The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1869-09-04 00:00:00

DREADFUL CASE OF WIFE MURDER
AND SUICIDE AT WATERFORD.

A lamthl fate murder toul Suicide has been
perpetrated by Dr. Henry helmsmen, of Waterford The fol-
lowing particulars are from the Irish Times;—
The murderer and his victim, it appears, were
strongly attached to each other, but Dr. Lannagan
had become addicted to intemperate habits, and a
quarrel arose as to what particular clergyman should
baptize the child. Dr. Lannagan had been drinking
on the day of the fatal occurrence. The sequel is
thus narrated
"When dinner was hid, according to their servant's
evidence, the question of the christening of their boy
was introduced. A slight altercation took place
between them, after which he seized the carving knife
and in a threatening attitude hel it to her throat. If
however, laid it down again on the table ; but no Sla,aar
had he done so than he sprang towards a docile.
barrelled gun which was in the room, but just as Ire
Was presenting it at her the servant's eye caught him.
After apparently a moment's struggle with himself, he
lai lit down and returned to tie dinner table. No
sooner had he done Bo than he put his feet to the table,
and upsetting it a attered the dinner utensils about
the room. At seeing this Mrs. Lannagan fled from
the Waaa' and taking her infant from the nursery she
sought the houre of a neighbouring farmer named Hunt.

"After Mrs. Lannagan left the house the doctor sat
down aml partook of dinner, and having finished he
lifted a newspaper, and proceeding into the kitchen he
threw himself on a sofa that was stationed there, and
lay down to read it. The servant girl, Bridget Mackey,
noticing that he bad apparently calmed down, spoke to
him, and he replied. • I will kill Mrs. Lannagan and
then shoot myself." She replied that he would be
hung if he did that, but he made no reply, and for
some tims seemed earnestly perusing the newspaper
he held in his hand. She then went down to Hunt's
and advised her mistress to go up house as the doctor
was calm, but, as she states, she did not tell her of his
threats because she had frtquently heard him giving
utterances to such threats when he was under the in-
fluence of drink. After some titre Mrs. Lannagan re-
turned hone, but she told her servant to keep the in-
fant in Hunt's, and that she would herself go up and
order the car at once to convey her to her friends in
Waterford, as she was determined not to sleep in her
own house again. On going into the parlour the doctor
shut the door, and in a few minutes the report of a gun
was heard by a lad in the house, and an exclamation
from the doctor, 'By she is gone.'
~Th, lad, who is about thirteen years of age, sat on
in the kitchen not feeling the least alarmed at the re-
port of the gun, but about three minutes after, as he
was passing the parboir door, the doctor opened it, and
orders d him immediately to get the horse in the car
and dr:ve it to his mottoes residence in Waterford.
The lad immediately left the house, and going to the
stable, which is about fifty yards from the house, did as
he was ordered. He, however, forgot his coat, but on
returning to the house to procure it he found the door
locked, and heard the doctor groaning heavily within.
He knocked for about half an hour, but getting no
answer he went down to Hunt's and got assistance, and
an entrance was effected by the parlour window, when
stretched on the floor, was observed lying in a pool
of blood the doctor and his wife. The wife had a gaping
wound in lo r face, and the doctor had a horrid gash
in his forehead, and a discharged pistol in his right
hand.

....
'lntimation was at once conveyed to the Bailyduff
polio-station, and from thence to Dr. Martin, Portlaw.
The occurrence took place about half-past six, and
about half-past eight Dr. Martin arrived. On examin-
ing the doctor he found that the contents of a pistol
were lodged in his forehead arid part of the brain pro-
truding; he was still breathing, but rapidly dying.
The face of Mrs. Lannagan preFented a shocking
appearance, the whole roof of the mouth, the root of
the tongue, and the lower jaw being shattered into
atoms, from the effects of a gun shot.
"The doctor's opinion is that death must have been
instantaneous. The unfortunate man succumbed
about half-past twelve. The Rev. Mr. Perry arrived
shortly after the fi arful occurrence took place.
"Theunfortunate couple were aged respectively about
thirty-six, and were universally esteemed and beloved
by all who knew th
"The jury gave as their verdict that Dr. Lannagan
wilfully murdered his wife by shooting her with a
gun, and that he subsequently committed suicide while
under the influence of drink."

FATAL RECKLESSNESS AT WORM-
WOOD SCRUBBS.
On Monday Dr. Diplock, coroner for West Middle-
sex, resumed and concluded an inquiry at the Rifle
Pavilion, Wormwood Scrubbs, as to the death of Agnes
Elizabeth Rixen, who wag killed by a bullet during
the rifle practice of the City if London Rifle Brigade
and West Middle-ex Rifles, on the afternoon of Wed-
nesday in last week. Mr. Brown appeared for the
West Middlesex Rifles, and Mr. Rhodes for the London
Rifle Brigade. The coroner having briefly recapitulated
the evidence adduced at the former inquiry, Sergeant
Brindley, West Middlesex Rifles, was called. He said
he was at the range on the day of the accident, where a
squad of three bad been firing at 500 yards. At six
o'clock, considering it too lateto continue the shooting, he
advised the men to leave off, and at once put up the
danger flag. One of the men, however, expressed a
wi.h to have a few shots at 300 yards, and while he
was pouring the powder into his rifle at that range he
heard a shot tired from where the London Brigade
were practising. He said, "Good God, there's a shot
gone from the Queen's range, and all those people at
the front of the target?" He went to ascertain who
had fired the shot. The London Brigade denied firing
it, and Sergeant Grange, their instructor, produced a
register showing that four men had shot. Subse-
quently he seiil there were toii other men. All the
shots were marked in the register as hits; but two men
were firing at alternate targets.
Thomas Briggs, a boy in the service of the Queen's
(Westminster) Volunteers as flag hearer, in the course
of his evidence said—l saw a gentleman (one of the
squad composed of two met) aim towards the West
Middlesex target. I was going to speak, hut they told
me to shut up, and I did not say anything about it.
Alter the shot was fired, and I saw the sinter of the
deceased running down the range crying out that her
sister was killed, I crird out "Cease firing."
Sergeant Grainge, who had charge of the squad of
the London Brigade, produced the register, which in-
dicated that only one shot had been fired by each man,
blit be would not swear that more were not fired. He
did not say when he heard of the accident, "It serves
her right." The only observation he made use of was,
" That he didn't wonder at it." The men of the Lon-
don Brigade who fired at No. 2 target of the Queen's
were examined sets whether they had not mistaken
the 'West Middlesex for their own ; but they both
Positively said they eoald not have done so.
Other evidence was adduced which conclusively
proved that the fatal shot had come from where the
London Brigade were shooting; and after an inquiry
of nearly three hours' duration, the jury returned a
verdict "That the deceased was killed by a rifle shot
from the London Rifle Brigade."