Fatal Pick: Horror in the Hillside
George Gasper was born in Hungary in April 1866. Seeking a better life, he decided to go to the Land of Opportunity. Arriving in America in 1884, he settled in Westfield, Massachusetts, before purchasing a farm in the Hillside section of neighboring Southwick around 1890. (His future wife, Caroline, came over in 1886. The pair wed in Westfield on November 22, 1889.)
With Caroline becoming pregnant in 1890, the Gaspers needed extra help on their farm, so George enlisted the help of his mother, Anna, and stepfather, Andreas, to move from Hungary.
But, with more and more children added to the Gasper household, George's aged parents could only do so much, so he hired a young farmhand named Andrew in the spring of 1902. (Between 1890 - 1900, the Gaspers had seven children. Sadly, one died at birth, and one died within two months of being born.)
When Andrew fell ill that summer, Anna gave him her full attention while caring for him. After he recovered, Anna continued catering to him, even providing him with food outside the family's usual mealtimes. (Andrew was about 20 years old.)
On September 14, Andreas lured his wife into a remote pasture about a half-mile from the Gasper home under the guise of having found a thick growth of mushrooms. It is difficult to determine what happened next, but after picking mushrooms, Andreas took out a razor and cut Anna's throat ear-to-ear. As she lay on the ground with blood pouring out of her neck, Andreas picked up a large stone and started beating her in the head unmercifully.
Luther Wright, who lived near the Gaspers, heard Anna's screams. He ran over to the Gasper home and got George. The men ran in the direction of Anna's cries. When the horrific act came into men's sight, George shouted, "You old fool, what [are] you doing?" As the two men approached, Andreas stopped hitting Anna with the stone, drew his razor, and turned it on himself. However, George grabbed his arm and took away the razor before he could harm himself.
After overpowering Andreas, George took him into a barn and strapped him down until authorities arrived.
Badly beaten, Anna lost a lot of blood. George carried her into his home and summoned Dr. Porter and Southwick Selectman George Doherty. (Doherty arrested Andreas without incident and brought him to Westfield to face arraignment the next day in Westfield District Court.)
Anna was clinging to life, but her injuries were too severe. She died inside the Gasper home around 5:30 on the morning of September 15.
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| The Murderer |
The Gaspers were shocked about the violent attack, later telling authorities that the aged couple never quarreled and there were no problems between Andreas and Andrew.
Medical Examiner George H. Janes, assisted by Associate Medical Examiner Dr. James W. Holland, performed the autopsy, which determined that Anna's death was due to a fracture at the base of her skull. He also reported that Anna's body had the following: three cuts above the right eye and on the forehead, a broken nose, eight cuts on the top and side of the head, a fractured right cheekbone, a crushed-in lower right jaw, ears nearly cut off, massive facial bruising, and a cut-throat beneath the chin. (It took Luther Wright some time to recover after witnessing the violent beating and seeing Anna's mutilated face and neck.)
Neighbors of the Gaspers told authorities that they knew of the young farmhand but did not know his name or where he came from. They also said that he mysteriously disappeared days before the attack. (George Gasper told authorities that he thought the man's name was Andrew but knew nothing else about him.)
Appearing in court, Andreas, who barely spoke or understood English, refused to enter a plea, so the court entered a plea of not guilty on his behalf and bound him to the next sitting of the grand jury.
The grand jury issued an indictment, and the case went to the Superior Court, but it was put on hold so that the court could determine Andreas's mental state. (During this time, he remained in a double-wide cell with no visitors except for an invalid locked up with him on occasion. Andreas did not speak with anyone because no one in the prison could speak his language.)
Prison guards reported that Andreas seemed normal, only noting that his cell was unkept and that he did not bathe. During a sweep of his cell in 1903, they confiscated a knife Andreas concealed after a meal.
Andreas's case proceeded. Appearing in Superior Court on December 29, 1903, he pleaded guilty through an interpreter, and the judge sentenced him to spend his remaining years behind bars at the men's state prison in Concord, Massachusetts.
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Edited Out/Author's Additional Research Notes
Some sources say that Andreas was Caroline's father. However, being George Gasper's stepfather is believed to be correct.
Some sources say George strapped Andreas down in the house, while others say a barn.
Robert Griffin purchased the Gasper's Hillside farm in 1913.