The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1908-08-14
MURDERER
USED AN Ak
DEcAPlTATED HIS SON WHILE
he WAS souNDLY
SLEEPING.
THEN HUNTED GIRL
Crushed Skull OF Married Daughter
and Tried to Kill wife From Whom
He Was Divorced After Crime,
Walked Down street Hacking tiis
Throat With ! Butcher Knife.

Los Angeles, Aug. l3. After hay
ing prepared three graves In Ever
green cemetery and caused headstonee
to be erected one for himself, one
Tor his son and one for his married
daughter. Henry J. Duffy. this morn
ing killed his two children with an
axe and attempted to kill himself with
butcher knife. An effort to kill his
wife also, failed.
Tonight Duffy lays strapped to a cot
In the receiving hospital.
"I don't remember anything about
hitting my boy" he said. '"rhat part
Of it is a blank. do remember Of
hitting my daughter. I seemed to
wake up then"
why did you kill her? were you
angry with herr
''No. I;loved her. Something seem.
ed to overpower me and make me do
1t. ! wish they would let me die. II
they would unloose my hands I'd Kill
myself.
Duffy, the physicians say, will not
die from his self inflicted injuries. He
is suffering from locomotor ataxia. ep-
ilepsy and typhoid pneumonia.
insane on Religion.
Driven insane by the religious ma
MIA, H. =. Duffy. sixty years old, to.
day attacked and killed his son and
daughter with an axe and then cut
his own throat with razor, infiict-
ing fatal injuries. The tragedy &C.
CURED early this morning In the ex.
treme nor '',western part Of the city.
Duffy lived at the home Of his son,
Fred Duffy. He has been on the verge
Of violent insanity, It Is said. for
weeks. from religious enthusiasm.
Last night he attended q religious
melting and worked himself into Z
frantic state Of religious ardor.
Killed His Son.
When he arose this morning, ne
was suddenly seized with . desire to
kill. Securing sharp 'bladed axe, ne
stealthily entered the bedroom Of hia
son, while the latter lay asleep. He
crept close to the side Of the bed
and raising the weapon aloft, brought
It down with terrific force across the
neck OF the son. The blow was de-
livered with such tremendous force
that the head Of the victim was sew.
cred completely from the body.
Murder Mad.
With the shout Of q maniac, Duffy
rushed from the house and down the
street waving his bloody weapon.
When the old man left the house
where he had slain his son, he pro
ceeded directly to the house where
his daughter lives with her husband
Ferdinand LaCom, q painter, and
their six-year old daughter. Margaret
at 451 Northwest Lake avenue. where
his wife and daughter resided, he
opened the front door and entered
Before entering the house Duffy con
cea1ed his axe in sack which hs
carried.
Mrs. Duffy and her husband had
been divorced some time since, and
had gone TO the home Of her daughter
to nurse her through an approaching
child birth. When Duffy entered thu
house. she asked, where Is Fredr'
'.Oh, he's gone to work. ." Responded
the old man quietly, who had but
few minutes before had slain his sool
as he lay asleep.
''But he hasn't had his breakfast.
persisted the mother.
No. but he got up late and though
he would get something to eat dow
town" replied the murderer.
Kills His Daughter.
The old man cat nerveusly fingel
ing the sack. while the women pro
ceeded to prepare breakfast. sudden
" he got up. drew the bloody AZ
CONTINUED ON Fourth Page.)