1806 - Bowdoinham, Maine.On a hot July night in 1806, in a frontier town near Augusta, Maine (before the state had its name), Captain James Scales Purrington took an axe and a straight edge razor, and murdered his wife and 7 of their children before killing himself.This horrifying act shocked the town. What kind of man would slaughter his children? Did James Purrington have a psychotic break? Or did something more sinister happen?This is the story of the original family annihilator, James Purrington, and the Purrington family massacre.Detailed sources can be found on murdershetold.comConnect on Instagram @murdershetoldpodcast and on Facebook.Support the show hereLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices