The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-09-08
THE BROOKS TRAGEDY.
Hearing E,,l. ,crths Par,le. Arres,cd on suspicion

ntte Information could be obtained bv those
sseenlngly anxious to obtain the latest informa-
Iom' During the night the Mayor, Chief of
folce, and detectives were diligent and brought
IN John Keenan, and his son, who was in the
5tore at the time of the shooting, Thomas
Eagan, John Stockton, and Robert Hamilton
Inc hour OF z. NJ. was fixed for hearing of
these parties.
j. G. Brincllley John p. O'Nein Lewis c.
cassidy, and William b. Mann, Esqs. appeared
Tor the prisoners
The hearing of the case of Thomas Eagan was
proceeded with before Alderman Kerr, Mayor
n FOX being present and Colonel K. VI. Dechert
4 representing the Commonwealth.
John 5. Wilkinson called and affirmed
live at No. 257 North Second street, and am in
the wholesale store of Mr.. Benade No 233 North
Front street; was in the store at the time of
the shooting; went out to see who shot, and
found the wounded man, whom l was told was
Mr. Brooks saw him at Mr.. Martins stores
lett Mr. Martins and went to the front of
Smiths store, on Front street, l got back to
Benades store in fifteen or twenty minutes:
MessTs. Stockton, Belcher and OFT went into
the store with me; | saw Thomas Eagan an hour.
/ or an hour and half, or two hours after the
. shootng he came into Benades store alone; l
knew who he was; had seen him in there fire.
quently: | thought he was II little excited when
he entered the store; he came to the Office door
and asked if Harry Wentz was in; said he was
not; he turned and went to the front door, stood
there short time, came back, picked up
piece OF paper wrote something's wrapped
something in the paper, said it was for
4 John Stockton, and placed the package
Il in the drawer of the desk in the office; I asked
him if he had heard of the shooting, and he said
Eyes, John and heard of it in Walnut street,
l asked if he meant John Stockton and he said,
=, mo, John Keenan," / saw him take a couple of
drinks and heard him say, Brooks ought to
have been shot, and he knew he would be shot
two weeks ago; that Brooks had made 100000
! off the people of Philadelphia and that he
4 risking his life for money; that the - rascal
ought to be shot, for community like this
would not stand man from the West killing up
the Eastern trade, and making all the Eastern
distilleries stand STILL" the bottle of liquor
on a safe, and Eagan took drink talked few
minutes and then took another after he went
out opened the drawer, took out the package,
opened it, and found it contained two revolvers.
A seven and four-shooter were shown the
witness, and the witness identified them us the
ones wrapped in the paper-a Bucks county
newspaper.
To Colonel Dechert-Eagan said he knew
Brooks would be shot two weeks ago; he also
said he was going down the street, and sup
posed the detectives would be there; he left the
store alone; saw him next to-day, after l came
in here he did not say anything OF the contents
of the packages he said it was for Mr.. Stockton
and that was all; his back towards us when
he made up the bundles | called the attention
of Mr.. OFT to Mr.. Eagan's wrapping up the
paper before Eagan said anything about who it
was for.
Cross examined by Mr.. Cassdy-I was brought
here by subpoena; was not arrested by an Of
ficer; the first saw of Mayor Fox went to him
between and O'clock before l heard of the
reward; | opened the paper ten minutes after
Eagan left; / had no business connection with
Stockton; l took the liberty of opening it; the
pistols were not loaded; looked at them and
did not think they had been recently used; Eagan
did not say where he got them; don't know If
Eagan's business is in that locality; L saw him
about there and at the Barley Sheaf; his face
indicated excitement; the same expression might
have been been on my face and those OF other
persons; saw him take two drinks and thought
it rare thing for him; | made charge to the
Mayor on these things and what | heard in the
forenoon; know nothing further but what was
told by Stockton.
Mr.. Cassidy-Mr. Stockton is here and can
speak for himself, | suppose.
Witness resumed-I think Keenan's is square
away from Benades | attend at Benade's place
/ do most anything there; l don't know Mr.
Brooks; never heard he was to be shot; | used
to follow the business OF keeping hotel IN the
country.
The prisoner now said something to Mr.. Gas
sidy, whereupon the examination of the witness
was continued, as follows:-I said to Eagan tina
/ understood Mr.. Brooks was a nice man. an(
the man who did it ought to be hung sai(
nothing about Western trade had not been in
innate with Eagan; had spoken to and nodded
at him dozen times | don't know that eve
had a conversation with him before; say 1T
told me all this without previous conversation
have been with Benade since last Saturday;
was conductor on the Chestnut and Walnu
Streets Railway before this, and then went tt
live at the Barley Sheaf l went on tick for
living since the 1st of March; before that wa
in Plumstead, Bucks county, being with M
father-in-law before that | kept hotel at Bridg
Valley Bucks county; then was at Pineville
Bucks county, in the commission business tina
is, l drove a commission wagon; | not ped
ding, but | hauled produce and sold it; wen
to York State, to Owego, and stopped at DaviC
sons Hotel six weeks went back to Pinevill
and sold out my commission business and di
! nothing to April /; | was in this city before
II was in Pineville; IN 1866 l kept -four and fee
store at No. 1906 Edgmont street (Richmond)
this city: was there six or eight months.
w. j. Thorman sworn reside Mt No. lO9
Front street; | know where keenan's store i
it is three doors above me, on the opposite sid
/ saw several persons rush out of Keenan,
store, one of whom recognized as Mr.. Brook
was in the second story of my building, an
ran down, and when | got in the street Brool
was fourishing a revolver; followed the yehic
TO New street and then came back and four
Mr.. Brooks had been shot; heard no eXpl'
sion: | subsequently saw Mr.. Brooks taken ava
in a carriageb by Mr.. Franklin. No cross-eXam
nation =,
S. Weir Mitchell, NJ D., sworn-I reside
No 1882 Walnut street; | have been in atten
anee on Mr. Brooks since ~ o'clock yesterdi
4 afternoon; ! last saw him an hour ago. he
confined to his bed, suffering from gunsh
J wound back of the right chest; | thlnK IL
likely upon the whole that he wlll recover, .
he NAV do so: in the generality OF such cas-
recovery does not occur the lung is puncture
undoubtedly; yes, certainly; there was hel
orrbape before / saw him. but none now.
Cross-examined by Mr.. Cassidy.-A won
puncturing the lung is not necessarily lat
more than a majority large proportion
q them are fatal; the present condlton Oh
Brooks is good, so far. ~ ,,
TO Alderman Kerr-I think it is proOal
Mr. Brooks will die from the wound.
To Colonel Dechert-We know that when
4 a hnH