The Savannah morning news., 1902-10-11
A CRAZY LADS DEED
STARTS IN TO KILL WHOLE FAM
lily OF EIGHT.
KILLS MOTHER AND SISTER
AND SERIOUSLY INJURED FOUR
OTHER CHILDREN.

Believing That He Had Killed His
Mother and Sisters the Maniac
Went to the Room of His Two
brothers to Finish Them Up, But
They Were Awake and Met and
Overpowered Him, and Turned
Him Over to Policeman 49, Air
Brake Devices Cause of His De-
mentia.
Pittsburg, Pa, Oct. 10.-While lab
cring under mental alteration, the re-
suit of the strain of perfecting an ap-
pliance for patents on an air-brake,
which are pending in Washington,
Charles Cawley, 17-year-old boy of
Homestead, Pa, early to-day killed
his mother and one sister, and serious
ly injured 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 ak, with
which he crushed and hacked his VIC
tins beyond recognition.
The dead are. Mrs. Hanna Cawley,
aged 40 years, head and upper portion
of the body almost pounded to a jelly;
Belle Cawley, aged II, who slept with
her mother, head frightfully crushed.
The injured are: Joseph, the baby
of the family, aged Is months, head
and chest battered; Adeline, aged 6,
Skull fractured; Raymond, aged 6, twin
OF Adeline, head horribly injured;
Agnes, aged 10, head crushed.
Some time about o'clock this morn
ing Charles quietly arose, and dress
ing himself, but not putting on his
shoes, crept down to the cellar and Sc
cured an ak. Coming up stairs, he
went into his mothers room, where
the victoms were all sleeping. After
turning up the light the maniac APP
preached his mothers bedside, swung
the ak 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 son, thinking that his first blow
did not do it's work. pounded the dead
mothers head almost to a jelly.
Belle. the oldest daughter, slept
throughout the time. The dull sound
of the AK on her mothers head did
not arouse her. Charles hurried to her
side of the bed and struck her with
the ak. 1t 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 fiend then turned to the smaller
children and struck each one 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
after fierce struggle, overpowered
him and turned him over to the police.
On the way to the station he fought
ferociously, but after being placed in
cell he Gained down and did not seem
to realize what he had done.
He is now confined in the county
Jail here. He denies emphatically that
he committed the deed. He tells a
fairly connected story. in which he
reiterates his innocence. He saws he
was awakened at an early hour by
sounds on the first floor, and went down
stairs to investigate. Returning up
stairs, he states, he found his sister
lying across the bed covered with
blood and fled to give the alarm.
The five other members. of the fam
lily injured are reported tonight as
having fair chance of recovery.
Anna, the 4-year-old sister of Cav
ley died tonight at the South Side
Hospital. 1t is reported that the three
others injured will probably die before
morning.
After thorough examination by the
coroner, it was reported that the young
mans story of the robbery has been
disproven, and that Cawley did the
deed in a fit of insanity
Ra VnonO1 dioH +I,o
Side Hospital tonight at 11:3O o'clock.
making four dead