Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1907-03-15
WOMAN CUT TO PIECES.

Last Saturday night Mrs. Mary Lang
aged n years, was murdered in her home
near Wheaton, this county, and her son.in.
law, VIM. H. Mckay, aged SO years, is In
jail here charged with the crime.
The woman's body was horribly mutt.
lated. One hand was cut completely off
and her head and face were hacked literally
to pieces. Nothing was found near the
scene of the tragedy to indicate what weapon
had been used, but the bloody work was
evidently done with Ratchet or something
similar.
The first intlmation that tragedy had
been enacted was about noon Sunday, when
Osgood Mckay, young son of the man
accused of the crime, called at the home OF
Deputy Sheriff Joseph Quinter and inform.
ed the officer that he was afraid his father
had killed his grandmother. The boy told
the officer that his father had been acting
strangely of late and that for several days
he had been drinking heavily. Several days
ago, he stated, the old man had threatened
to kill the whole family, and his mother, be-
coming frightened, left the farm and went to
Washington, accompanied by her children.
Mrs. Mckay tried, the boy said, to per.
suade Mrs. Lang to go, too, bat the old lady
declined, saying that she was not afraid and
could manage her son.in-law. The boy ex-
planned that Sunday morning his mother,
who had presentiment that there was
something wrong at the farm, sent him out
there. Upon entering the house, he said,
the first th:ag that met his gaze was pile
of bloody bedclothing at the foot of the
stairs, and his father, standing at the top Of
the stairs.
The man warned the boy not to come up
stairs, and young Mckay Immediately went
in search of Deputy Sheriff Quinter. The
officer hurried to the Mckay home and found
Mrs. Lang's dead body in her own blood.
Blood was everywhere, but there were
no signs that struggle had taken place,
and it is believed that she was attacked
while asleep. Bedclothing had been heaped
upon her body as If an attempt had been
made to hide it.
In the adjoining room was Mckay, sleep
ing soundly. He did not awaken until the
handouts snapped on his wrists. He was
attired in his nightshirt. On the floor was
a shirt, covered with blood, and coat, also
blood despatched. When taken into the
room where the dead body of his mother
in-law lay the man expressed his horror
and surprise that ANYONE should have cut
up grandmother in such way" and declar-
ed it to have been the work OF his son. He
denied that he had any connection with the
murder.
Justice of the Peace John McCeney sum.
moned a jury and an inquest was held, the
verdict being that Mrs. Lang met her death
probably at the hands OF Mckay, and d.
rected that he be committed to Jail. He
was lodged in jail here late Sunday night.
Mckay only few months ago purchased
a farm in this county, removing from Prince
Georges county, where he had made his
home for about three years. For many years
he was dairyman In Washington, and is
to be well known in that city.
He is believed to be possessed of considera-
BILE means.
Lately, it is said, he had shown signs of
mental trouble, due, it is explained, to
prolonged attack of the grip.
1t is not known that he had anything
against his aged mother-in-law, and the
general impression is that If he murdered
her it was due to mental unbalance.
McKay's family consists of his wife and
seven or eight children.
Later search of the premises for the
weapon with which the mother In law was
chopped to pieces was made and cleaver
was found covered with snow that fell Sum
day under the window OF the room where the
deed was committed. During the search
"a 900 was found in the bed where the VIC
tim met her death. The cleaver and the
bloody clothes of Mckay were brought here
on Tuesday last and passed over to Sheriff
Colt for use in the trial at March Court.
Mckay is a large man, upward of six feet
in height, rawboned and muscular, weighs
more than two hundred pounds and has
long sandy beard and hair. His physical
when lodged in jail was one
of distressing nervousness, bord ering upon
but has been somewhat re-
lieved since by medical aid at the direction
of his counsel, Mr.. E. G. Peter.