Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-04-12

Continued From First Page
Lee, I then ran around to the
Matthews side door and step
ped into the dining area.
CAS- I approached all heard
were thuds. ! opened the door,
1t was awful.
1.-THE children were all lying
prone on the floor. There
wasn't q sound from them.
They apparently we're un-
conscious.
Joe was standing over the
girls with the bat still in his
hand. He Just said:
dick. I'm sorry. XIII me.
Shoot me, Dick"
II said to him, Joe. give me
that bat He handed it over to
me with no hesitation what
ever.
But 1t wasn't all over yet.
"All In q few seconds. Joe
made q dash Of just q few feet
into the kitchen, grabbed q
knife OF the sideboard and cut
his throat.
Began Lords Prayer
Before I had a chance to
move, he turned around to face
me, walked back into the
dinette, lay down on the floor
next to Susan and put an arm
over her. He started reciting
the Lords prayer, but he never
finished it. His voice just
seemed to fade away"
The last words Mr.. Matthews
was heard murmuring were,
"Forgive US our trespaSses."
Mrs. Lee arrived just as Mr..
Matthews slashed at his throat
with a seven-inch- blade butcher
knife. The time was 8:23 when
she put in the call 70 police.
Then, she called the Franconia
ard Annandale Rescue Squads.
A policeman and a rescue
squad man arrived first in
separate cars. While the police
man was calling for more help
and the rescue squad man was
starting to treat the wounded
children. Mr.. Matthews sud-
denly leaped to his feet.
Struck with Nightstick
He ran back into the kitchen
and circled through a short hall
leading back into the living
room. He was failing his arms.
The policeman. returning from
his squad car, saw him and
subdued him by striking him
on the head with his night
stick. He slumped to the floor.
Before he was put into the
ambulance, he was handcuffed.
Next door at the Whitehead
home, Mrs. Matthews kept say
ing she'd better get back TO
her own home. Mrs. Whitehead
assured her that everything
was being taken care Of.
The back-fence neighbors
talked about the morning. about
looking at the azaleas. about
Mr.. Matthews not wanting
breakfast.
And Mrs. Matthews kept
murmuring: 'roor joe
She went to the hospital
without knowing what police
and neighbors had found in her
home.
Struck Repeatedly
Stephen was pronounced dead
at the home. Matthews was
dead when he reached the hos
pital. The two girls died in
the emergency room of Alex
andria Hospital at GAS am.
Police said the children had
been struck repeatedly about
the head. There are no esti-
mates on how many blows were
actually struck.
But. police are certain Of one
thing-the children never had
a chance to escape. Detectives
said the scene looked as though
the blows had come so fast that
the children had been unable
to run.
Chairs Formed Barrier
Two chairs were missing from
the dining area. Police found
them later lying on their side
in a form of barrier outside the
closed door of Stephens room.
Inside, police found the family
dog-a understanding on
the boys bed.
Why Mr.. Matthews had car
ried the blood-splattered chairs
across the living room and up
six steps to the bedroonl-and
when-were among the I'M
solved questions in the family
tragedy.
Pastor Breaks News
The Rev. Robert j. McMullen
jr., of Grace Presbyterian
Church, broke the news of the
four deaths to Mrs. Matthews
in her hospital room. He said
she was in such a state of shock
that she showed little reaction,