-- James McCoy of Round
Plains, aged 81, victim of attack
-- Head was frightfully cut, he expired in two hours
-- Constable Worrell and posse of farmers caught fugitive
-- Young Edith McCoy narrowly escaped horrible fate
-- Entire community stocked by tragic occurrence.
One of the most ghastly crimes in
the history of Norfolk County was perpetrated Monday
morning when in a temporary fit of insanity, Charles McCoy, 32, killed
his 81 year old father, James McCoy, a lifelong and highly respected
resident of the Round Plains district.
To accomplish his foal deed he
used a sharp hatchet. The victim was horribly mutilated about the head
and face.
The murder was committed in the
kitchen of the home about one mile and a half west of Round Plains. The
aged man was found later prostrate on the floor.
At the same time, the demented
man attempted to slay his 18 year old niece, Edith McCoy, daughter of
William McCoy, of Vanessa and granddaughter of the unfortunate James
McCoy. He attacked her as she lay in bed, pummeling her with his fists.
She protected herself by pulling the blankets over her head.
He retired to the kitchen and she
followed him. She found him attacking his father with the hatchet. He
then rushed at her. She ran to her bedroom and jumped out of the window
just in time to escape the clutches of the maniac.
Scantily-attired, she ran across
the road to the farmhouse of James and Edward McCoy, brothers of
Charles. When they arrived on the scene, their father was dead on the
floor and their brother gone. Taking his dog with him, the murderer had
struck across the fields for the neighboring bush.
Coroner Dr. Teeter and undertaker
Lawrence Mott, of Waterford, and the provincial police of Simcoe were at
once notified. Officers Edmonds and Kell arrived before 10 o'clock and
on advice from relatives set out to scour the woods in a westerly
direction.
When the writer reached the McCoy
home, the Coroner was endeavoring to round up a jury to view the
remains. All the officers were engaged in the chase.
Then came word that the fugitive
had been seen by L. E. Lee and Mrs. Mansell whose farm houses are
located just east of Round Plains. McCoy had evidently evaded
his pursuers by making a wide circle to the south and then to the east
of the hamlet.
A posse of farmers led by
Constable Harry Worrell of Waterford took the scent and soon succeeded
in surrounding the criminal. Their net was gradually tightened until he
was run to earth in the centre of a corn field not far from the highway.
Accompanying Constable Worrell
were: W. P. Brown, Leo Pow and his hired man, Mr. Mansell Jr., Howard
Girling, Lawrence Mott, Edward McCoy, brother of the slayer, and several
other farmers residing in the community.
There was not a chance in the
world that he would escape for the entire neighborhood was on the qui
viva. But Constable Worrell deserves credit for the manner in which he
captured the patricide and made him prisoner.
Many of the farmers expected that
McCoy, reputed to be strong man, would offer a great
fight. But on the contrary he followed Worrell as meekly as a lamb, and
willingly climbed into the waiting motor car driven by Lawrence Mott, who
came out in the capacity of undertaker but returned as assistant to the
police.
McCoy's large collie dog was his
faithful friend to the end, remaining close by his heels throughout the
chase.
The party headed for Simcoe but
were met a short distance down the road by Brantford police officials
who directed them to Waterford where the murderer was placed in the
lockup.
Later he was transferred to
Simcoe. Here he was subjected to a grueling cross-examination but his
condition was such that little information could be obtained except that
it was conclusively established that he was the guilty party. He was
taken to the gaol and remains there under guard.
This is not McCoy's first visit to
the Simcoe gaol. He was incarcerated here about five years ago,
when he is said to have shown signs of insanity. He has twice been an
inmate of the asylum at Hamilton, leaving there the last time
about two years ago, since then he has been living on his father's farm.
Neighbors say that he had been
acting queerly for several days preceding the tragedy and it was
reported that he had attacked a neighbor, Charles Chambers, the previous
evening. Short and thick-set he is strong as a lion, so his
acquaintances say.
Last Friday night he attended a
box social in the Round Plains church and when walking home came upon a
motor car mired in the ditch. Five men were trying unsuccessfully to
extricate it. Charles McCoy single-handedly pushed the car onto the road
again.
Police report that he was
conscripted to service during the war and was later listed among the
deserters.
People in the community say that
he was always afflicted with a queer streak. A picture taken ten years
ago shows him to be a good-looking fellow, but when captured on Monday
he presented a very unprepossessing appearance, clad in blue
overalls, a well-worn felt hat and short rubber boots.
Edith McCoy, granddaughter of the
victim and niece of the attacker, told the writer in simple language the
story of what transpired that morning. In spite of the
fact that she herself had been close to a gruesome death only two hours
before, she was outwardly composed and was engaged in doing some chores
when the coroner arrived.
"I was in bed about 8
o'clock when Charlie entered my room and attacked me, hitting me several
times on the head." The marks of his brutal assault were still
visible about her face.
"I protected myself by
pulling the blankets over my head. Then he went back to the kitchen and
I followed him to see what he was going to do.
"I found him with a hatchet
in his hand and my poor grandfather on the kitchen floor in a pool of
blood. Charlie's face was frightfully distorted and he made at me with
the hatchet.
"I ran to my
bedroom. The window was open and I jumped onto the roof below. He almost
clutched me and I guess it would been all up with me if he had succeeded. I ran across to Ed's place and told them what had
happened."
That a quarrel may have
precipitated the attack is indicated by the
statement of Edith McCoy who says she overheard conversation
between the men just before the tragedy.
It seems Charlie had
been away from the house overnight and upon his return his father saw
fit to rebuke him, intimating that it might be necessary to confine him
again in the asylum.
The girl says her uncle
became furious at this and she heard him exclaim: "You'll
never take me back there again." With that he attacked his father
with the hatchet.
The house in which the McCoys
lived is a two-storey brick, of substantial construction. The farm on
which Mr. McCoy had lived for 40 or 50 years comprises about 150 acres
of excellent land and the farm buildings are in good condition.
Across the road live Edward and
James. The fourth son, William, lives at Vanessa. Two daughters, Mrs.
James Clement and Mrs. Elias Messecar also live on the same road. Mr.
McCoy had been a widower for about four years. He was highly spoken of
by all his neighbors.
The unfortunate man had evidently
been up early on Monday morning and had gone to the woodpile, secured an
armful of wood and brought it to the house.
He had built the fire and was
sitting on his chair in front of the stove when his raving son attacked
him. He was not in very good health and could only have resisted the
attack very weakly.
The hatchet, a sharp
murderous-looking weapon, was found on the ground a few yards from the
house, where the murderer had dropped it in his flight.
On the kitchen table were
breakfast dishes which indicated that one or both of the men had
consumed their morning meal.
Coroner Teeter stated that the
man had lingered for about two hours after the attack before life became
extinct.
That the terrifying deed was the
work of a madman cannot be doubted. The charge of murder which he will
face will likely be met with the plea of insanity.
Coroner Dr. Teeter has announced
that the inquest will be held next Monday afternoon in Waterford town
hall. The jurymen are as follows: Thos. Ince,
Matthew Girling, Jacob Watts, Henry Townsend, Foster Bauslaugh, John
Schuyler, Albert McMichael.
