Los Angeles daily herald. [volume] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1873-1876, 1874-06-30
MURDER.
A Brute Slabs His Wife, and
She Dies in Five Minutes.
A Horrible and Bloodhound
ling Sight.

1
three or four wife-murders have been
committed in this city and vicinity.
| This species of crime has seemed to
run rampant and equal in its extent
almost all the other bloody
deeds of murder and suicide commit
ted in the same length of time. Of all
the wickedness Of which man is guilty,
this is the most beastly and damning,
and we can but sincerely hope that
the perpetrators OF the crimes will ex-
plate them to the uttermost extent Of
the law.
About half-past O'clock yesterday
afternoon, John Mcdonald, the keeper
of a low clearinghouse on CONNER
cial street, put miserable end to the
life of his wife. In fit Of rage he
threw large butcher-knife at her
and inflicted a mortal wound, as she
sat in chair nursing her babe. For
of public note that Mcdonald abused
his wife in brutal manner. He has
been under arrest a number Of times
for such ofienses, and has paid his fines
each time and gone back to his wife
beating again. The circumstances Of
the tragedy are concisely stated in the
testimony before the Coroner's Jury,
held Immediately after the murder.
The facts as thus elected are as fol-
lows
Jose Maria Tamorine being sworn,
testified: am waiter in Melon
AIDS restaurant. This evening Mrs.
Mcdonald went out and came back, /
think about half-past 5 o'clock. When
she came in, Mr.. Mcdonald asked
h r where she had been. She said to
him that she had been down to Mrs.
McCarty's. Mcdonald told her that
he had been down to Mrs. McCarty's
this evening, and that some one had
slammed the door in his face; and
upon.saying this he struck her in the
face with his fist and then kicked her.
Mrs. Mcdonald went up stairs and got
her baby, and coming back sat down
by the table and was nursing it. Nc
donald, after saying some words to
her, struck her twice with his fist,
when Fernandez Ca waiter took hold
of him and prevented him from strik-
ing Ger again. When Fernandez let
him loose he (McDonaldD commenced
cutting up some cheese on the table,
and in about three minutes he said
something else to her and then threw
the knife at her, striking her in the
side and inflicting the wound. She
drew the knife out and said, "Tm
dead!o and told me to take the baby,
which she held in her arms. Ibid not
take it quick enough, and she laid it
down on the table and ran cut of the
room and into the little store-room and
fell. She had no weapon of any kind
in her hand, nor was she making any
demonstration towards him in any
way at the time he threw the knife at
her. He was just across the table,
about four feet from her, when he
threw the knife; did not stoop over
the table when he did it. The knife
was n large butcher knife, about
eighteen inches long.
His
JOSE MARIA Y TAMoRINE.
Other witnesses testified to substan-
TALLY the same facts, and it is not nee
essary to produce their statements.
All of the evidence pointed out the
crime as most fragrant and ineXcusa-
BILE. The scene of the murder was in
the rear of the restaurant. After re-
ceiving the cruel blow, the woman
laid her child down, as stated in the
testimony, and ran the full length of
the room, out of the door, and a short
distance up the street, where she
turned into a little grocery store and
fell. She must have gone the distance
of fifty yards after the knife pene-
trated her side. AS she sank to the
floor she said: "pm killed; send for
the doctor,' and expired at once.
The husband struck with contrition
for his dastardly act, followed his wife
and reached the store as she fell to the
floor. He stopped over her and be-
gan to cut away her dress for the pur-
pose of examining the wound, at the
same time shedding tears as he saw
what he had done. When asked for
an explanation of the affair he simply
said, ~ did it, He was promptly
taken in charge by officers Thomas
and Harris, and lodged in Jail. This
circumstance was fortunate for him, so
far as concerned his personal safety,
perhaps, as a crowd of incensed citi-
zens gathered around the place, and
had he been in their hands we are in
clined to think that desperate meas
ures would have been resorted to.
The murdered woman was about
thirty-fve years of age and a native of
Balintoy, COuntyAutrin,i in the north of
Ireland. She had been the wife Of Mr..
Mcdonald about eight years. Four
children are deprived of a mother by
this terrible crime, their father made
a felon, and themselves thrown upon
the cold charities of the world The
Oldest is between six and seven years
of age, and the youngest babe, at the
breast, hardly three months old. The
terrible nature of the crime, with its
attendant circumstances and results,
can hardly be realized; and all this
produced by the rash act of moment
which lifetime cannot even in q
measure atone for. 1t should prove at
the same time fearful example and
warning to those whose tempers ever
get the mastery of their fbetter judg-
ment. The verdict of the COrOner's
jury was rendered in accordance with
the facts given.
After being placed in Jail, Mcdonald
acted like mailman, throwing him.
self about the cell and calling down
imprecations on his own head for the
crime which he had committed. 1t
was feared that he would put an end
to his life if given an opportunity, and
he was closely watched to prevent this,
by the direction of the jailor. Some
apprehensions were also entertained
from vigilantes and part of the Los
Angeles Guards, twenty-five in num-
Der, were called out to protect the Jail