Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-03-19
KENNETH HAY BLIND
Savage Blows With HatChet
Causes Loss of Eyesight.
PHYSICIANS so REPORT
Insane Father Who Inflicted Injuries
Under Guard in Hospital.
DEVELOPED HOMICIDAL MANIA
Calmly Informed His Wife Of At
tack Upon Their Son and
Threatened Suicide.
HOM1CIDAL MANIA

AS a result Of the murderous attack
made upon him by his father Wednesday
morning, at the family home. 1923 Park
road, Kenneth Hay, six years old, has
lost his eyesight. Even though he re-
covers from the wounds inflicted on his
skull he will be blind all his life.
This statement was authorized by ply
sicians at Garfield Hospital last night
They added that the recovery Of the child
is not assured
The condition Of Henry E. Hay, the
father. who in a fit Of apparent insanity
tried to STAY his son. and who then cut
his own throat, is such that he will re-
cover slowly. Investigation by physicians
developed the fact that the man drank
poison before he was seized with a homi-
cidal mania.
A policeman is on guard beside Mr..
Hays bed at the hospital to prevent any
further outbreak.
Mrs. Hay Is under a severe mental
strain. She visited her husband the day
after the deed was committed He was
then fully conscious, but his mental
anguish was so great 1t was deemed ad-
visable for his wife to remain only a few
seconds.
Mrs. Hay Makes Statement.
The distressed woman has recovered
from the shock sufficiently to enable her
to tell the story of what occurred We'd
nesday. 1t appears that she knew moth
ing of the attack on Kenneth until her
husband led her to the bathroom.
Kenneth had gone to the room OF the
colored domestic and called her, and then
he went to the bathroom.
While he was in the bathroom his
father. armed with the Ratchet, went
in and attacked him. 1t is believed that
he struck him from behind without
giving the little fellow the slightest
intimation OF what he was going to do.
Mrs. Hay, who was in the front room,
even the noise made when Kenneth fell
upon the floor
After he had welded the Ratchet and
slashed away part Of the skull Of the
older Of the two children. Hay went
to the front room and found his wife
seated on the side Of the bed prepar-
ing to dress. Without saying a word
to her, the husband took her by the
hand and led her to the bathroom
door. When she looked into the room
and saw her chile in an apparently dy
ing condition, her husband told her he
did il.
Closes the Bathroom Door.
Mrs. Hay made a frantic effort to
push her husband aside and go to the
assistance Of the boy, but was unable
to do 50. He prevented her from en-
tering the room. Telling her he was
going to do 'the same thing" to him
self. Hay entered the bathroom and
closed the door. His wife begged him
to open the door. Hay refused to do
SO until one Of the neighbors came. He
quickly closed 1t again. however, and
remained In the bathroom, the blood
running from his wounds. until the
arrival Of Policemen Collins and Holmes.
DR.. F. Scott Avery. who married a sis
ter of Mrs. Hay. is close friend OF Mr..
Hay. He says that the deed was that
Of a man who had been thoroughly de-
prived of his reason.
Harry Hay DR.. Avery said to a
Star reporter, was one Of the best men
I ever knew. We were together fire.
quently. He was a man who loved his
family and was the last man in the
world to attack his own child when In
his right mind
DIR. Avery said Hay had not been well
for long time. He suffered from nerv-
BUSINESS and felt that he would soon have
to quit his work In the Treasury Depart
ment. The thought of being unable to
make ends meet and brooding over his
long illness dethroned his reason.