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Story
September 29, 1924
Perth Amboy Evening News
Perth Amboy, Middlesex County, New Jersey
What is this article about?
In Mangum, Oklahoma, authorities conclude Mrs. J. A. Melton killed her four children and herself by slashing their throats with a razor, driven by hallucinations of an airplane threat. Her husband discovered the bodies upon returning home.
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BELIEVE WOMAN KILLED FOUR AND THEN HERSELF
MANGUM, Okla., Sept. 29.—After an informal investigation into the deaths of five members of the family of J. A. Melton, farmer, living five miles southeast of here, county authorities today placed responsibility for the killings upon Mrs. Melton, one of the dead, and declared an inquest unnecessary.
Melton, returning Saturday night from Mangum, where he said he had taken a shotgun for safekeeping, discovered the bodies of his four children, ranging in age from 11 years to 18 months, and that of his wife, lying in a row in one room, their throats slashed with a razor.
The razor was clasped in Mrs. Melton's hand, officials said. A finger print expert stated that prints on the razor and furniture in the room were those of Mrs. Melton's hands.
Melton said his wife had been suffering from a hallucination that a star was the light of an airplane hovering over their home, with the occupant awaiting an opportunity to decimate the family.
MANGUM, Okla., Sept. 29.—After an informal investigation into the deaths of five members of the family of J. A. Melton, farmer, living five miles southeast of here, county authorities today placed responsibility for the killings upon Mrs. Melton, one of the dead, and declared an inquest unnecessary.
Melton, returning Saturday night from Mangum, where he said he had taken a shotgun for safekeeping, discovered the bodies of his four children, ranging in age from 11 years to 18 months, and that of his wife, lying in a row in one room, their throats slashed with a razor.
The razor was clasped in Mrs. Melton's hand, officials said. A finger print expert stated that prints on the razor and furniture in the room were those of Mrs. Melton's hands.
Melton said his wife had been suffering from a hallucination that a star was the light of an airplane hovering over their home, with the occupant awaiting an opportunity to decimate the family.
What sub-type of article is it?
Crime Story
Tragedy
Medical Curiosity
What themes does it cover?
Madness
Tragedy
Misfortune
What keywords are associated?
Family Murder
Suicide
Hallucination
Razor Slashing
Oklahoma Tragedy
What entities or persons were involved?
J. A. Melton
Mrs. Melton
Where did it happen?
Five Miles Southeast Of Mangum, Okla.
Story Details
Key Persons
J. A. Melton
Mrs. Melton
Location
Five Miles Southeast Of Mangum, Okla.
Event Date
Saturday Night, Sept. 29
Story Details
Mrs. Melton, hallucinating an airplane threat, slashed the throats of her four young children and herself with a razor; husband J. A. Melton discovered the bodies upon returning home; authorities confirm her responsibility via fingerprints.