The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-11-07
MANIA FOR MURDER
. Prominent Man Arrested
Charged With Commission
of Several Crimes.

Boston. Mass. November tin con-
nectson with the fifteen murderous as
sault cases which have occurred in
Cambridge. Brookline and Somerviifs
within the last few months. two OF
which resulted fatally. the state police
today arrested Alan C. Mason. OF Boz
ton. a well known and wealthy bust
ress man. a member or the piano
manufacturing firm OF Mason and
Hamlin. a prominent club membe and
a Harvard graduate. The police sG~
pact, from evidence In their hands. than
Mr.. Mason has been involved in nearly
III the cases referred TO. as the cir
cumstances of each have been very
similar. Mr.. Mason is = middle-aged
man, but he has geen a victim OF men,
tai trouble for which he was treated
at the Mclean asylum at waver'y.
About a year ago he was permitted
to leave the institution. Since that
time. il is said he had been permitted
TO go n come at will and The fact
that he had been frequently seen about
the localities in which the assault DC
Cured. led to suspicion against him.
The peculiar assault cases which
have terrorized Cambridge and vicinity
as we'll as other suburban sections be-
gan last June. During the summer
there were half a dozen victims OF an
unknown assailant each OF which was
struck down and beaten with a blunt
instrument. Early in October Miss
Agnes McPhee was assaulted in SOM
erville and died from her injuries. An
iron wrench was found and fixed upon
: as the weapon used. During the same
month eight other cases followed. the
last of which occurred last Saturday
night uhan CLARA A.. Morton "A Iamn-
dress at the Mclean asylum. was &C
costed on the grounds OF that institu-
ton and beaten with a blunt instru-
ment. Miss Morton died Sunday.
Mr.. Mason was taken into custody
at his mothers home. on Newbu-y
street. He made no objection n On
the way to police headquarters il IS
said Mr.. Mason admitted 10 the officers
that he was in Somerville on the night
on which Miss McPhee was fatally in
jured-
The prisoner is about SO years of age.
and is the son OF the n Of the
firm of Mason g. Hamlin. organ and
piano manufacturers. He "a gradu-
ateG from Harvard in 1856 and entered
the firm of which his father was the
head. Mental troubles developed with
in a few years of his graduation and
he went to the Mclean asylum foc
treatment. After a time he showed
improvement and left the institution.
A second time it became necessary for
him to return, but he soon improved
and was released a second time. In
: 1901. however, symptoms more serious
than any previous ones developed and
his mother and brother found IL TN
safe to be with him at their Newbury
street home. He had Threatened bath
and a petition was filed to havea1Rn
sent away on the ground Of insanity
1 and Mason ura Sanf ~ TNnNFn-1xy for
the third time. The man himself pro-
tested against what he termed an in
justice and said that he was perfectly
sane and would conduct himself as
well as possible while he was there. He
remained six months. Since then he
has been free and has been a stock
taker at the Mason and HamlIn organ
factory at Cambridge.
Mason has q mother and three
brothers, Edward Palmer Mason.
Henry Lowell Mason and Daniel Greg
DRY Mason. He is n cousin OF John
| Mason, the well known actor.
t, Mason was detained at the station
house until nearly 3 o'clock when he was
k TO Cambridge where he will re-
main under surveillance by insanity ex-
perts for a time.
Throughout the examination he abso-
lutely denied that he knew anything
about the assault cases. The police as
seFt mat TOUR or nVe witnesses declared
positively that they saw Mason in Wav-
erly Saturday night.
Mason's brother says Alan is in bet
ter mental condition than he was some
time ago, but he realizes that Alan Is
an insane nm. One fact considered
! significant by the police is the admis-
sion that it has been the habit OF Alan
to a a car ride almost every evening
before going to bed. The ride was TAX
en- as usual Sunday evening. but Mason
declares he did not go in the direction
of Waverly.