The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-05-08
KILLED His Aged MOTHER
The Strange Freak of a PennsyI-
yania Man Ends Fatally.
Claims She Was n Witch and That
His Fiendish Act WINS in Obedience
Brains Out With n Hammer-Bids
Defiance to the Law officials.

READING, Pa. May ST did 1t because
the Lord told me to. Ny mother bewitehed
me. and hit her on the head with ham
mer. That's all there is about it. The
Lord will stand by me in this thing
These words were uttered by David Clay
who was committed TO the county Jail yes
terday. charged with the brutal murder Of
his aged mother The scene OF this AWFUL
crime was the little village of Mt Aetna
some six miles north OF Womelsdorf near
the Lebanon county line.
Everybody in the town knew Rebecca
Clay. the widow OF George Clay. She was
eighty-hve years OF age. and occupied lit
tie one-story- and half frame building
With her resided her son. David Clay. the
murderer. Clay. who is forty-two years
of age, is a widower his wife having died
about six years ago. Other members of
the family were CIays three children. two
sons and daughter. Clay was employed
as a laborer. and it is said that he was ad-
dicted to drink. a habit which, it is
claimed. has unbalanced his mind
This morning about s o'clock the Clays
sat down 10 breakfast as usual. When
Clay appeared at the table il was noticed
that he was in a stubborn mood His
mother asked him the cause OF his trouble
Without a word Clay arose and walked out
OF the kitchen. Two minutes later he ap-
peared with a shOenaker's hammer. Mrs.
Clay saw the ugly looking weapon and tot
tered to her feet David she exclaimed
what is the matter with yeu2 Why don't
you sit down and eat your breakfast
In an instant Clay lifted the hammer and
struck his mother an awful blow on the
head. The aged woman sank TO the floor
with blood streaming from a CHASTITY
wound. Then the son stood over her pros
trate form and dealt a half dozen more
blows. His children ran from the house
screaming and soon the whole neighbor-
hood was aroused
Among the first TO reach the house vas
Constable Franklin Dietzler He was con-
fronted by Clay, who stood at the door
armed with an ak He dehed anyone 10
enter.
By this time big crowd had gathe ed.
pietzler summoned six Of the strongest
hIvn near and the seven started in to sub
due the murderer By 2 preconceTted move
ment they bore down upon him from all
sides. and soon had the -frerzied man upon
the kitchen floor The constable calle d
for a stout rope and the prisoner was Sc
cureIy bound after a fFightful struggle
In this condition Clay was lifted into
a farm wagon. drives 10 Womelsdorf
placed aboard q trolley car. and brought
20 Reading. being committed TO prison by
Justice OF the Peace Aaron Snyder Of
Mount Aetna. Soon after the murderer had
been secured Dr. Horatio ". Gass was
summoned to attend Mrs. Clay She was
SIN alive. and was carried TO the home Of
Ter daughter. Mrs. Leah Boyer She died
81 ortly before 2 O'Clock
LAY TaTed liked q maniac. He is IN
sh' zen ard sOiled in appearance dressed
m is working clothes. his eyes were vice
nnen and rolling. He spoke Pennsylvania
German and talked of witches He SCENE
To Oe il great fear.
In his conversation Gays words had 70
be interpreted by ore OF TIE jail ofRc ais
4 want TO 90 back home. ne said /
cave no time 10 spend here got L ct
- : and plant potatoes. Yes, l suppose
ialed my mother She Is a witch and |
hlyL Jeen bewitched. The Lord tod ne
10 do this When / got up this morning I
told 1er to stop putting things (spO5ks)
on Sue. and she blew some tobacco smoke
in nv face.
Il told her to stop. but she kept right
on Then l told her that she had better
be careful OF me. for I did not know what
was in me this morning She did not say
a VOID" Then Clay laughed so that he
could se heard through the entire length
OF the prison corridor.
mo, she didn't say a word" he contin-
ued- Then | took a hammer and hit her
one. just ike the Lord told me TO hit her
She didn't cry out much. You know I was
iol6 70 hit her hard and | did. She cried
a little. | guess Then I got down and hit
b, again, quite often. She didvt say
anything after that; not a word
You see / wanted 10 shoot her. but her
head was too hard; il was awful hard: l
could not shoot into it That's the reason
/ took the hammer | talked with Jesus
and he said l should do it He would
stand by me And God also said I should
do II and that he would stand BY me- too g
There is reason to believe that Clay is
mentally unbalanced. Two years ago he
began to show signs OF mental weakness.
and only last Sunday he was going about
the village streets singing hymns IT the
top of his voice BY reason of his conii-
ton he appeared to be a mark for the
small boys Of the neighborhOOd. who made
sport of him on every occasion. This at
times angered him almost to a fit of des-
peTation.
Ms. Clay. the victim. is survived by 1--WE
children.