Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1902-10-11
THE DEED Of A MANIAC.
Particulars of the Tragic Killing Of a
Family by a Crazed Pennsylvania
Lad.
School Teacher in Canada Take Sum
mary Method of Revenge Against
.. the Directors.
Fatally Shoots Three of Them and
Then Turns Weapon on Children,
and Suicides.

Pittsburg, Oct. 11.--While laboring
under mental alteration. the result
OF the strain of perfecting an appli-
ance for an air brake which is pend
ing at the patent Office in Washing
ton, Charlec Cawley. a seventeen
year-old boy of Homestead, Pa, killed
his mother and sister and fatally in
jured four other children. He also
tried to kill his two older brothers.
but was detected, ~overpowered and
turned over to the police.
The weapon used was an axe, with
which he crushed and hacked his vic
tins beyond recognition. The dead
are: Mrs. Hannah Cawley, aged
about forty years, head and upper por-
ton of her body almost pounded to a
jelly; Belle Cawley, aged twelve, head
frlghtfully crushed. The injured are
Josephine, aged fifteen months, will
not live; Adeline, aged six, will not
recover; Raymond, aged six, twin of
Adeline, will not live; Agnes, aged
ten, will not live.
The CawleJs live in a neat six-room
house on Second avenue, Homestead
All the members retired about 10
o'clock. Mrs. Cawley and Belle oc-
cupied bed, while the others, Jo-
sephine, Adeline, Raymond and Agnes
occupied other beds and cribs in the
same room, which is on the second
floor e Charles, the murderer, his
brother James, aged twenty, and Har-
ry, aged fourteen, occupied the front
room, second fooc, adjoining their
mothers room.
Details of the Awful Deed.
Some time about 3 a. m. Charles
quietly arose and, dressing himself,
but not putting on his shoes, crept
down to the cellar and secured an axe.
Coming upstairs he went into his
mothers room, where the victims
were all sleeping. After turning I'D
the light the maniac approached his
mothers bedside. swung the axe high
in the air, and brought it down with
such force that the skull was crushed.
The mother evidently never knew
what struck her, but the crazed SOD.
thinking that his first blow did not da
its work, pounded the dead mothers
head almost to a jelly.
Belle, the oldest daughter. sleps
throughout the time. Charles hurried
to her side of the bed and struck her
with the axe. It is thought that the
first blow slipped and awoke the girl,
but only for a second. She did not
have time to scream, for the next
blow killed her.
The fend then turned to the small
er children and struck each over the
head with the bloody weapon
Believing that he had dispatched
them all he started for his brothers
room, but James, the eldest, had been
awakened by the groans in his moth
er's room and as Charles entered he
seized a heavy rocking chair and. aft
er a fierce struggle. overpowered and
turned him yer to the police. On
the way to the station he fought fero-
ciously, but after being placed in a
cell he Gained down and did not seem
to realize what he had done.
When physicians reached the house
Mrs. Cawley and Belle were dead.
The others were still living but the
doctors announced that they would
not live through the day.