Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1863-09-29

! " 2I..... .29.47........ .29.54 ........29l60
CoRoNER's INoUEsT.-The result of the
jury of inquest over the body of Mrs. Mary
Clancy, found dead in the cellar of house
in East Worcester, on Friday night last, was
that "she came to her death at the house of
her husband, Thomas Clancy, in the city of
Worcester, by intemperance, restitution, and
neglect; but the exact time of her death is to
the jurors unknown"
The jurors summoned by coroner J. B.
Sibley were Edwin Draper, foreman; W.
S. Goodwin, S. E. Staples, Albert s. Allen,
James A. Whipple. They met at the office
of the coroner, in the Central Exchange, and
their investigations occupied nearly the whole
day yesterday. Some ten witnesses were ex-
| amned, including several of the neighbors,
and the two oldest children of the deceased.
The whole testimony in regard to the family
OF the deceased exhibited a most deplorable
state of destitution and misery, the result of
indulgence in rum drinking. The deceased
had five children under fifteen years of age.
AVN. Vail, residing on Columbia street,
whose wife is a sister of Mrs. Clancy, testified
that on Friday night last two little boys of the
deceased came to his house and said their
mother was dead. He informed Jos. Gala
han, a friend, residing on Winter street, and
went with him to Clancys house. They
struck light, and saw Clancy in he'd dressed
They asked him where his wife was and lie
ranlind sha
went down and found the body stretched out
in the corner, with some leaves and a little
other covering on it. The only mark found
on the body was black spot above the left
elbow. Callahan touched her toe and found
she was dead. He told Clancy something
must be done about the matter, and they went
to the police office. Clancy made no effort
to get up. He said he had been sick with
ularrhea tor three weeks. They thought
Clancy the worse for liquor.
Callahan and Vail reported the matter at the
police Office, and Assistant Marshal Ruggles
visited the house and arrested Clancy, who
stated at the police office that he found his
wife dead in the cellar Friday morning, and
dragged the body to the corner of the cellar
and put the covering on it. lie said at first
that he neither saw the body nor left the
house after doing this until he was arrested
Afterwards he stated that he took the body to
the brook, on a wheelbarrow, to wash it, and
wheeled it back again. Again he varied the
statement by saying that he dragged back the
body from the brook. The body seemed to
have been soaked in water,
DR.. Rufus Woodward, who made the post
mortem examination, said the body looked as
if it had been in the water some time, but
there was no appearance that death was
caused by drowning. Deceased came to her
death from no one cause, but from several
combined. Lung fever in the second stage
was indicated by the state of the BRAIN looked
like person who had been entirely without
food for four or five days; the intestines were
entirely empty; there were no external marks
or bruises sufficient to have caused death; it
might have resulted from total neglect.
1t appeared that Clancy had been seen re-
turning from the brook with the body towards
night on Friday. One witness saw him 20
into the woods, and also had heard Mrs Clan
cy say her husband abused her; had seen her
60 for liquor four or FIVE times a day, and
sometimes fall in the street intoxicated.
Ellen Clancy, girl of fourteen or fifteen,
Clancy's oldest child, testified that her mother
was in the habit OF being drunk whole week
at time, and was in the habit of sleeping in
the cellar, when in such a condition. She
would not come up or do anything, and cared
nothing for the family. She had seen her pa
rents quarrel, and had heard her mother say
that she did not care whether she lived or
not.
Thomas Clancy, Jr., boy of twelve or
thirteen, testified that he had been after liquor
many times for his father and mother, for
months, and got it most of the time at Mrs
McCarty's, on Shrewsbury street; saw his
mother in the water Friday afternoon, and
saw his father draw her out of the water.
About week ago his father tied him up for
something, and he left, and slept in barns and
sheds With his two brothers he went to
Long Pond last Thursday, and from thence
to Main street, but did not stop at home on
the way. When going home, about o'clock.
he saw his father going through the field with
wheelbarrow, on which was his mother.
whom his father put in the water. His BROTH
er Daniel was with him, and they screamed
several times, and ran towards the road.
They slept in a shed that night He stated
that he used to get liquor for his mother at
Mrs. McCarty's, in a tin pail and pay five
cents for quarter of pint.
The verdict of the coroner's jury gives a
statement of what was shown by the evidence.
We give the case at some length, because it
should engage public attention and lead all
good citizens to form a proper estimate of the
business and influence of liquor shops and of
the habits they promote.
DUPREz GREENS MINsTRELs gave one of
the pest concerts of the burnt cork order we
ever attended, at Mechanics Hall last night