The Batesburg advocate. [volume] (Batesburg, S.C.) 1901-1911, 1902-11-12
MUST BE INSANE.
A Wealthy Young Postonian Accused
of Committing
FIFTEEN MURDEROUs ASSAULTS.
Two Of Them Resulted Fatally. lie
Has Been Insane, But Was
Released From Asylum

Has Been Insane, But Was
Released From Asylum
as Cured.
A dispatch from Boston, Mass.
says in connection with the l5 muir
derouS assault cases which have occur
red in Cambridge, Bruoklin, and Som
erville within the last few months,
two of which resulted fatally, the
State police Wednesday arrested Alan
g Mason, of Boston, "A well known and
wealthy business man, member of
the piano manufacturing firm OF Ma
son X IIamlin, Il prominent club mem
Der and u Harvard graduate. The po-
lice suspect, from evidence i'm their
hands, that Mr.. Mason has been in
volyed in nearly all the cases referred
to rs the circumstances of each have
been very similar. Mr.. Mason is a
middle-agcd man but he has been Il
victim of mental trouble for which he
was treated at the Mclean asylum at
NavcrlY. About 4 year ago he was
permitted u leave the institution.
Since that time. it is said. he has
been permitted To so and come at viii
and the fact that ne had been fire.
qucntly seen about the localities in
which the assaults occurred, led to
suspicion against him.
The peculiar assault cases which
have terroriIed Cambridge and vicin-
ity as well as other suburban sections
began last June. During the summer
there were half a dozen victims of an
unknown aSSailant each Of which was
struck down and beaten with Il blunt
instrument. Early i'm October Miss
Agnes McPhcc was assaulted IN Som
crvillc 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 when Clara a. Morton, Il laun-
dress ut the Mclean asylum, was ac.
cuStcd ON the grounds of that inStitu-
tion and beaten with blunt inStru-
ment. Miss Morton died Sunday.
Mr.. Mason was taken into custody
at his mothers home, ON Ncwbury
street. He made no objection and on
the way to police headquarters it is
said Mr.. Mason admitted to the oni-
GERS that he was I'm Somerville on the
night on which Miss Mephoo Was fa-
tally injured. The prisoner is about
30 years OF age and is the son of the
founder OF the firm of Mason & Ham
lin, organ and piano manufacturers.
He was graduated from Harvard in
| 1856 and entered the firm of which
his father was the head. Mental
troubles developed within few gears
nt his dina inn n1 hn 70 thA
Mclean asylum for treatment. After
time he showed Improvement and
| left the institution 4 second time
! it became necessary for him TO return
but he soon improved and he was re-
! leased second time.
In 1901. however, symptoms more
serious than any previous ones dcvcl-
oped and his mother and brother
| found 1t unsafe TO be with him at
their Newbury street home. He had
threatened both and Il petition was
filed 10 have him sent away ON the
ground of insanity and Mason was
sent to Waycrly for the third time.
! The man himself protested against
what he termed an injustice 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 had been free
and has been stock taker at the Ma
son y llamlin organ factory at Cam
bridge. Mason has 4 mother and three
brothers. Edward Palmer Mason, Hen
ry Lowell Mason and Daniel Gregory
Mason. He is a cousin OF John Mason.
the we'll known actor.
Mason was detained at the station
house until nearly 3 o'clock, when he
was tab en- to Cambridge where he will
remain under surveillance by insanity
experts for time. Throughout the
examination he absolutely denied that
he knew anything about the assault
cases The police assert that four on
five witnesses declare positively that
they saw Mason in Wavcrly Saturday
night
MaSon's brother says Alan is in bet
ter mental condition than he was some
time ago but he realizes that Alan i,
an insane man. one fact considered
significantly by the police is the ad
mission that it has been the habit uI
Alan Mason to take car ride almost
every evening before going to bed The
ride was taken as usual Sunday even
ing but Mason declares he did not %
in the direction of Wavcrly.
Later developments i'm the case is
very damaging to Mason. 1t wa.
announced that the watch of Mis-
Clara Marion, MaSon'S last victim
had been found in Cambridge stree
pawnshOp where 1t had been pawncC
for ~ 10y young colorcd man, anC
this discovery at once led to genera
search for this man 10y the cntirt
police force, but without avail BUI
later developments were far mOu
, sensational. When the pawn broker
memory hal been i,gIDd little anC
he bad had time t. think over TIN
matter, hc remembered that tin
watch had been brought to his unic
on last Saturday night between lh
hours of / and L. o'clock 10y a whit
man aud offered IN pawn. Owin
to the fact That il was after buSiucs