Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1911-09-21
MAN KILLS
HIS CHILD
Walter W. 0'Brien of Huron Mur-
ders Month Old Child
at His Home.
DASHED IT AGAINST FLOOR
Is Locked Up in Jail and Seems to
Know Nothing of His
Terrible Deed.

Huronite, Walter W. O'Brien, a la
borer who has made his kome in HUI
ron for the past two years, is confined
in the county Jail to answer to the
charge of numbering his four weeks
old baby boy at an early hour Sunday |
morning.
The crime was committed in a spell |
Of madness OF some sort the nature |
of which has not yet been determin- |
ed,which occurred about three O'Clock
Sunday morning, O'BBien rising from
his bed and when mis- wife tried to
make her escape with her child
snatching the baby and dashing it's
brains out upon the floor He then
attempted to strangle his wife and
was only prevented by the heroic as
sistance OF neighbors.
OBrien and his wife and child have
been living in rooms on the upper
floor OF "a house occupied by three
families at 122 Colorado street He
has done various kinds of work in
and about the city during his resi-
dence here. Somewhat over a year
ago he was married. He came to
Huron from Dawson, Neb. i
During the fair he worked in a stand
on the fair grounds, and spent Satur-
day there as we'll helping take the
stand down. At six he went home
and ate his supper. At about seven
the police were called to his home.
He had become suddenly violent and
1t was believed that he was drunk
1t was then stated that he had taken
one small drink from another man
at the fair grounds, supposedly of
whiskey. He was taken to the city
Jail and locked up.
Later on in the evening Mrs ORri.
en- went to the Jail and tried to get
her husband released, saying that She
was able to take care of him at home,
O'Brien had now become quiet and ap.
peared TO be albright. The police and
physician called in to examine him
advised her not to take him away
from the Jail tthet night, as a recur-
renee Of the violent spell he had was
possible. There was no reason to be-,
lieve at that time that he was suffer-
ing from any .hnmicidal mania and
as there was no charge against him
he was permitted to return with his
wife.
After reaching home O'Brien became
violent and threatening again and
call for the police was put in. They
knew nothing of the case and suppos-
ed it was an ordinary drunk. When
they arrived at the house O'Brien let
them in and readily consented to ac-
company them to the station. Just
as they were leaving the room he
pushed them both ahead of him and
jumped back into the room shutting
and locking the door. The specials
did not know just what to do and
went back to town to find one of the
regular police and get orders. The
police returned Immediately but not
in time to avert the crime O'Brien's
manner was of cunning and his appar-
ent willingness to accompany the Of
ficers, made them think that there
was not much the matter with him.
According to Mrs, O'Brien's story
they then went to bed. Shortly be-
fore three o'clock her husband got up
ar told her to shut the windows as
something was going to happen. She
became frightened at his sudden out
burst Of apparent madness, and TAX
ing the baby tried to get out of the
room and down stairs. He seized
z the child from her and holding him
by the heels beat his head on the
I floor, walls and furniture OF the room,
dashing out his brains. Z.
32 Mrs. O'Brien had reached the bot
tom OF the stairs when her husband
sprang down the steps after her. He
slipped and fell upon her knocking
her down, and then endeavored to
choke her. It was then that Mrs.
Ella Barkey. who lives In the lower
story Of the house, arrived on the