Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1869-05-24
4 MYSTERIOUS MURDER
A Well Known SalOQH-keeper Killed IN .
Bagni0.
Ne 81 sts at a Woman and is Himself Killed
by an unknown Ayeager-
A suddeh and AxfaI Death.
P~retracted Session OFthe Coroher's IaryT'
No Verdict Attained.
Numerous Arrssis---Fun Particulars.

! discredit to a country village instead
of a large city, and that, too, a city
] that,had earned fOFitself aprominence
in the bloody annals OF erime-was
brought to q close on Saturday night
by q tragedy so startling and terrible,
1 drawing into its dark and bloody inn
~plicatiOns so many persons, and hap
pening so near one Of the principal
hotels of the city, that it was yester-
day the topic Of conversation among
all classes.
Yesterday morning, about ten min
utes past one O'Clock, as Officers FarTel
and Gallagher arrived at No. Is en-
Iginehouse on their beat, they heard a
| Single pistol-shOt, followed by two or
| three others in rapid succession, pro-
ceeding from the vicinity Of the Over
ton Hotel. They made their way ra-
pidly down Main toward the point
whence the reports seemed to proceed,
and as they got to the bagniO of Nan.
| McGinnis, a few doors above the Over
ton, on Main street, they found the
front door open and q crowd gathered
ut the foot of the stairs.
They Immediately entered, and on
arriving at the head OF the stairs saw
/ INC Al4L1LlNco Vi AAAC AOAlNf NAC AONOAA
Gus Nan McGinnis, standing in the
hallway. Farrel asked her what was
the matter, and as he did so she
stepped over to the body of a man
that was lying in q pool of blood, and
said: There's a man killed, that's
all" Everything was quiet about the
house, and Officer Farrell asked her if
there was any other person in the
house. She said no, and Gallagher
told her that she then must be the per-
son who did the killing. She replied:
mo, she did not kill the son of a
-, but she shot at him; there said
she, pointing to q pistol lying on the
floor, is my pistol" Farrell stepped
over to a pool of blood and picked up
a Colts five chambered pistol, large
pocket size. 1t was at full cock, and
two Of the chambers were exploded.
Farrell remarked this fact, and asked
her where the third pistol was-re-
Wondering the three shots. She re-
piled: "Ffnd 1t! There are only two
! Ofthis exploded. Idon't know where
it is The body, when Farrell came
in, was still alive, but died a moment
after. He Immediately took McGinnis
in custody, and sent Gallagher for
more police. Gallagher on his way,
sent for DR.. Lynch, who came only 10.
find a cold corpse.
Capt. SimOnds and a body OF police
arrived shortly aftcrWard, and arres-
ted all the inmates Of the house, and
sent them tothe ADAMS street Station,
where they were kept till yesterday
morning, when Coroner amelsonh held
an inquest, eliclting the bllOWing'
facts:
The deceased, whose name is Ed
| ward ScanlOn, formerly a porter at the
Overton Hotel, but lately a keeper of.
a bar room on the corner Of Exchange
and Main streets, came to McGinnis'
house about half past twelve O'Clock
Saturday night, intoxicated, TO see q
woman named Nettie Myers. He
went to her room, but She refused to
entertain him, telling him that Miss
McGinnis had advised her not TO have.
anything to do with him, or words to
that effect.
This enraged ScaulOn, and leaving
Myers room lac went down stairs TO
the parlOr, where NcGinnis was, and
commenced cursing and abusing her.
She ordered him out of the house, but
he refused TO go, and struck her. She
left the parlOr, and going into her bed
room, opened the top drawer Of Il bu-
reau and took out u pistol. cooked It
and put it in her pocket. This was in
presence Of 4 woman named Mamie
steele, and \ young man named Wis.
Harry.
Steele, as soon as she saw this,
dreading trouble, went to the door
TO call the police, but not seeing any,
she a back up stairs to look for a
whistle. BY this time McGinnis had
returned to the parlor and ordered
Scanlon 10 leave the house. saving rs |
she dds That the law allowed her to
tell q man three times to leave her
hOuSe,-nOt showing her weapon, |
however. ScanlOn on this seized her
and threw her IN q sofa, and as she
rose from It, she attempted to draw
her pistol, but Scanlon again seizing |
her, threw her down on the floor. |
Again she rose, this time with the pis-
tol in her hand, and he seized it, and
a scufhe ensued for the possession of
the weapon, Scanlon holding on TO
the barrel, and McGinnis holding tic
handle and cock 10 keep it from ex-
plOding. Harry, hearing the scuf-
ling, and apprehending trouble, at
this juncture went into the parlor and'I
begged the two 10 desist, telling Nc
Ginnis TO give the man Scanlon
the pistol; that he (Scanlon) Was
her friend and would not hart
her. She, still struggling with
.Scanlon, replied that She would
if he would let loose and allow
her to put down the hammer. Sean
lon still held on, and McGinnis. who /
Is q powerful woman, turning the
muZZle upwards in such a n as
TO clear ScanlOn and Harry, pulled
trigger and fired of the pistol. She
then relinqUished her hold omit. and
told ScanlOn to take it and go. He,
as o o as he got possession Of il, leap
ed back a step, cooked it, and swear
ing he would kill her and everybody
IN the house, showed the loaded wea-
pom in her face, examining the muZZle
almost into her mouth. Harry begged
him not TO shoot, and showed Mc(5in-
his into another room.
Mamie Steele, the woman spoken of
above, when she saw this, ran again
down stairs to call the police, and as
she did so she heard a second shot
fired, and looking back saw Scanlon
with the pistol in his hand standing In
the parlor door, just, at the head ofthes
As she arrived at the foot oil
the steps, she saw two men standing
to some women in a carriage,
was standing in front of the
door. The hack was driven by John
whom she told to run for
police, that there was murder"
or shooting" goingo on up stairs. Ash
she said this the two men, whom she
says she also knew, and Identified i
but whose names we think best, un-
Ter the circumstances, to withhold I'M
IL the Coroner returns his verdict
upstairs 10 stop the fuss. She
continued on out iatO the street and
toward the Overton, but did not
ret more than ten steps before she
leard two pistot-shots fired. {
For what ensued from the time OF
he firing the first shot, we viii now
axe s
nan. M'GISNIs' STATEMENT. Il
After Harry showed me into the :