The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1864-11-25
THE MURDER Ar WiLLOUGHBV'S.
Killing Of a Soldier in Cold Blood.
Proceedings Of Coroner's Inquest.
IRepoyfed for the Pioneer

At au inquest held at the house of Am
herst Willoughby, in the town OF lnver
Grove, Dakota county, by VIM. FELTON,,
Coroner of said county. on the body OF
George Arnold, Second Minnesota Caval-
~, the following statements appeared in
evidence:
connty: first saw defendant on Tuesday, Nov.
8. AID. 1854, between the hours OF and 3
o'clock p. NJ of said day, near Mr.. Willough-
by's. on the road running from Mr. WillOugh-
by's: asked him (defendsnt) If those men were
after him; told me yes but he was not the
man saw three men running alter him one
man turned back and got team-wss Mr..
Thomas Eagan he was driving the team on a
run; saw two men running before the team
Pat. N1ehan and Hugh McFIugh one had o
pitchfork handle; saw nothing in the hands OF
Pat. Mcchan then; deceased saw them coming
with team and jumped over the fence into Mr.
Roe's field saw deceased fall down; saw Pat
Meehan and MclIngh jump over the renee ana
catch deceased Eagan tied the team Meohan
and McHugh held deceased till Eagan came to
them: then Eagan threw deceased on the
ground and jumped on him; commenced
pounding him in the face with Jumps of dirt;
McHugh then jumped upon his body with his
feet; was not over four rods from them .Thos.
Eagans wife and Ellen Day were present
and tried to get the men away-got them out
Of the field, then Eagan got away from them
and run tn the fence, broke off board some
Ave or six feet long deceased was lying on
his back and attempted to turn over; Eagan
was pounding him on the head with the boar :;
saw Eagan take the board and throw 1t into
the wagon, unhitch his wagon and drive III
When E.gan was gone, l went up to decease'
found him living on his back his he'd all
mashed ana badly mangled bis brains bea' ont
and face andy cut; he was dead. Hugh Con
peliy said they would kill him and went away
with Mr. Eve saw McIlugh stamp deceased in
face with his heel, supporting himself on "a
gan shoulders; saw Mcfiugh jump over the
fence and take the knife home to Connolly.
This knife was nearly 10 inches long; black
handle; saw Hugh Ntzhugh, go into Connelly's
and get the knife and take it TO Thomas Eagan,
and gave it to him was nearly ~ rods from
Connolly to where deceased lay; saw Eagan
use the knife in some way; Mctlugh stood De-
tween Eagan and myself. Pat Meehan chased
US away Uriah Scott was with me. Uriah had
on q black coat resembling soldiers coat
He, Pat Meehan, asked me if was a soloier.
l answered, No, it was MIR. : otis boy. Pat
Meehan run off into ne road; lext saw nlm
running for woods back OF Whlttemores;
McHugh went up to W'longhby's; Thomas
Eagan remained till he led the man then
Eagan's wife, went with him. deceaseds poe
kets were not turned wrong S!le out then:
URIAH B. SCorr, SIR nj reside in Dakota
county: am nearly fourteen years old ffrst
saw deceased in this county on November 9Th,
1864, between two and three o'clock p. NJ,
RI ming up from WiIloughby's; Thomas Hall
asked him if these men were after him de-
ceased answered yes, but he was not the man;
saw two men running after deceased; do not
know the names; came to the corner OF the
fence; saw . man driving team very fast, on
the run do not know his name; Thomas Hall
was with RE; we followed them and saw the
man driving team hitch up to the fence;
climbed over the fence into Mr.. Connellys
field; saw a man pounding the deceased; 1
was nearly twenty-five rods from them; one
man had pitchfOrk handle; was chased
away; the man who chased me away was one
of the persons sssauting and beating the de-
ceased
JOHN WILTOUGHBY, sDaTn.-t reside in In
YER Grove, Dakota county, Minnesota; am
IA years of aye first saw deceased November
8, A. d., 1864, at the house of my father in
company with two other soldiers; all got din
ner /; after dinner heard some conversation be-
tween the soldiers and Eagan we're talking
on politics; saw Barney McGrorty strike one
of the soldiers; then saw Pat. Meehan take up
the pitchfork handle next saw Pat Meehan at
the house again when Barney McGrorty says
you have been fOOling away your time l
found the soldiers in the brush !; then helped
Pat. Meehan unhitch bis team he Pat. Meehan
told me there was one Lessor one dead SOL
der down in the field cannot say which;
then drove of.
JACOB o. WALKER, sDorH-Am acquainted
with the deceased; his name is George Arnold;
have known him thirteen months; identify
the body Of deceased as the body of George
Arnold last saw him alive November 8 A.. d.
1864 in the morning at Fort Smelling
j. K. FINCH, S,oon I'll am practicing ply
stefan in Dakota county; have made a post
mortem examination of deceased deceased
came to his death by injuries received on the
head and face by some blunt aud sharp instru-
inents almost every bone in head is fractured;
the head is not more than One-half it's natural
length; about one-third Of the brain is eX-
posed
After hearing the testimony the jury
brought in verdict, to-wit, that deceased
came to his death by the hands of Thomas
Eagan, Hugh McHugh and Patrick Meehsn,
on the 9Th day of November, A. u. 1864,
at the town OF Rosemount, in this county.
WIN FELTON,,
If dakota Cnnuty