The weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1858-1860, 1858-04-06
4 DreaAfml Murder and 0Macfde.-A
wife 0eA Ths 60 Cht1ofo0 p0tsODe4s

\
! wife 0ma Ths 90 Cht1o 90 p0tsoDeA.
s- frrom the New York rribunel
Michael Brcnan, formerly Of this city. who
xaa sent TO California about two years since BY
| the Mount Hope Mining Company SO them
agent. after having poisoned his wife aHd three
children. then committed suicide himself by
s,e aau,e means. Mr.. Brennan was formerly
1 connected with the press Of this city, in the
capacity Of reporter. We take the following
from our files Of newspapers received by the
Noses Tsylor:-
An extra Of the Grass Valley Telegraph. pub
i;shed OH the Esd February, contains report
| ~ the INQUEST on the body Of Michael Brennan,
h.s wife and three children, who had died from
the effects Of prussic acid, administered by Mr..
/ Brenan. He was agent Of the Mount Hope
! Mining Company, and the involved condition oi
| the affairs Of the company was the cause OF hla
murder and suicide About two months ago be
had made M assignment of all his property to
hie creditors. He had obtained seven ounces
4 and half Of prussic acid from San Francisco,
for the cypress purpose Of committing his crime,
which he planned deliberately and carried ont
coolly. The Telegraph says:-
The acid, which is almost instantaneous in
| it's effects, had been administered to each one
Sc parately, in different rooms, and pillow, no
| doubt, imnediate pressed upon their faces, to
smother any possible ontcry. When found, the
face Of each body. with the exception of that Of
| Mr.. Brennan, was covered with pillow. Mrs.
Brennan was undoubtedly the first victim then
the children. one after the other, the tragedy
finally closing 4ith the unfortunate man him
self.
"The high social position which the parties
| held in our midst, and wherever they were
known, has added greatly to the intensity Of
1 feeling and interest which the event has pro-
duced. Mr.. Brennan was man of high intellec-
tusl culture, having been . graduate OF Trinity
college. Dublin. Mrs. Brennan was also lady
of very superior intellectual and social endow.
ments she spoke some four or five languages.
The children we're beautiful, intelligent and ex.
| ceedngiy interesting. They had been residents
of Grass Valley for the past year and hall, and
during that time Mrs. Brenan, in particular, had
acquired the love of all who knew her, by her
amiabiiity, her good sense and kindly DISPOSE
ton. The most perfect union existed between
the husband and wife, and both, ct all times,
exhibited the greatest affection to their children
All who have been intimate with them. unite in
saying that happier family could not be found
Il was this very intensity Of affection which
could not bear to see the beings he idolized
know adversely, that maddened the brain OF .
loving husband and doting father, and thus
brought on the terrible catastrophe.
"The evidence and attending circumstances
show most cOnclusively that Mrs. b. was an un.
conscious party to the dreadful tragedy. How
the poison was administered to her is and ever
must be mystery"
The Alta California says;-We have lying
before US letter written by lady Of that town,
to friend in this city, which gives SO well con.
nected a narrative of the affair, that we avail
ourselves of the privilege Of making the follow
ing extract:-
!" Mrs. Brenan did not tell the girls to go to
church, and the cook heard Mr. b. ask Mrs. B.
if the two servants were not going. Mrs. B.
said, 'You know the Cook (Delia) is not WE'LL ,
The nurse, KITTY, went to church, and the cook
took the two eldest children out to walk. Mrs.
B. then took the youngest child in her arms,
and walked up and down the verandah, until he
came and took it from her, when she went aud
laid out the children's clothing ready for their
bath when they came back from the walk. The
last the cook saw Of Mrs. B. was when she left
the verandah and went into the house. 1t is
supposed that he did not tell his wife that he
| had lost heavily, and was deeply involved, mo:e
than ten minutes before her death. As she was
| totally unacauainted with her husbands iinan-
cial condition, she knew nothing of his embar.
rassment and when he told her Of his stua-
| tian and what he meant to do with himself, the
shock caused her to feel faint, and she laid down
on the sofa. At this time he handed her glass
| OF claret, with the deadly poison in it, which
| she drank, thinking it was only wine, and that
| it would revive her. A loaded pistol nas on
| the table, for use in she had not drank the
scine. After drinking, she clenched her hands
| and struggled some, when he put the pillow
over her face and smothered her then satura-
| ted piece of sugar with the poison, and fed it
to the child. When the cook returned he took
the eldest child q girl, and administered the
sugar to her. He then called the boy, Bobby,
| into the room, but he ran out crying oh
| m ANNA = but the father followed him, calling
him his little man, took him up in his arms, car
| ried him back, gave him some sugar and smoth-
cred him. The girl who was preparing lunch
| in another apartment did not think anything
unusual of any actions. After killing the en-
tire family, the father secured all the doors and
sat down to write, but hearing Martineau come,
he stepped out, and. holding the door in hia
hand, told him the girls were At church, and
that he would not bother about lunch, but hava
dinner at s O'Clock. He said Mrs. Brennan was
not well, and had laid down. In the letter he
wrote, he said he wanted Martineau, the Bee
retary of the Company, to be sure they were al
dead.
.sIt appears that Mr.. Brennan was engaged ID
quartz mining at Grass Valley, and had beer
u, fortunate, lost heavily, and was owing work
men and stOrekeepers, and felt that he couit
| not get out Of his embarrassments. The citi
| xens of the place, knowing the family well
aud esteeming them highly, were very deepl!
affected with this dreadful tragedy, and coul'
6nd no palliasion for this Wholesale murder OF III
family" 'fss pr '0
Brennan left several letters, which are no
ted, but were evidently written q short tim
before the tragedy took place. 1t appears tha
pecuniary difficulties, in connection with mining
ip,Delled him 10 the terrible deed.
sp,RIr OF THE LicoxPros CoMBArANrs.-1
Washington correspondent Of the N. 4. Time
writes:
There is marked bitterness on the part Of tn
Southern Democrats towards Douglas. The
ha We transferred their hatred ofthe Republican
, to him, and their chief anxiety now is, that
should not reap the reward Of his "treachery
!. have very little doubt that, if compelled
choose between Douglas and Seward Tor Pres
dent, the whole band Of Pro-Slavery ire eater
; with Toombs at their head, would vote for u
latter. Mr.. Douglas, on his part, is by no meal
mealy-mouthed or over fastidious in his EXPIRE
sions Of opinion. At an early stage Of his defe
tion.-wh.le he was having interviews with II
: President, in the hope that they might come
: some agreement,-the latter remarked to III
! that it was very perilous for public man to p
: himself in opposition to his party, and that
|
> fate of Rivee and Tallmadge who rcbelled again
= the policy of Gen. Jackson. ''Permit me,
: President" Mr.. Douglas replied,-"Permt =
y to remind you that Gen. yackson Is dead" Tt
! is very much the tone which the Illinois Senat
= has taken throughout this ontest,-and II mt
. confessed that it is not emnently conciliatoI
n 9-.----.--s----s =s-sG
vi Afflicted Read.
.. Bedford, Cuyahoga Co., May 8, 1856.
le Among the many patent remedies Of the d
ts there are few. if any, surprising OF equalling
m intrinsic worth, "Bach's American Compoun
te Having sold large amount the past season, .
III witnessed ts happy effects in very many chro
ur cases OF disease, I ami conetrainedl to ackne
in ledge its surprising merits as . remedial age
o. and feel fully confident that it will sustain
vn present high reputation as being one Of the b
medicines now in use.
R. N. HurcHINsoN. Chemist Druggist
10. We invite our readers to the perusai OF
~. Ayers advertisements which appear in the c
"a umns OF our paper. They derive attention
" treating Of what interests rs oil, and fror
e. source which oil have long respected. The
oo is we'll known - one Of the leading Chemist;
Il this country. Who dsvotes his great acqu