The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1870-10-20
THE HAGERTY MURDER.
From the Dubuque Iowa Herald.

pamphlet form. The copyright is duly Sc
cured by Judge McClintocll. of the Favette
Co. Union and the publication is by the
McGrcgor Times, in its usual style of neat
ness Of that office The pamphlet consists of
nearly fifty pages, and in the main is the
confession of Thompson a. written by his
own hand
The murder was committed in December,
1868, was discovered in May, 1869, by the
finding Of the trunks and the bodies Of the
murdered family by fishermen, the former
near Prairie du Chen the latter between
Cassville and this city. The particulars of
the case were published in the Herald as
fast as they We're ascertained, and u full re-
ton, conducted by the district attorney and
Hon. John T. Stoneman and Judge Muir
dock, and for the defence conducted by Hon
Reuben Noble, f. Odell, II. Updcgratf and
l.. l.. Ainsworth, appeared in our columns.
The readers of the Herald have therefore q
complete understanding of the case. They
will find additional interest in the published
confession of the convicted man in the verti.
cation Of the greater portion of the testimony
which it gives The murder OF Mrs lIagerty
and her two boys is confessed. Her daughter
is said to have died before the commission of
the murder. The details of the confession
are nearly identical with the testimony of the
prosecution, except in the matter of the loca-
ton of the crime, The one is to the effect
that the crime was committed within the
jurisdiction of the state of Iowa. the other
that it was committed in Wisconsin where
changing for murder is played out" even
though the murder, by the confession of the
murderer, is one of the most brutal known in
the animals of crime.
Our space will permit of only brief state
ment of the main portions of the confession,
and the portion in full which details the com
mission of the murder
Andrew Thompson, 4 wealthy farmer of
Clayton country, first became acquainted
with Maria Hagerty at the saloon of her
husband at Bulls Head, in 1873. In 1861 he
employed her to work for him. In 1864 he
became criminally intimate with her, contin-
uing this intimacy until 1866. In the latter
year she gave birth to 4 child, the offspring
of this intimacy, having some time before
was murdered by the mother, with the
knowledge of Thompson, and by him con
cealed. Thompson claims that he then
sought to get rid of the woman, but She per
sisted in remaining near him, and by threats
obtained complete control of him. His wife
became alarmed, and was also threatened
with violence. Having in vain endeAvored
to purchase release from the woman, and in
vain sought to induce her to leave him,
Thompson, in December OF 1861 consented,
or appeared to consent to her plan Of desert
ing his family and removing with her to
some distant place where they should live to-
gether. On the evening Of December :, 1868
he took Maria IIagerty, her two boys and
daughter into his sleigh, at McG'regor cross
Ell to Wisconsin, and began the journey
which ended in the murder Of the mother and
her children and his return to his home. He
drove to Bridgeport, Patch Grove, Iatt0u,
North Andovcr, Cassvillc, Bectown and
Lancaster. The gin was sick when theV
started and appeared to become worse us
they proceeded. AT Lancaster Thompson
wished to remain all night and save the girl
from further exposure by camping out. as
they had done from lhe time they left Me
Gregor. The mother objected. and charged
Thompson with being dcsrious of delay that
his family might oyertakc him and give him
an excuse for deserving her and returning
home. They drove ON, but had not gone far
when one of the boys called out that his sis
ter had tainted. Thompson tells the story of
the murder rs follows:
1t was beginning to get q little dark, when we
left Lancaster. When we had gone along the
Pattville road about ii mile, should Judge, we
had to cross quite II deep rAvine. just is we got
to the top fthe hill, on the south side of the ry-
vine. one of the boys said Anna had tainted. We
stopped and Mrs. II. dashed some snow into her
face and chated her hands, and in short time She
recovered. Mrs Ii. then wanted her to drink
some Wine. but she wouldn't taste it. Mrs. ii.
then drHnk about one-third of the pint of Wine her
self | urged her strongly to 90 back to Lancas
ter and remain over night and see if we could get
some thing done for Anna, but She wouldn't hear
to it. We then started on again, and travelled two
or three miles, when the boy said he thought Anna
tn dark AVA ti,p-
Der on both sides of the road. turned OIL to the
left of the road into the edge Of the timber ntcnd
ing to stop there for the night stopped about
five or six rods from the road. As as stop
ped handed Mrs. H. match and told her to light
a lantern and see to Anna. unhchcd the horses
from the sled, and, Just rs was in the act Of fast
enlng them to II tree, Mrs. III called out, "bos,,
Anna is dead" (Mrs. II. generally called me Dos,
when she spoke to me) said, surely not. She
said, Eyes am sure she is dead" lifted the two
trunks out of the front of the sled and then got in
and looked at the girl | felt her pulse and put my
ear to her mouth and listened. | chafel her hand,
for some time without effect. She was dead.
When fully satisfied that the girl was dead said to
Mrs. IT,, what are we to do now? She sad we
must dig grave and bury her. | said that
wouldn't do; if we were to dig grave and bury
her there in the woods, without cohin, and the
grave be found and the body dug up, it would be
thought that we had murdered her and we would
be followed and arrested for murder. She SAID the
girl had died natural DEATH and it was nobody'S
business how she buried. | said that was all
very true, but people would make it their business
if they found it out and that the only way for to
do to go back to Lancaster and tell how
the girl had died; have an inquest, if it should be
thought necessary, and then bury her decently- 1
would here remark that Mrs. II. had treated Anna
very harsh and uneclngy all through the trip, and
am sure some of the people where we stopped |
must have noticed it. When | told Mrs. H. that |
we must 60 back to Lancaster, she got into terri
bic passion and said if we went back and had an
inquest we would have to tell who we We're and !
all about ourselves, and then my folks would know |
where | was and would come after me; that it |
would keep us two or three days at Lancaster, and |
by that time my folks would be there. She said |
she knew all | wanted to 60 back for to leave |
her there and go back to my id lazy bitch Of Il
wife" She then called my wife and myself, and |
all my folks every mean and insulting name she
could lay her tongue to, and sWore she would have
all sorts of revenge. | was very angry at her, and
said to her, "there is no of your storming and
| am going back to Lancaster" |
turned to leave the sled, and just as had got one
foot out and had my hands on the end board Mrs.
H. said ''I'll have your life first. She picked up
IL hammer that hanging on the sleigh and
jumped toward me and struck me on the neck. |
think she intended to strike me on the head but
missed her aim, as was raising my head at the
moment. The hammer belonging to Mrs. H., and
was used by me, in the mornings to knock the
balls of snow from the horses feet that had formed
during the night. The next blow that Mrs. H.
dealth me was on the point of the shoulder, right
on the bone, and was very painful. She Strk-
ing with all her might She struck me several
other blows on the arm, as | was in the act of
raising up and bringing my foot back in the sleigh
AS soon as | had got my foot in the Sled and