The native American., 1838-03-03
SUPPOSED MURDER OF THREE MEN

Early yesterday morning it was whispered
about by thousand-tongued rumor, that horrid
murder was discovered, from the confession Of a
woman, the wife of one of the parties, to have
been committed on three men, at shanty at Gray
Ferry, on The other side of the Schuylkill, about
five or six weeks since; that the bodies had been
brought up at dead of night, and buried in box
at water-mark, on the banks Of the Schuylkill
near, but below Manayunk; that the cause Of the
murder was dispute which originated in secta-
rian religious controversy between the parties
murdered, who were Protestants, and number
of men in the shanty who were Roman Catholics,
or rather that the latter had attempted to impose
some religious test or oath upon the former; and
that the bloody demon Of whiskey presided at the
commission Of the deed, and urged it on.
Immediately on being thus informed by a gen
tleman who came from Manayunk, direct from an
examination Of the circumstances, one of us pro-
ceeded to Manayunk to learn, if possible, the
whole particulars which had come to light, and
endeavor to procure copy of the legal proceed
ings, if any there were, in relation to the mat
ter We succeeded in procuring from the magis-
trate copy of the deposition made by the wo-
man, which we here gve:--
COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA
Philadelphia County, IS:
On the 21st day Of February, 1888, personally
appeared before me, p. Murphy, one Of the ma
gistrates for the County of Philadelphia, District
of Manayunk, Jane Kelly, who, on her solemn
oath, doth depose and say, that in the month of
January, 1898, in the shanty Of Barney M'Gin-
mes, near Gray's Ferry, on the Schuylkill river,
John Dougherty, Charles M Gowen, and Michael
Conaway, were murdered by number of men,
among whom were Patrick Kelly, her husband,
Lackey Kelly, and Barney M'Ginnes; and that
the said murdered men were buried near the wa
ter Of the Schuylkill, below the Falls bridge.
She further states, that she was in the shany pre-
vious to the murder, and was put out but after
wards saw the three dead bodies with their throats
cut, or torn out That after she had been put out
Of the shanty, she heard the cries Of those getting
murdered particularly that Of John Dougherty,
who exclaimed often, ah! aM a,aee! an express
sion, we are informed, sgifying great distress or
lextremity.7 And, further, that Mary M'Ginnes
(wife Of Barney MsGinnes) and Barney, came
i with the bodies of the three murdered men to
where they were buried; and that it was near one
O'Clock in the morning of Sunday, when they sunk
the box in the hole by laying on stones. Feb
22d.
| Jane Kelly was committed TO give testimony.
[True copy from docket
CSigned,l 10 i. F. MURPHY.
Manayunk, Feb, .2ad, 1898,
1t was only by accident it appears, it became
known that the woman was acquainted with li
true,) SO horrid transaction. As a reason for not
revealing her knowledge before, she said she fear
ed the threats they had made if she did 50, and
we may add, that the fact of her being the wife OF
| one of the men implicated in the murder, may
have had its influence to Keep her silent She
4 has pointed out the place where she thought the
bodies were buried, and search is making for
them, but thus far without success. Before her
deposition was taken, we are informed, physi-
clans pronounced her perfectly sane. But we are
told by the magistrate that ne had seen the man
Dougherty in his Office since the deposition was
taken! II is said by some, however, that he is
not the person meant, buthas different first name
No one has been as yet arrested.
i Whether these murders have or have not been
perpetrated, is for court Of justice and the pub
lie decide. 1t is due to the public, to the cause
of justice, and to the individuals implicated, who
ever they may be, that an investigation be had.
! If there be just foundation for the charge made
on oath by the wife of one of the individuals
and which charge has kinded flaming excite
ment throughouta portion of the community, ther
public duty requires that the officers of Justice
should not stop until the perpetrators are brough
to punishment. If, on the contrary, the accusa
ton in the above deposition be but the wild vagary
of an insane woman, and the slanderous imputa
ton cast upon innocent men be spread by thou
lsand-tongued rumor with the speed of the wind