The Somerset reporter., 1908-02-27
Terrible Crime.

Murder and Suede al West Forks Ne
\ terrible double tragedy occurred
at West Forks late Thursda, night Of
last week, When James A. Dean. aged
25 years killed Mr.. Hattie Durgin
Mckay, aged 20, with an Ak and then
committed suicide by cutting his
throat with a knife The a5oryard
OF a neighbor, where Mn. Mckay had
fed when Dean broke H. the door ot
her house. was the scene Of the
crime. The dead woman Wa the
Wifs OF Charles McKaY. who at the
time Of the tragedy war employed in
the lumber camp Of Frank Il
/ Hayne- AT Deadwater. Is miles away.
The scene of the murder and suicide
Is settlement Of $50 people in West
Forks Plantation on the kennchec
river III the dense wood- OF the north
ern part Of Somerset county. as
miles above SkowhegaD.
The story OF the crime. the worst
which has ever occurred in this see
ton is as follows: About IL O'Clock
Thursday night, Dean, who was a
woodaman by occupation, and who
lived farther up the road, went TO the
McKay home and knocked upon the
door. Mre. Mckay answered and
De- an asked her il Percy Doughtney
WAS inside. The reply being in the
negative Dean at once became
angry said be knew better and de-
manded that he be admitted. Mrs.
Mckay had not opened the door, hut
i'll answering the knock had called
out from the inside, Who's thereof
Dean threatened to force an entrance
and was ordered by Mrs. Mckay to
leave the premises at once.
Dean stepped at once TO the
chopping block in the rear yard and,
seizing an AK which lay upon the
/ ground, returned to the door of the
/ house.
"Open that door, you, or |
will smash it in!'
Don't make fool of yourself. Go
away, tell YOU" was the reply made
by Mrs. Mckay.
Dean at once swung the AK, setting
it's blade deep in the panel. The blow
was repeated time and again. the door
yielding under each stroke applied by
the muscular young man. Ii was the
only outside door OF the Mckay
house.
AS the door gave way under one
final, powerful blow, Mrs. Mckay.
clad lightly, dashed through the door
way, passed the infurated man,
sprang across the dooryard aud fed
i'll the direction OF the home OF Henry
Kennedy, a near neighbor. Her
shrieks rent the air, startling the
/ inmates of the few houses closely
adjacent.
As the woman fled past him, Dean
turned and threw the axe IN her di
reetion, but missed her. He sprang
after her, and, SEEING the axe soon
overlook her Mrs. Mckay dashed
into the yard of the Kennedy home,
but she had proceeded only a few
steps along the walk when vicious
blow, given impetus by the force of
the assailant's speed, struck her
down. This blow was made with the
bit or edge of the axe and took effect
in the back of the woman's neck. As
she fell in the snow Mrs Mckay was
heard to scream:
20, My God, Jimmy, Don't kill me. !"
Those were her last words, for Dean
with powerful force swung the axe
again and again, raining blow after
blow upon the fallen woman's head.
Then, feeling sure he had accom-
plished his purpose, he took from his
pocket a large knife, which has
strong keen blade and, plunging it
into his throat, severed the Jugular
vein and dropped beside the dying
woman.
OF course, the cries of the woman
had reached the int rior of the Ken
needy home and Mr. and Mrs. Ken
needy had rushed to the door.
Opening it they were Just in time 10
witness the tiendlsh deed OF the
young baekwoOusman. Mrs. Kennedy
was overcome by the horrible sight
and became hysterical. Mr. Ken
needy was obliged to devote his whole
attention To his wife. and tor nearly
AN hour he dead and dying lay Out
side upon Che cold snow of the door
yard.
In the house at Mckay's at the
time the tragedy occurred were
Percy Doughtney and Two young
children OF Walter Bloom. bought
Dey during the past winter sustained
a serious injury To one lower limb
and is Obliged TO use crutches III
moving about. He therefore was
unable to render any assistance 10
Mrs. Mckay and consequently re
NAMED indoors during the whole
affair
Catching up few clothes for pro
lection from the sharp. frosty air,
the older Bloom girl ran at once
down the road, a distance of about 81
rods TO the home OF viii Whortf
There she told them something awful
had happened and Whorff and
Tommy Dwyer, stage driver from
Bingham, rushed back TO the scene
of the tragedy
There in the snow lay the man and
woman, covered with blood which
was spattered in every direction.
Dean already was dead and Mrs.
McKay's body, limp and helpless, tho
she was still alive. They at once
removed her to the house, where she
lived for AN hour, but did not regain
consciousness.
The dying woman was forced 10
remain out of doors for an hour
until the arrival of TWO men who had
been summoned from a quarter Of a
mile distant by the nine Hear-oid
Bloom girl.
The friends and neighbors stood
around and discussed the horrible in
eident. Ii was plain that most all IN