing
could be added to the fair statement
made by the district attorney.
Judge Sherman made the charge to
the jury, saying that little was neces-
sary to be said, as the government and
defendants counsel were agreed as to
the facts in the case.
Without leaving their seats, the jury
brought in a verdict of mot guilty by
reason of insanity"
District Attorney Hoar then moved
that King be sent to the asylum at
Bridgewater. Insane hospitals are not
jails, while the institution at Bridge
water is better adapted for the con-
fnement of the criminal insane The
sentence was for life at the state asy-
lum for insane criminals.
Another interesting case was the
trial of James Mcmahon for the al
legged Violation of the registration
laws. This is the first case tried under
ftG.1 ox Il
tended to bring about so-called purity
of elections.
The law provides that a male adult
who has been a resident of a town for
six months, from May l. may be as
sessed, and if he complies with the
other laws relating to citizenship, he
may be registered as a voter If for
any reason a person is not assessed
May l, he may apply to the assessors,
and upon his oath and that of two witt
nesses, that he has been a resident Of
that town for six months. he may be |
assessed 4
The government alleged that McMa-
hon was a resident of Oxford at the |
time he claimed to be a resident of
Douglas, and made oath to that effect /
to the assessors of Douglas. The wit
nesses for the government testified that
Mcmahon was drawing state aid from
the town of Oxford, and that he had !
occupied a house there in that town
from March to August of 1898, at the |
time he claimed to be resident of |
Douglas.
The defendant was represented by
James f. McGovern, who endeavored |
to prove that Mcmahon was leading al
wandering life as a wood chopper, and
that the fact that he received aid from +
the town of Oxford did not show that
he was not resident Of Douglas with
in the terms of the statute relating to /
requirements of citizenship. Argu-
ments were made by Assistant District I
Attorney George S. Taft and James F.
McGovern.
The jury was out for some time and /
brought in a verdict Of guilty. He was
given a light sentence by the court of I
two months in the house of correction
James Checkele, charged with break
ing and entering and receiving stolen /
property, was tried before jury yes
terday morning. It was alleged that
he broke into a signal house Of the
Boston and Albany railroad companyi
and took a lot of zinc and copper andI
kept the same. The jury found him 4
guilty on the second count of receiving
stolen property, but not of breaking
and entering. Sullivan e. O'Connel APP
peared for the defendant.
Charles Tucker pleaded guilty to liu-
uor keeping, and the case was contin- |
ued.
James A. McNally, charged with lar