Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-08-29
EdW. Bennett, So. Thomaston, Crazed with Grief
Over Recent Death Of Wife, Carefully Plans The
Triple Murder and Suicide Leaves Carefully
Written Account and Reasons for Deed,

South Thomaston, Me- Aug 2S.-
Grief over the death of his wife led
Edward Bennett. a graduate of OK
ford University, England, who had
been a resident of this town for the
past six years. TO murder his three
children and then take his own life to-
day. TWO of the children We're killed
by the use ef chIoroform and the THIRD
by cyanide of potassium and chloro-
form.
To make his own death certain, the
man went to the waters edge and
there took a dose of cyanide of potas-
stun and jumped into the water ano
his body was found 200 feet off shore
when the tide receded tonight.
Tie murdered children are Edward
aged 6; Barbara, 4: and Nancy, aged
. Benefits wife died three weeks age
and since that time the children have
been cared for by a housekeeper. d
Mrs Thurlow.
After having killed the children
which was apparently done during the
night and before taking his own life,
Bennett wrote minute description
Of how the deed was done and also q
long paper in defence, of his position.
In TIE letter Bennett apparently I'M
consciously falls into the use Of the
chemical symbol for cyanide of potas-
stun and otherwise shows his educa-
ton.
TIE letter is addressed to the Rev.
Russell Woodman, pastor Of the
Episcopal church at Rockland, where
Bennett and his family attended, and
is as follows:
MY darling children have gone to
join their mother as | am going to
join them all and to face my God who
hope viii forgive me if | have done
wrong.
Nancy and Eddie went with chic
reform alone, Nancy certainly With no
pain and l hope Eddie with very little.
Barbara l had to give ken (cyanide
of potassium and / am afraid she
must have suffered, but it was very
short and / have her chloroform inn
mediately so | hope it was not very
bad
Il am going to take ken. AS l do
not know how much to take am GO
ing down to the sea so | may Ger
tainly drown if the ken is not sufii-
Gent l am placing the sofa against
the door so that Mrs. Thurlow cannot
get in and will have to get help, which
will mitigate the shock to her.'t
Then follows a dissertation on mar-
der and arguments by which Bennett
seeks to defend his act. It reads
What is murder %
ut is not the simple taking of life
Murder is killing for your own advan-
tage of greed or revenge and to the
disadvantage of the murdered.
What | contemplate is certainly mol
murder. shall be doing them good
by killing them and if | am doing my
self any harm | must settle il face tc
face with my God. | wish that was
the worst sin on my conscience.
IF, as ! hope, there is future life 81
development beyond the grave ther
we may find ourselves reunited to oul
loved ones and there Will be no secrets
between us and if she can forgive tins
smallness of my soul we may be per.
mitted to help one another through tn,
ages.
Under these circumstances | M,
be injuring the children by deprivin%
them of chance of development, bu
unless there are many souls striving t.
get their chance on earth for ever,
BIRTH the setback would be very slig1
and the injury correspondinglY so.
There is the chance that Edie CHI
wfe) will blame me for having multi
fed the work and suffering that ST.
has undergone in bringing them int
the world and that seems the strons
est argument against. my course. BIT
this can only be If it is difficult FOL
souls to get a chance to work out then
salvation and | think is more than on
set by the possible advantage oil re-
union for them as well as for me.
The woman's soul is, | think al
ways the strongest and we are poor
crippled wrecks without Il.
Bennett also left an tented state
ment of finance with specific directions
as to the disposition OF MS estate
which is not extensive
The murder was not discovered uhtll
late today. Mrs. ThurIow the house,
| Keeper. occupied an apartment in the
Bennett household entirely separate
from that in which the man and his
three children lived. This morning
after doing up her own work she
knocked at the Bennett door and re-
ceiying no answer went back to hcl
own apartment again. Several times
during the day she repeated the oper-
alton and finally became alarmed ans
notified the neighbors.
| Several of the neighbors went to thf