The Washington times., 1936-12-18
WOUNDS TWO
MORE, THEN
GIVES UP
Expects Chair, He Says,
But Declares He
Is Not Sorry


Q.N.SO Satisfied" because he
had finally achieved revenge" SO,
year-old Martin Sullivan, patrol,
man for 80 years, sat contentedly
in his jail cell today after an al
most incredible orgy of murder
that took the lives of three women
and two men.
Unburdened of his confession
and exhibiting no fear of the cleo
trio chair, the mild-mannered Sulll-
van expressed only relief that he
had finally been avenged on those
who "persecuted' him through all
the years.
His arrest on a morality charge
for allegedly mistreating a 10year-
old girl was the lever that snapped
Sullivan's emotional balance and
sent him off on an expedition OF
death.
Momentarily eluding constable,
his friend of 80 years, who had
known him as quiet, wellbehaVed
man, and with whom he had a
drink in a barroom while being
taken to Jail, Sullivan trotted over
more than a mile of hilly streets
to achieve his mission.
Kills Five Persons
He shot and killed the parents
of his former housekeeper, who
came to work for him when she
was Is and left last year at the age
of 81 to marry another man out
of protest to Sullivan's continual
threats on her life and his friend
ship for little girls, according to
police.
Then he wiped out methodically
and with cunning the mother and
brother of the little girl he was
accused of molesting and the so
cial worker who had investigated
the case.
The child's father and another
brother we're wounded.
His gun empty. Sullivan sur
rendered quietly to the constable,
Thomas L. Gallagher, and was
taken to jail where detectives,
aroused by the orgy Of killings, had
congregated.
After his surrender. Sullivan
talked of the killings with little
more emotion than if he were dis
cussing a baseball game.
81 know I'm going to the cleo
trio chair, but I'm not sorry"
he told District Attorney Andrew
T. Park.
AS detectives looked at him in
mazement, he became restless
nd inquired:
whats the matter with you?
You look at me as if 1 was in
sane!"
These were the dead:
Joseph Benda, so, father Of Sui
livan's housekeeper; Helen Benda,
So, his wife; Mary Vukelja, 48,
who accused Sullivan of mistreat-
ing her daughter; Milan Vukelja,
%, her son; Mrs. Laura Clawson
Bacon, So, a social worker who
investigated the charges against
Sullivan.
The wounded are Joseph W.
kelja, So, father of the little girl,
who is recovering in McKeesport
Hospital, and Walter Vukelja, 13,
brother of the girl, grazed on the
ankle by a bullet.
The slaughter began q few min
utes after o'clock last night
after Patrolman Sullivan had
been held for court without bail at
a hearing before Alderman C. De
vain King, in Duquesne, on a
charge of assault with intent to
rape.
with allagher, who had
brought him to the hearing, Sulli-
van left the alderman's office, to
60 to the Duquesne Jail to spend
the night before being transferred
to the Allegheny county jail at
Pittsburgh.
Gallagher later explained he
had known Sullivan for 80 years
always as a quiet fellow" and for
that reason did not believe it
necessary to handcuff him as he
was taking him from the alder
mans office to the jail.
AS they passed the Jail, Sulli-
van persuaded Gallagher, his
friend of 80 years, to allow him
to see his son before he was locked
up.
Gallagher waited outside at the
home of the son, Martin Sullivan.
jr., as the policeman went in. The
son was not at home and Sullivan
left through back window, police
said.
He ran eight blocks up a hill
side, turned and ran half mile
more to his own home, grabbed
his gun, .38-caliber, and a box
of shells.
Returning two blocks, he stopped