New-York tribune., 1909-06-06
MANIAC KILLS 5; CUTS 4
FRTGHTFUL CRIME BY BAY
STATE PIGSTICKER.
Government Meat Inspector Among
Wounded Who Are Likely to
Die at SomerUille.

shrek John Murphy turned from plgstlcNhg 10
mankilling in the North Packing and PROVISION
Company's slaughter house to-day. and' orlVlhS
his fellow workmen before him like nero OF
swine. slew five Of them and founded lour
others Two of the wounded were reported
late- dying.
THE DEAD.
CATRE, James 40 years. negro. Of Cambridge
GROVE, Thomas, Al years. Of Cambridse'
IANICI-s Michael so years Pole OF somerVile' IeaF
fully and slashed
SMITH Hubert. as years. negro OF CanDriose'
Unidentified white man
THE WOUNDED.
cHEEvUs. John as years. Pole Of CAMBRIDGE,
of Watham; fearfGy cut and siashea'
LEWIS John. So years. Of Cambridge.
PATTERSON John, 80 years, Of somerSile
According to some Of the workmen. Murphy
had been acting peculiarly for some days. ou! NC
returned from his dinner this noon apparently
In good spirits. Shortly after o'clock ne SUD
denlv uttered a terrific shrek and jumper d'
DIR. Hayes, waving his 15-inch razor-edged KiiiIe
in his hand He cut Dr. Hayes deep cash on
the neck stabbed him over the heart ana IN the
abdomen The next man struck was Johh
Cheevus who was stabbed over the heart
The terrified workmen rushed for the door but
were not quick enough to escape Murphy Niio
ran after them. slashing right and left Every
man whom he struck went down with Sroan
The crowd plunged downstairs. with Murphy
after them, and at every landing he struck some
body. on the second floor one Of the work
men. an Italian. seized a heavy bar Of iron ana
felled Murphy to the floor. but Murphy was
quickly on his feet again and wounded another
man.
on the street floor he received another terrific
blow on the head, and his knife was wrenched
from his hand. Two policemen came in to as
sist the crowd, and Murphy received fearful
beating before he was finally overpowered and
taken TO the police station.
Murphy. who is fifty years old, weighs two
hundred pounds and was regarded one of the
strongest men in the plant. He had been en-
gagged in pig killing for FIVE years at the North
COMPANY He came from Iowa nine years ago
He Is married and lives at No. 33 Joy street,
Someryille.
The wounded men were hastily taken to the
Cambridge relief station where it was reported
tonight that there was very little hope OF Dr.
Hayes or Cheevus surviving their wounds.
STORIES OF EYEwITNEssEs.
The witnesses Of the slaughter said tonight
that more than three hundred employees were
driven froTn the North Company's plant when
Murphy started on his wild rush through the
six floors and basement of the building. and not
a few escaped death by narrow margin. Or.
T. ". clark OF West Somervilie. United
states veterinary at the plant. saw the attack
on DR. Hayes. and at Hayes's command has
tened TO find a physician Murphy followed
Clark. and the latter ran into a side ROOM Muir
ply followed. completely blocking the doorway.
The butcher yelled at the doctor ard told him
IN get out A sudden change seemed to come
over the lunatic for a minute. and he stepped
IN one side with a pleasant Hello, doctor" and
allowed DR.. clark to pass.
Dr Fred Saunders. OF Salem. another veter-
inarv at the plant seemed TO be an object OF
Nurphys vengeance, for the latter was heard
constantly muttering his name he rushed
through the rooms. DIR. Saunders recently
gave the butcher young bulldog. which soon
after had died, and Murphy was constantly
asking for another to take its place. Murphy
became so insistent that Dr. Saunders suspected
that the man had lost his reason
Those employees who worked nearest Murphy
stated that ne seemed to pay particular atten-
ton to his saughtering knife OF late and had
sharpened it at every opportunity offered him,
much more frequently than was his habit
Tonight Murphy Is in the padded cell of the
sonnerviIle police station When DR. c c
Towle city physician. attempted to examine
him Murphy sprang at him and attempted to
kick him No further attempt was made TO
approach him.
Dr Albert w Ferris, head of the State Com
mission in Lunacy said last night that Muir
nby's case was a commcn one in the experience
of aliensts Such attacks Of mania were
usually considered resulting from delusions |
of persecution. the victim suffering from an !
baIIucination that he surrounded by enc |
mics and that his only safety lay in killing |
them. The fact that the man had earned his |
living for years in employment that required |
his taking life Dr. Ferris said. would not be |
considered reason for a sudden attack of |
insanity such as exhibited by the Somerville |
pgsticker.
DR. Ferris added that he had known of an in
stance where a matchmaker had jumped up
from his bench and started on a rampage
through factory. striking to the right and to
the left with the first sharp instrument that
came into his grasp. The principal symptom of
the murderous mania. according TO alienists, is
long period of melanchOlia and 1. tendency to
shun ones fellow men. due TO a delusion that
all around him are in conspiracy against him
Dr. Ferris said that from the details at hand
he had no doubt that Murphy's mania the
outcome of the usual causes
CALLS CASE COINCIDENCE.
DR. Frank w Robertson. who was formerly at
the head of the Emra Reformatory, regarded
the case as a coincidence. The fact that Murphy
ran amuck with the knife with which he was in
the habit of killing several hundred animals a
day would not prove that his mania was caused
by association with such employment Cases
were frequent. said DIR. Robertson. in which
men working at pursuits entirely foreign to the
shedding of blood had suddenly been attacked |
with mania TO kill and had used a weapon
some apparently harmless tool which they used
in their work
According to Dr. Robertson the Somerville
maniac probably had been losing his mind for
some time but the change had been gradual
as to pass unnoticed among those with whom he
was associated every day. He described the
case of a stoker in institution for the insane,
an inmate himself, working under the super
vision OF a competent engineer, who had turned