Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-10-30

tary precepts OF the gospel
Copy Right Secured
Augusta fKennebec)
Printed and Sold by Peter Edas
The article tells of the terrible murder
by Capt James Purrinton of his wife,
seven children and himself. one child e.
Gaping death, though wounded.
Captain burlington was born in 1850
in Bowdoinham and married Betsey
Clifford of Bath. Twelve children were
born to them, of which four died in in
fancy. The family in August 1906 moved
to Augusta and located on farm about
mile and a half above the village.
There they lived peacefully for some
time, until in the following year Mrs
Purrinton noticed that her husband was
! acting peculiarly and at one time found
him sharpening a knife. When taxed
| with intending to make way with him
self he denied it, but on the morning of
July g. 1906, Dean Wyman, a near neigh
Dor. was aroused by James, the oldest
Purrinton boy, who, wounded, had Just
escaped from his home and told of the
terrible deed his father had just COM
mitted.
! Wyman secured help and they proceed
ed to the Purrinton home, where Capt.
Purrinton, his wife and six children were
| found dead and the second daughter,
Martha, apparently dying.
The deed had been committed with an
AK and the captain had cut his throat
with a razor. The bodies of the victims
were horribly mutilated, and almost all
had put up terrific struggle against
their maniacal father. The list follows:
| Dead-Mrs. Purrinton, aged As; Polly,
u; Benjamin. II; Anna, 10; Nathaniel, 8;
Nathan. s; Louisa, Is months. Martha,
aged Is. died the following July 80 from
her wounds. James. aged II, was but
slightly wounded and recovered
A letter was found written by Capt.
| Purrinton giving in a rambling way his
religious views and expressing the hope
of future happiness for all his family.
Coroner Elias Craig empaneled a
| jury. consisting of Theopilus Hamlin,
James Child, Kendall Nichols, Shuball
Pitts, Caleb Heath, Frederic wingate,
Jonathan Perkins, Oliver Pollard, Sam
uel Bond Ezekiel Page and Ephraim
Ballard, Jr. Wingate was foreman. The
verdict was that Purrinton "Of his
malice aforethought" did kill and MUIR
der his wife and children, land as a
felon did voluntarily kill and murder
himself" though the general opinion
was that he was seized with an attack
of hereditary insanity and was a maniac
when he committed the deed.
The work then goes on to give the
writer's personal views ON religion and
the lessons taught by the tragedy, in a
more or less interesting manner, filling
greater part Of the % pages.
Much additional information concDn-
ing the tragedy is contained in Norths
History of Augusta. Among other things
it states that the selectmen on the day
of the tragedy placed the remains Of the
victims in the meeting house. leaving
the remains of the father in the porch.
with the ak and razor on the coffin. The
next day "a vast concourse of people"
gathered for the funeral, SO great the
throng that the street and adjoining
houses were filled and many were on the
house tops" Rev. Joshua Taylor, a
Methodist minister. preached the funeral
sermon. The remains of the mother and
children were taken across the bridge
and returned. then going by way of
Bridge and State sstreets to the Burnt
Hill burying ground, in the northeast
corner OF which the remains were in
tered.
The remains of the father were taken
without ceremony, with the ak and ra-
sor and buried together in the high
way, near the southwest corner of the
burying ground, at the corner of Win
throp and High streets. The procession
then returned to the meeting house and
the multitude was dismissed, after pray
err by Rev. Eliphalet Gillet.
Norths History also states that Pur-
rinton frequently changed his religious
belief. but had finally settled down to
the belief of universal salvation. His
manners were reserved and he was lob
stinately tenacious of his opinion He
was known to be elated or depressed &C.
cording to circumstances and was, before
the tragedy very respondent over the Sc
we're drought. fearing that his crops
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