Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-05-25
HORRIBLE SIGHT.
Girl Saw Her Mother Brutality
Murder Father.
Then Saw Her Cut Up the Body and
Burn Il in Stove.
Terrible Story Of Ida May Kay at Mon
ticeiio, N. Y.

Monticello, N. Y, May 24.-In her
testimony, today. Ida May Kay, daugh-
ter of the accused woman charged her
uncle, Peter Yerkins, with being at
Taylor house on the night that Lafay-
cite Taylor was murdered. She was
asked by District Attorney Anderson
to tell what you saw" She said:
Il was In bed and was awakened nv
a shot. l got up and went into the
next room and saw LATE TAYLOR hold
ing the door leading to the kitchen
with one hand and trying to pull up
his boots with the other, went
through the door into the kitchen AMI
saw my mother trying to get the door
open and get at LATE. 1 went out on
the stoop for few minutes. When 7
returned l heard a second shot in the
kitchen and went In and saw INV
fathers body on the floor with nv
mother standing over it with a revol-
vcr in her hand trying to fire again."
She said Mrs. Taylor reloaded the re-
volver and placed it in stand draw
err. Mrs. Taylor took some old coats.
put them under Taylors head and
grabbed an axe and cut the head off
and put it I'm the stove. Kate Taylor
then rushed to the stoop, grabbed n
lighted lantern and swung it around
three times and came back into the
house,
Peter Yerkins then came into the
house and asked if Lafe' was dead.
Mrs. Taylor answered yes"
Mrs. Taylor again took the axe and tried
to cut off one of Taylor's legs: then laid
the axe down before she had succeeded
YerSins then took the axe and finished
cutting off the leg Ida May went to bed
and left Yerkins and her mother together
with the body. When she awakened the
next morning Yerkins had disappeared
and her mother was still burning the
body. She did not think her mother had
slept during the night.
Mrs. Taylor cut up the trunk of the
body and put 1t in Il cloth sack and placed
the sack in n wash tub which was put in
the cellar.
Mrs. Taylor took the ashes and bones
from the stove and pounded up the bones
and fed them to the chickens The skull
was not burned and it was brought back
to the house and put into the stove
again.
The prosecution then rested and the
ueleHCe DeSdn the CrOSS-eXamlnatl0n
Mrs. Taylor broke down and wept for
the second time, today. when her IS year
old daughter took the witness stand at
the opening of the afternoon session.
NO. said the girl In answer to a
question asked by Attorney Smith for
the defence; LATE Taylor never abused
or struck me. because mamma wouldn't
let him. But on many occasions he
fn iii hot
self. Once he drove us from the house
in the middle of the. night with a big
knife, saying he would murder us. We
went out into the snow without shoes or
tins, where We stayed all night. On 9TH
er occasions he chased mother with an
axe. threatening to cut her head open.
who did you first tell Peter Ierkins
was at your home on the night LATE Tay-
Tor was killed?' asked Attorney Smith.
Il told Mrs. James Taylor at her home.
torney." answered the witness.
why didn't you tell that story on the
f feamf to t It'll itg instead of waiting for
Il was afraid to tell. because Peter
Ierkins told mamma and myself II we
ever told anyone he was there and he
got aTrested when he got out he would
Deputy Sheriff John r. Rice related the
confession Mrs. Taylor made to him in her
II heard a rap on her cell door and re-
sponded to it," he said.
:. Have you arrested Peter Yerkins.
Mrs Taylor inquired, and l replied yes.
He is charged with the murder of I.afe
Taylor | replied. Mrs. Taylor was flu
rious and said: Why. Yerkins is nno-
cent; he does not know anything about |
the killing of Taylor. Ida and L were
the only ones there
- How did you do the deed?' 1 asked.
" j shot him and then cut off his head |
and arms and burned them In the kitchen |
stove. The remainder of the body l |
chopped up and put in a sack and slowed |
away in the pantry. 1t took me two or |
three days to burn all the body The |
large bones l burned to a char, cracked |
them up fine with the head Of the axe |
and fed them to the chickens with
cracked corn said Mrs. Taylor"
The. prosecution will close. tomorrow |
|