Shocking Tragedy at Waterford.

Hastings Standard, Issue 52, 26 June 1896, Page 4

Shocking Tragedy at Waterford.

A terrible tragedy occurrd at Wat orford on a recent date. An employe in Patterson's bacon factory., named Richard Reddy, plunciil a knife into the breast of Mr Larkin, the bus-man-ager and killed him. He then stabbed a Salter named Patrick Hahessv, and afterwards committed suicide by stabbing himself in the heart. Hahessy was removed to the hospital, where he is progressing favourably. Reddy, who was about 22 years old was engaged as a cleaver, at the factory. He was the first, to arrive at work that day, and when the other employes entered he was sitting on a keg with a large knife in his hand apparently about to start his duties. A gang of salters filed past to their respective places, the rear being brought up by Mr Larkin. Just a.s Larkin approached Reddy, the latter suddenly rose, and with a terriffie lounge, drove the knife into Larkin's breast. Larkin uttered a slight moaning sound and fell back unconscious the blood oozing from the wound and saturating his clothing. In ten minutes he breathed his last. Meantime the men, terrified and excited, rushed to a door of the cellar, and Reddy, pursuing them, overtook Patrick Hahessy and stabbed him in the back with the same knife, which was already besmeared with blood. Hahe' ?sy fell to the ground insensible and bleeding profusely, and Reddy, having looked around him to see what he had done, deliberately committed suicide by stabbing himself six times in the body one of the wounds penc-. rated to the heart. Tlie sight which presented itself in the factory was terrible. The three bodies, bathed iu blood, lay a short distance from each other on the floor, and the other workmen in their terror scarely knew what to do. A doctor was speedily summoned, and the p*lice were apprised of what had occurred. When Dr Cuth arrived he pronounced Larkin dead and said that Reddy's condition was hopeless and within 15 minutes Reddv ceased to breathe. Before Reddy died Serjeant Love asked him if a minister of religion had been sent for, and Reddy on hearing this roused himself slightly and said in feeble tones, i; I am an atheist, and I am dying nicely." Mr Larkin was a* respectable citizen with a large family. 11<• was a Lrreat friend of the workers, and had never had any dispute with Reddy, who was regarded as quiet, sober, ami inoffensive. It is supposed that Reddy was suffering from temporary insanity when he committed the extraordinary crimes, and this lb tori- is supported bv the fact that his father died a few "years ago in an asylum. An inquest was held on the bodies of Larkin and Reddy that night. In the case of the jury returned a verdict of " Suicide whilst temporarily insane," and in that of Larkin that he was killed by being stabbed lvth a knife by Beddy.