The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1902-11-12
MUST BE INSANE.
4 Wealthy Young Fostonian Accused
OF Committing
FIFTEEN MURDEROUs ASSAULTS

FIFTEEN MURDEROUS ASSAULTS.
; Two Of Them Resulted Fatally. He
Has Been Insane, But Was
Released From Asylum
as Cured.
\ dispatch from Boston. Mass.
saws in connection with the l5 MUIR
! derouS assault cases which have occur
red in Cambridge. Brooklin, and Som
erville within the last few months.
two of which resulted fatally, the
State police Wednesday arrested Alan
G.Ma>on. Of Boston. 4 we'll known and
wealthy business man. member or
the piano manufacturing firm OF Ma
son & Hamlin. prominent club mem
! Der and i Harvard graduate. The po
! lice suspect, from evidence in their
! hands. that Mr.. Mason has been in
volved in nearly all the cases referred
| to as the circumstances OF each have
been very similar. Mr. Mason is a
middle-aged man but ne has been a
victim OF mental trouble for which he
.:aS treated III the Mclean asylum at
! Waveriy. About Il year ago he was
! permitted t. leave the institution
Since that time. it is said. he has
! h"cn permitted 20 - and come at Will
and the fact that he had been fire.
Quent:y seen about the localities IN
which the assaults occurred. LED to
! suspicion against hin.
The peculiar assault cases which
have ter70rized Cambridge and vicin-
| tr is vel! Us other suburban sections
began last June. Duriag 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
ervil!e and died from her injuries. al
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. laun-
dress at the Mclean asylum. was ac-
costed on the grounds Of that inStitu-
tion and beaten with a blunt lnStru-
ment. Miss Morton died Sunday.
Mr.. Mason was taken into custody
at his mothers home, on Newbury
street. He made no objection and on
the way to police headquarters 1t is
said Mr.. Mason admitted to the Off
GERS that he was in Somerville on the
night on which Miss MePhee was ia
tally Injured. The prisoner is about
80 years of age and is the sou Of the
founder Of the firm Of Mason 4 Ham
lin. organ and piano manufacturers.
He was graduated from Harvard in
1886 and entered thr firm Of which
his father was the head. Mental
troubles developed within few years
Of his graduation and he went to the
Mclean asylum for treatment. After
Il time he showed improvement and
left the institution. \ second time
it became necessary for him to return
but be soon improved and be was re-
leased second time.
In 1901, however, symptoms more
serious than any previous ores deveI-
oped and his mother and brother
found it unsafe to be with him at
their Newbury street home. He had
threatened both and a petition was
filed to have him sent away on the
ground of insanity and Mason was
sent to Waverly 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 a stock taker at the Ma
son & Hamlin organ factory at Cam
bridge. Mason has a mother and three
brothers. Edward Palmer Mason. Hen
~ Lowell Mason and Daniel Gregory
Mason. He is cousin Of John Mason.
the we'll known actor.
Mason was detained at the station
house until nearly 3 o'clock, when he
was taken to Cambridge where he will
remain under surveillance by insanity
experts for a time. Throughout the
examination he absolutely denied that
he knew anything about the assault
cases. The police assert that four or
five witnesses declare positively that
they saw Mason in Waverly 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 man. One fact considered
significantly by the police is the ad-
mission that it has been the habit OF
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 90
in the direction OF Waverly.
Later developments in the case is
very damaging to Mason. 1t was
announced that the watch Of Miss
Clara Marion. Mason'S last victim,
had been found in Cambridge street
pawnshop where it had been pawned
for 81 by :; young colored man, ano
this discovery at cnce led to l general
search for this man by the entire
police force. but without avail. But
later developments were far more
sensational. When the pawn brokers'
memory hal been logged little and
he had had tire TO think over the
natter ho remembered that The
watch lad bee? brought 10 his Offict
On last Saturday night between tht
hours nt IL AMI - o'clock by 4 white
man and offered in pawn. Owing
10 the fact that it was after busines:
hours he had refused to receive it ant
after expressing disappointment tht
man departed. taking the watch viii