A SEVEN-YEAR-OLD GUILD MURDERER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 10319, 19 December 1896, Page 2 (Supplement)

A SEVEN-YEAR-OLD GUILD MURDERER.

Carolyn* McElhinney, who lives in Dilton Ohio, and is a mere baby, barely seven years of age, has just put tlioclima> to an astounding career of infantile viciousness by a (norder so shocking in it* detail?, and marked with a deliberation so cold-blooded and calculating, that there in 110 explaining it save on the assumption that the child is nothing less than a moral monster.

It was 011 Sunday that the crime was committed. The victim was Master Thomas Ivifld, tlio fourteen-year-old son of Mr. U\ K. Kidd, a well-to-do lawyer of Cleveland. Mr. Kidd formerly lived in Dalton, and recently bought a pretty homo hero, which lie usos as a summer residence. The boy, Tommy Kidd, us ho was called, was a helpless cripple from birth, unable to stand or walk, and getting about by wheeling himself around in n little invalid chair which was built for him, and always requiring the presence of someone to look uftor him. Another of his afflictions was that his head was of grotesquely abnormal proportions, measuring 28 inches in circumference. Yet, in spite of all this, ho was uncommonly bright, and was, moreover, of a playful, kindly disposition. Tommy was in the care of Mrs. Frances McElliinney, the amazing little prodigy of wickedness who has just horrified tlio entire State by his crime. On the Sunday of tho murder the ontiro McElliinney family, with the exception of Carolyn and a baby about a year old, went to church. The Kidd boy, of course, remained at home, and Carolyn was to look alter his wants and to watch the baby at tho same time. The first the neighbours knew of anything wrong was when Anna ran screaming into the stroot a moment rtfeer lior return from church, The first thing that Miss McElhinnoy saw on entering the house was Tommy Kidd stone dead in his invalid-chair, with hall of hi* head blown off, his blood staining the floor and walls of the room. The baby was placidly cooing in its cradle; Master Carolyn McElliinney was nowhere to be seen. When the neighbours first caino into the room their first impression, romamboring tho boy's deformity, was that the abnor-mally-developed head had actually burst, so shocking was the condition of tho room. It was not, in fact, until a mirror and dressing-table in an adjoining room «ero found to be shattored with gunshot that the true nature of tho tragedy was revealed. Then, standing in its proper plaiio, was found Melvin McElhinney's double-barrelled shotgun. It was unloaded when tho family went to church; when found it had in it) two shells, one empty and the other charged with tho gun-hammer at full, cock over ib, About this time Master Carolyn McElhinney was thought of. Ho had come quietly in during tho excitement, mid looked stolidly on at the proceedings. His lies when first questioned wern so convincing that for the moment suspicion was turned from him. But at last no broke down and told it all. Tommy had slapped him, he said, and he thought he had better kill him. Ho knew the cartridges wero upstairs, so he went and gob a couple, loaded the gun, and held id to Tommy's head. Tommy thought he was in fun at first, bub when he saw he wasn't ho begged not to be killed. Carolyn raised and lowered the gun soveral times to scare Tommy before ho killed him. Then he put the muzzle close to his head and fired. After this he put the gun away, and want to a neighbour's to play with tho children there. Ho thought when his mother came homo and found Tommy she would believe some robber did it). The coroner's verdict contained a reflection on tho homo training of the child; buo his career, brief as it is, has much to bear out Oho theory of complete moral monstrosity. In addition to promisouous deviltry of a childish nature, Dalton people say there is good reason to believe that arson as well as murder may be added to the list of his crimes. Ho practically confessed thab it was ho who set firo to the McElhinnoy barn, which was burned about a year ugo. Tho authorities have been sorely puzzled to know what to do with him. Thoy have bad him oxaininod by physicians, and they have pondered the question of his legal responsibility. Upon one point the medical and the legal authorities agreed, and that was that tho boy was dangerous to the community. But how could ho be disposed of ? He was too young for the penitentiary, and even lacked three years of thatsge when he might be sent to the Boy a' Industrial School. Ab'last, after a consultation with R VV, J'unck, the prosecuting attorney, Mayor Marrold decided to arrest the child on a oharge of murder in the second degree, and lot the Court of Common Pleas do the rest. Bail was fixed at 400 dollars, which the family furnished, Stops .are now being taken to have the boy committed to the reformatory ab Xenia. • < •