The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1913-08-13
WOMAN KILLED HER
SISTER AND HID
The BODY
Strange Murder Case In Wes'
Rutland
WOMAN NO DOUBT INSANE
Mrs. Mccarthy Who Shot Her Sister
Is Mother of Several
Children

Rutland, Aug 13.-As a result Of
evidence uncarthed yesterday Mrs.
Eugene Mccarthy OF West Rutland
is at The House of Correction under
arrest as the selr-confessed slayer OF
her own sister, Miss Alice Kerrigan,
an elderly spinster whose body was
found buried in the cellar OF her
home On Pleasant street under few
inches of earth yesterday afternoon
by the officers.
Mrs. Mccarthy, according 10 the
authorities. has admitted the murder.
and says she shot her elder sister TO
death last Friday with a shot gun, as
The woman lay on a lounge in the liy
ing room. She later dragged the body
through the house 10 the inside Gel
lar door, and down the steps to the
earth floor where, lipassisted, she
dug hole and buried her burden,
which was undiscovered until yester-
day. The authorities and friends
are a a loss to imagine motive fC.
tho deed but the general opinion of
relatives seems 10 be that Mrs. Nc
Carthy committed the crime under
HE combined influences OF nervous
rage and insanity.
All the parties lived together IN
the large old Kerrigan home on
Pleasant street, the murdered NO.
man and her father, Michael KERR
gan, occupying the lower floor, and
the Mccarthy family. consisting of
the imprisoned woman, her husband
and oight children, the upper floor.
rho house. while by no means Sc
Gluded is set back at some distance
rom the highway, the situation be-
ing such that the movements OF the
occupants are not easily disccrned
by passcrs by.
The woman now under arrest fixes
The time of tho staying as Friday af
telnoOn while she and her victim
were alone IN the house. She says
she was enraged with her sister, and
finally went to her own apartments
upstairs and secured a shotgun. re
turning through the hall and firing
al Alice kerrigan from the door of
The living room, a. she lay resting
but not asleep, upon a lounge. She
says she fired but once and the shot
entered the other wonian's head
near the end of the jaw bone, and
the tip of the ear. death from the
injury and the shock being almost
instantaneous. AT this time their
father was working in the garden.
First assuring herself that no one
had heard the report of the gun
Mrs. Mccarthy dragged the body
down cellar and digging a hole bare
ly large enough to hold it, laid il
beneath about six inches of dir,
and covered the spot with two tubs
In her story Mrs. Mccarthy impl-
Gates no other member of the house
hold and denies, so far as can be
learned, that any other person even
suspected her act Whether any
, other arrest will follow cannot be
| learned. but none had been made ae
a late hour last night.
That part of Mrs. McCarthy's
| story, describing the manner in
which she produced death is as yet
unvcrcified, as the body when found
was wrapped in blankets, other bed
clothes and various garments. the
| NhtAt hOunu NAhnAlN III TIE lnluult
! with Stout clothes line.
| The grim bundle will not be I'M
wrapped until this mroning at IL
o'clock. when DR.. S II. Stone of the
state laboratory will conduct an au.
topsy. Last night members of the
shoriff's department we're guarding
the house.
The disappearance of Alice Kerri
gan was noticed in a desulory way
last Friday. when she did not appear
about the house as usual. but no real
alarm was experienced. for her sister
told inquiries she had left town for a
few days. Suspicion first became
acute in the mind OF William Kerri
gan of this city last Sunday when he
visited his people at West Rutland
He was not satisfied with his
younger sisters explanation of hol
elder sisters absence, and evidentl,
this suspicion was noticeable. fol
later in the evening the guilty wo
man made a move. calculating in hel
own mind to throw the officials Of
the track. Calling up Deputy Sheriff
y. u. Patlen from the Office of Z
West Rutland physician she tried Il
impersonate her sister. saying she
was In Rutland and vas all right
She said she had been in Whitehall
y. Y, where she met former friend.
who tried to persuade her TO go 1,
Plattsburg and take up her formeI
trade OF dressmalcr.
The murdered woman was S. YEAR
cid and had lived n rather seclude,
life for some time Her slayer II
about 40. Her children range in az,
from is, the age Ct her oldest girl I,
infancy.
Relatives and nieghbors coincid,
in the insanity the0fy and member
OF the household Of Patrick Kerr