Biography of William R. MAJOR, WARREN, NEW JERSEY Copyright (c) 2002 by Stewart J.A. Woolever, Jr. (sjaw@citlink.net). ************************************************************************ USGENWEB NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submittor has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. ************************************************************************ 1860-Federal Census-Oakland County Mich. Major-Wm.27 f.laborer /200NJ. 1046-1008 [560] 1880 Census has Wm living in Washington,Macom Co.Michigian son Willis was not living at home then. 1880 Fed Census Michigan,Macomb,Mt Vernon 111-114 Major William age 46- Farmer NJ NJ NJ // Mary J age 36-wife-Keeping house // Sarah A age 16-dau // Phobe age 12-dau // Jessie age 5 [there is a error they listed Jessie as dau it should be son] WILLIAM R MAJOR- d-Dec 28, 1889-B-Warren Co NJ Triple Assassination and Suicide. ------------ Another Hellish Michigan Crime. ------------- A Wife, Child Grandchild Killed --------------- WILLIAM MAJOR, of Mt. Vernon the Murder ---------------- The Assassin Takes His Own Life by Hanging. ----------------- Rochester, Mich., Dec 28 A most cold blooded and horrible triple assassination was committed two miles north of Mt. Vernon, near the Oakland and Macomb county line last night. WILLIAM MAJOR murdered his wife, his daughter and granddaughter. MAJOR, who is about 50 years old and has always been regarded as a well to do and careful farmer, was in Romeo yesterday and came home in an apparently cheerful and contented mood. His daughter, Mrs. JOSEPH DEPEW, of Brandon, Oakland co, and her little daughter were visiting at the house, and after conversation of a quite- - - with them, the family retired. The people were but fairly asleep when MAJOR arose and began the work of slaughter. He took a 88 caliber revolver and shot his wife as she lay asleep, putting two bullets into her body and mortally wounding her. The noise of the shooting awoke the others in the house, and the house was filled with screams of fear, but the murderer did not hesitate. Springing into the apartment occupied by his daughter and little granddaughter, he coolly fired a bullet at Mrs. DEPEW, and when it failed to kill her he procured an ax and knocked out her brains. Then the inhuman beast pulled his little granddaughter from beneath the bedclothing and with one blow of the ax clove her head open, killing her instantly, blood and brains bespattering the bed and neighboring wall. Major, as though his thirst for blood was still unsatisfied, then rushed into the room where his little son slept and groped about the bed for him. But he did not find him. The lad had crawled under the bed for safety. As he heard his father searching the room, he said: "Are you going to kill me too papa?" "No my son," replied the murderer. " Do not be afraid. I won't hurt you. When I am gone you get $150 which I will leave you, and divide it with your sister." Then he hastened from the house, and up to the present nothing has been heard of him. It is believed, however, that he went to the neighboring forest and killed himself, and that the people who are searching for him will soon find his body. The boy gave the alarm as soon as he could and the neighbors found Mrs., MAJOR still alive. A messenger was at once dispatched to this place for a doctor, and the one who went has just returned with the information that the woman cannot survive 24 hrs. Mrs. DEPEW was 24 years old, and besides the brother, whom her murderous father spared, she had two sisters, one of whom is married and lives in Romeo. The other is unmarried and has lived at home, but on this fateful evening was in Romeo to attend an entertainment. It was with her that MAJOR instructed the little boy to divide the $150 with. There is naturally the most terrible excitement in the vicinity of the murder. A great crowd of people surrounds the house and others are constantly arriving. If MAJOR should be captured alive today there is little doubt of his fate.The officials have taken possession of the premises, and a inquest will be held as soon as possible. The Murderer Suicide. ------------ Romeo, Mich., Dec 28. WILLIAM MAJOR, the Mt. Vernon murderer has been found, but he was beyond earthly vegenance. He hung himself. As to the motive for his terrible crime, there can be but one solution, and that is that he was rendered so desperate and discouraged by the financial straits in which he found himself, that death of his family and himself, was the only way he saw to clear himself, He had a large farm, but was badly involved, and it was only a matter of time when he would loose it. His personal habits had also been bad for many years, strong drink being his temptation. A couple of years ago one of his daughters took poison, but the doctors saved her, and this gives rise to the suspicion of insanity in the family, The girl said at the time that her father threatened to kill her. Details of the Terrible Crime -------------- Rochester, Mich., Dec 28. The details of the triple murder and suicide at Mt. Vernon are fearfully shocking and thoroughly hellish. The SILVERS tragedy at Tecumseh was awful and the LATIMER - - - - revolting in a hundred ways, but all pale in comparison with the terrible crime enacted in the lowly, lonely farmhouse last night. It was brutal, bloody and cruel, and thoroughly the work of a human demon. But one member of the household, JESSE MAJOR, is now able to tell of the tragedy. Mrs. MAJOR, with her head battered by a hammer and two bullets in her body, is barely alive. Mrs. DEPEW, with head cut in two, a bloody mass barley breathing, and little MAUDE DEPEW with the entire top of her head chopped off, is dead, and the arch fiend, WILLIAM MAJOR, hangs limp in the barn, suspended by a little rope. The story as told by little JESSE MAJOR, the son, is this: About 10 o'clock last night he was awakened by two shoots in the house. He jumped out of bed, went to the door and saw his father and mother scuffling in their nightclothes in the sitting room. He was frightened and rushed back and hid under his bed. Just then his sister, Mrs. DEPEW, rushed out to see what was the trouble and the father turned upon her with an - - - fired one shot. It struck her in the groin and she fell to the floor. Mrs. MAJOR then rushed at her husband again, bent on disarming him, but the villain then seized a hammer and struck her on the head again. They struggled, spattering the walls and floors with blood. Finally Mrs. MAJOR sank upon the bed, thoroughly exhausted. MAJOR then returned to the sitting room. JESSE had tried to keep little MAUDE in the room with him, but in his fright he neglected the little tot and she went out to her mothers side. Thereupon, MAJOR placed his revolver close to the child and fired. The bullet entered near the shoulder and came out at the back, and the little one was no more. " You needn't be afraid, " said the butchering father to JESSE; I won't kill you." MAJOR then went out into the woodshed and while he was gone the wife recovered and made her escape out the front door. MAJOR came back with an old ax. He paused by Mrs. DEPEW and the baby for a moment, hesitated, then raised the ax, and struck the baby with full force, as JESSE says, on the forehead. Then he raised the ax twice more, each blow cutting into Mrs. DEPEW'S head. He then looked for his wife, but she had run to a neighbor. Returning to where JESSE was MAJOR again said: " You needn't cry, I ain't going to kill you. You and PHOEBE," meaning an absent daughter, " Is all that is left, There's about $150 in my vest pocket. You can divide it between you," MAJOR then left the house That was the last seen of him until this morning, when he was found hanging in his barn. When Mrs. MAJOR escaped from the house she ran a quarter of a mile to a neighbor's house and left blood strewn all along the road. She was barefooted and had nothing on but her nightclothes. She fell upon the porch of JAS. GULLICKS house crying. " For Gods sake help me! WILLIAM has nearly killed me and is now murdering the rest! Send some one quick!" Mr GULLICK is old and sickly, but he helped Mrs. MAJOR in. Soon she swooned, and has been conscious but a few minutes since. The neighborhood was aroused. A crowd of men went to the house and busied themselves in caring for those injured. They did not look for MAJOR until this morning, hoping that he might kill himself. An Awful Scene. -------- When The News correspondent reached the house it was a fearful sight. The house is a typical farmhouse, rather scantly furnished, with all the rooms on the ground floor. The sitting room was a large one and was covered completely with blood, with here and there pieces of human flesh and hair. The bedroom where the man and wife had their first struggle was spattered with blood, and the bedclothes were saturated with blood. In another bedroom adjoining was Mrs. DEPEW, dying in fearful agony, her head cut and slashed almost beyond unrecognition. On a board table lay little MAUDE, with a bandage around her head to keep the upper part in place. The ax, blood smeared and the handle cracked, lay on the floor where MAJOR had left it. Blood was everywhere and the nightclothes and bed quilts scattered around told of an awful fight for life. HOW THE MURDER DIED MAJOR is still hanging in the barn. He had fixed a rope over a projecting board tied a slip about his neck, held up his knees and died. He looked peaceful, but many a strong man as he looked upon the dead wished that he might have died in greater agony. Nobody offered to cut him down and so he hangs there yet. MY NOTES: He was the son of Conrad Major of Oxford Warren Co NJ Williams wife maiden name is Mary Jane Gullick