Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1871-12-30
A POLICE OFFICER ntLBD BY 4 wOaly.
sEoT nEan WHILE IN TIE DISCHARGE or DUTY.
Full Particulars OF the Fatal sheet.
ing or Officer Doyle by MIS-. shea.


The Csrossr's IsSssss Tb-6sv.
Erier mention Of the homicide OF oficer Fran
els N. Doyle was made in . portion OF our edi-
ton OF yesterday. The facts in this case appear
to be, that absst . quarter before one o'clock
p. n. yesterday, police onicer Pfaff and Du-
Vail, doing special detective duty, went to the
eroggery kept BY John Shea, No. 500 MARYLAND
avenue, corner Of Louise alley, armed with
which vas charged, had been disposed Of TO
shea ey Ve col0red robbers. who took II
from MA Metzler, In broadday-lisht, In nth
viousty been arrested BY Lieutenant johnson.
On y warrant charging him with receiving
stclen goods, and he was lodged At police head
The o1icers charged, With the execution of the
search warrant found Mrs. Maria Shea, wife of
John Shea, in charge Of the house, and they
were driven out by her, as stated In yesterdays
STAR Pfaf then returned to headq uarters and
reported the situation, and being advised that 1t
was their duty to break open the door he re-
turned. They found the door barred A. Shea's
his slsh .nS 0se Of the ssw
Lewis, doing patrol duty on that beat. When he
arrived he found Pfaf and Duvall at the door
trying to effect an entrance. Mrs. Shea was IN
the house, and refused TO let them enter, but
afterwards agreed to let Lewis and Pfsff i'm if
they would keep Duyall out. At this iuncture
cffcer Lewis was relieved by private Doyle.
termined 10 force an entrance, at wh,ch time,
Mrs. Shea, from within, vas threatening that
she would shoot the first man that entered. The
officers Dade break for the door, which was
forced in, and all entered together. Mrs. Shea
was behind the counter, and levelled the pistol
Remninger navy six shooter, OF the largest
She fired, the ball taking effect in the right
breast OF Doyle, who exclaimed as he fell, 30!
my God" and expired almost instantly. The
eniaged woman was imme diately taken IN Gus
~ Anl f-sf hf.I e.l<
rived on the ground, and she " as marched to the
station-kouse, on the way cursing and resisting
the officers In most violent manner.
THE MURDERED NAN.
The body of Doyle was taken to the first pre-
cfnet station 20 await the action Of Coroner
Potter. Doyle was 80 years OF age, end leaves a
VIE and three small children, who are living at
$40 h street southwest. He was native of Ire
land, and during the war served three years as
fireman on board the nan.Of-w war W abash, from
which service he received an honorable dis
charge. lie has beer on the police force about
five years, and has always been regarded as enc
OF the most faithful officers, never Sinking any
duty assigned hin however disagreeabe or
VILE DEFY.
John Shea, the keeper of the vile den where
the homicide occurred, has been located at this
money fast. Certain it is that no rancho in this
city has given the police sore trouble than this
one, 1t being resort for all the thieves and
prostitutes In the section of the town where 1t is
u
goods. The pistol with which the deed was
committed, and alarge butcher knife some ten
inches in length, which Mrs. Shea was armed
with. were both secured and are at the station
Last night our reporter visited the rancho of
Shea, and found officer Leach and another Off
Ger, and was shown through it. A viler and
more wretched locking place can scarcely be
imagined. 1t appears to be fully stocked With
cheap goods, and the shelves plentifully dotted
with whisky bottles and demijOhns, the contents
OF which, as the officers remarked, "win kill at
&4nAa rnrr nh
up stairs, and a female was in charge of them
whose face Is familiar at the police court. She
gave her name ss Lizzie Nugent, and says She
has just returned from a soiourn of some weeks
at the socia-evil reform institution on the cor
ner OF 9th and . streets, and is now in Mrs.
Shea's service. The bleod seems to have spout
ed out OF Doyle's mouth the instant he was shot,
the top Of the counter and fioor OF the shop be-
ing covered with VI. He was taken out by the
other policemen and laid down on the ground i'm
front OF the shop, but never uttered word after
the exclamation above noted.
THIS MORNING
a large and excited crowd gathered about the
static house, corner Al and nj streets south
west; but few were admitted other than the per-
sonai friends Of the deceased. The body was
lying on board i'm the rear room of the station
house, clad in the police uniform in which the
unfortunate man met his death. The clothing
bad been opened, revealing the fatal opening in
the right breast, just above the nipple, through
which the pistol ball passed on Its errand OF
death. AT an early hour this morning Mr.. Jas
a. he
station house to take charge Of the body when il
should he turned over to him.
DIR. W. w. Potter, the Coroner, with Dr. j. f .
HaItigan arrived, and with Drs. McWilliams,
X. c. Croggon, - Brook heimer; Leach. HEX
man and Williamson, proceeded to make
A POST MORTAR EXAMINATION.
shortly afterwards the wife of deceased, with
his mother and her sister, appeared, and de-
manded admittaBce TO see the body, pleading
that IL should not be opened by the doctors: that
II was unnecessary. The sobbing of the females
Nm al -fN.rw
persuasion Of some personal friends that they
were induced to be quiet. The officers placed
at their disposal one OF the rooms in the upper
part Of the station house, where they remained
until after the rendition OF the verdict.
THE FATAL WEAPON,
a large size sx-shOOter, Remngton's make vas
AN object OF interest to those admitted TO the
station; also the knife-a common cheese
knife, with blade ten inches long-with which
Mrs Shea was armed when she attacked Oficer
Pfaft, short time before the homicide.
few minutes before II O'Clock Lieut. John
son, BY whom John Shea was arrested Yesterday.
and Lieut.. Noonan had
AN INTERVIEW WITH THE ACCUSED, 4,
Mrs. Shea, in the cells attached TO the station
to ascertain where the watch was She declared
that she did not know where the particular
watch wanted was, but that there were three in
the house-two behind the counter and one in a
box upstairs. She complained to johnson that
had the officers (Duvall and Pfaff) "acted more
like gentlemen" and showed the warrant there
would have been no trouble, but that they
showed no authority whatever.
THE INQUEST.
The following jurors vera summoned Geo
Holmes, Parker Murphy, II. +. Oliphant, E.
IL. Cation, Francis ReesideS .. Skinner Pat'k
Clarke, Ed. s. Atkinssn. RI bon Rufter. John
Walsh. III. Busey and Jamd0Croggon
At III O'Clock, the autopsy having been COM
peted, the jury was sworn over the body, and
examined the opening in the right breast in
which the coroner stated the missile appeared
TO have entered. 1t had been taken out from
under the left shoulder. The Jury were taken
TO one OF the upper rooms, and the prisoner,
Mrs. Shea, a rather tall, heavy-built woman,
With masculine cOuntenance, was brought up
and given seat beside her counsel, Mr.. a X
Browne, with whom she had a short conyera-
ton, and then sat with her head bowed down.
Officer Sttds b. Leseis was first sworn. and tes-
titled that he was on duty in the neighborhood
OF ~ street and Maryland avenue; heard the
" whistle; ran down; saw Officers Duvail and Pfaff
at the house OF the prisoner, on MARYLAND ave-
nue., between Sd and y street, No. 3S9 Asked
what WAS the trouble, aud Duvall said he wanted
the woman. Witness went down, Knocked at
the door, and after he knocked several times
the door being locked-Mrs. Shea answered from
the window. Witness asked Duvall IL he had
and received for n reply that he had A
search warrant, which was then in Lieut. John
sons possession. Witness asked her to let the
offctrs in, and she refused, calling Duyall a.
OF A., and threatening IL she got hold of him