Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1867-09-14


Ia the confession made by the woman
Bridget Deignan mot Durgan, as her.
name has been heretofore understood
who was executed at Brunswick, N. j.,
on Friday last, for killing her mistress,
she stated that she was twenty-one
years old; that she was born in ClOogh,
Sligo county, Ireland; that her father
was a grocer in good circumstances;
that she stole EGO from him and ran
away to this country with another girl,
and that she had served in several fam
lilies before engaging in that of DIR.
Coriel. The dreadful story of her crime
is told as follows: / am alone the gull
tv party, and it came about in this way
While / was living with DIR. Coriel /
was taken sick and did not feel able TO
do the work, and thought / would
leave. Mrs. Coriel was pleased to think
/ was going to leave, but the Doctor be-
came exceedingly interested in my case.
The weather being cold, the Doctor
thought my room too cold for me to
sleep in, so had me to make my bed
and be in the sitting room; but / was
not satisfied lying there, and so he
wanted me to take the front room, up
stairs, which Mrs. Coriel objected to.
1 was then induced by him TO make my
bed in the kitchen, near the fire,
which / did, when he would stop
by me, and, as he said, watch me.
One night he pushed the lounge out of
the sitting room and lay upon it, to
watch me, at which Mrs. Corriel re-
monstrated with him about doing so,
saying that be could let the lounge re-
main In its place in the sittiDg-rOom
and watch me as well as to pull it out
in the kitchen where / was, when the
Doctor got mad, and remarked to me
that he wished Mrs. Coriel was dead or
out of the way. L made myself think,
from this, that the Doctor liked me,
aud that, and did really think that he |
did want to get her out of the way;
and this 50 preyed upon my mind that
/ thought / must kill her; so / thought |
/ must say something to some one
about it, as / thought if put her out
of the way / would be all right with |
the Doctor, and would be kept 10 his |
employ to take care of the house and |
his baby. took Mary Gilroy into my
so far as to tell her that |
would happen over to DR.. |
Coriel's, but the crime / did not men
ton 10 her. This occurred several /
days before the murder, and / cOntem
plated leaving the Doctors, but he IN
duced me TO stop until got better. / /
heard him say that he was going away
that day and might not return until
or very late at night, and / /
went over to VIM. Walls and told the
girls there that he would not be home
that night. Some time between eight
and nine o'clock in the evening, Mrs.
Coriel went into her bedroom and un-
dressed. She slipped on Der old dark
wrapper and came out in the sitting
room and laid down on the lounge.
After watching until all was quiet
around outside of the house and for
her to get asleep, thought it fitting
and taking up the little
child's chair struck her with it on the
head once or twice. My mind had
been made up previously that 1 would
put her out of the way some time when
the doctor was not present. Mrs. Co
riel was only little stunned by the
blow with the chair, and jumped up
when she found that it was me, she ex.
"DOn't kill me, Bridget" and
she grasped me by the throat and
with me for her life, during
which time / bit her on the cheek to
make her loose her hold. She picked |
up the largest chair and struck at me
and missed me. She then ran ont of |
the door on the porch, and ] ran after
her and brought her back. As she
came back, and was passing thro' the
sitting room she stopped down and /
kissed her little babe that was standing |
in the middle of the room. i then
seized the bread knife, which / had
obtained and placed on the
table in the sitting-room, and hit her |
with it two or three times.
She Their grasped the knife, and in
my endeavors to wrench it from her
cut her hand badly. After releasing
her hold on the knife, / took hold of |
her and pushed her in the bed room, |
and as was doing this, she resisted |
and placed her bloody hands against |
the door jam TO try and prevent me
from getting her into the bed room,
but succeeded in forcing her into the |
bed room and on the bed, where j stab |
bed her rapidly with the knife. As
was forcing her into the bed room the |
lamp became upset, and after / got |
done stabbing and beating Mrs. Coriel |
with the knife let her lie On the bed, |
supposing she was dead. L then took |
mp the lamp and poured the contents |
of it on the bed and over the person |
of Mrs. Coriel, and went out and shut |
the door. il then set the child on the