Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1866-07-13
coNJUGAL FELICITY.
Remarkable Murder and Remarkable Cor

M
.19t mm al fession. q ia Iao.e $50
Z In Chicago recently, a man named
Joseph Short, while under the influence
of liquor attacked his wife without pro-
vocation, and killed her by crushing her
head with stool As soon as the deed
was done he went into another room sat
down and commenced smoking. Short
offers the Temporary deusion I" theory
in expiation Of his crime. Ia his "con-
fession before the coroner he said:
q" NV name is Joseph Short / spell
itJ. o. S. +. p III. f. came from Ire
land, and have been in this country for
nine years. first stopped in New Jer-
sey; have been in Chicago seven years
worked along the wharves, and some
times at iron works. 1 got married in
New Jersey, and soon after the marriage,
started with my wife to California, but
| got some letters from Corunna which
spoilt my calculations, and ! went from
one place to another, and finally came
to Chicago, worked here steadily for
long time In January last went
down to ST. Louis for six weeks When
came back | could get no work, and
went to drinking. | commenced drink
ing about a year ago | heard this
morning that my wife was dead This
gentleman (pointing to an officer told
me about it. Well, | expected she would
be. | Thought she was dead before left
her, but / suppose | hadn't given her
enough. | intended to kill her, and if
she wasn't dead, then / would have
killed her anyhow. If I'd thought
there was drop of breath in her when
lett her, I'd taken it out o her, for |
designed to kill her, and if she wasn't
dead when | left her, Tin willing to
suffer Just the same as if she was
The reason why came to kill her was
this There were two ghosts got into
my inside, and got up so high placing
his hand upon his stomach) Then a
spirit appeared to me and said he was
going TO kill me, and accused me of
things that never happened. You see it
was dead man, but he was speaking to
me Just the same as if he wasn't dead
Well, he walked away and then another
came, and finally both attacked me-
resisled them and called for my wife to
help me, but she wouldn't do it, and said
that she didn't see the ghost. The diff
ferent shapes, they come and go out of
the window and then back and spit fire
at me, AT last | got up and went out to
get away from the spirits, and j thought
to myself as | was walking round that il,
my wife wouldn't take my part might
lust as well kill her. SO / made up my
mind that | would 20 back and do it.
The folks thought was crazy, but by
gosh, knew what | was doing. Those
that didn't know all the circumstances
might very well think was crazy Well,
| went back to my house, and | said to
myself, by gosh | will kill her right off
So went in to where she was to get it
done. | jumped on her and gave her
a couple of kicks, but found | was doing
no good, because had no boots on, so |
took up a stOol--that $ the one--(point-
ing to a broken stool on the tablet, and
hit her over the head. Then went down
to give myself up, when the policemen
they came. into. the house, and j came
over to the station here. Ithoughtif she
lived few minutes after it makes NO diff
ference, because | never would have left
her until done it. was satisfied when
came to the North Market Hall that
had made it all right ! considered that
was right in killing her, but | don't
know, of course. | may be mistaken
/ never had two hard words with her all
the time that l had lived with her, We
we're like two children
On being asked if he was still annoyed
with the ghosts, he said " N-no, not at
present. | saw some of them last night
at the armory. They we're not the same
as was after me before They were only
just the kind of spirits as there always is
at the calaboose. ...-E ail
Having made this statement, Short re-
tired to another part of the hall and lis
tened to the rest ofthe testimony as if he
felt no further interest in the proc edings,