Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-04-13

1906, above which was printed q
| crude picture Of seven Collins grad
uated in size in proportion to the size
of the victims:
| The Story
AUGUSTA, (Kennebec) July IL,
| 1So6-At an early hour on Wednes-
Gay morning last, the inhabitants OF
this town were alarmed with the
dreadful information that Capt.
| James Purrinton. of this place, in cool
blood, had murdered his wife, six
children. and himself. His oldest son,
| with a slight wound, escaped. and his
second daughter was found desper-
ateiy wounded, and probably sup
posed dead by the father.
Between the hours of and 8.
near neighbor, Mr.. Dean Wyman,
| was awakened by the lad who escaped
with an incoherent account of the
| horrid scene from which he had just
fled; he. with a Mr.. Ballard, another
| neighbor. instantly repaired to the
! fatal spot, and here. after having
lighted candle, scene was present
/! ed which beggars all description.
! In the outroom, lay on his face and
weltering in his gore. the perpetrator
| of the dreadful deed--his throat cut
! in the most shocking manner, and the
| bloody razor lying on a table by his
side. In an adjoining bedroom lay
Mrs. Purrinton In her bed. with her
head almost severed from her body
and near her on the floor, little
| daughter about ten years old, who
| probably hearing the cries of her
mother, ran to her relief from the
apartment in which she slept, and
was murdered at her mothers side.
| In another apartment was found
| the two oldest and the youngest
daughters, the first aged 10, dread
fully butchered; the second desper-
ately wounded, reclining her head on
the body of the dead infant Is months
, old, and in a state of horror and al
| most total insensibility in their room
with the father lay the two youngest
sons, in bed with the threats cut, the
one 8. the other 6 years old.
| And in another room was found on
the hearth, most dreadfully mangled,
the second son, aged IL. He had fall
! len with his trousers under one arm
as he was attempting to escape. On
| the breastwork over the fireplace
was the distinct impression of q
bloody hand, where the unhappy vic
tim probably supported himself be-
fore he fell. The whole house seemed
| covered with blood and near the
lbody of the murderer lay the deadly
axe.
From the surviving daughter we
have no account of this transaction;
her dangerous condition prevents
any communication, and but faint
expectations are entertained of her
recovery. From the son, aged II, we
learn the following:
That ha was awakened by the
piercing cries of his mother and in
voluntarily shrieking himself he
leaped from the bed and ran towards
the door of his apartment, but he was
met by his father with an axe in his
hand the moon shone bright) who
struck him, but being near each 9TH
err the axe passed over his shoulder
and one corner of it entered his back,
making a slight wound. his father
missed him.
At this moment his younger broth
err who slept in the same bed with
him, jumped from the bed and at
tempted to get out of the door; to
prevent this the father attacked him,
which gave the elder an opportunity
to escape. During this dreadful con-
flict not word was uttered. From
the appearance of the wounds gen.
orally, it seemed to have been the
design of Purrinton to discover the
heads from the bodies excepting the
two youngest whose threats 1t is sup
posed were cut with a razor. The
oldest daughter and second son had
several wounds the probable conse-
quence of their resistance.
We have no evidence to lead us
/ satisfactorily to the motives of this
barbarous and unnatural deed. Capt.
Purrinton was as years of age and
had lately removed from Bowdoin-
ham to this town, an independent
farmer, with a handsome estate, of
steady, correct and industrious habits
and a good character and fair repu-
tation and strongly attached to his
| family. He had been heard lately to
say that he felt much distressed at
the unpromising appearance of his
farm that he should be destitute of
bread for his family and hay for his
cattle and dreaded the consequences.
The Sunday before his death, it is
said, he wrote to his brother and
informed him that on the reception of
the letter he should be dead and re-
questing him to take charge of his
family. In the letter was a deaths
head marked out, and it was sealed
I with black. 1t was found on Monday
by his wife and gave her the greatest
alarm and uneasiness. This her hus-
band perceiving. and learning the
cause, he attempted to console her by
assurances that he had no intention
of committing suicide, but that he
had a presentiment of his approach
ing death. Capt. Purrinton was a
warm believer in the promise of uni
versal salvation.
Toward the close of the day pre-
ceding the day of the murder, he
ground 1.-THE fatal axe and when the
family retired he was left reading the
Bible.
The jury of inquest have brought