The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1874-11-24
MURDER AND CREMATION.

AND ARREST OF THE MURDERER-THE HoR-
RIBLE DETAILS.
The st. Louis Globe of the 14th inst. con-
tains the following account of the murder
of unparalleled atrocity in Illinois, mention
of which has already been made by telegraph:
One of the most atrocious murders heard of
in the annals of crime has just been brought
to light in Monroe county, ILL.,, 25
miles from st. Louis. A well
known lady of that county had been
missing since the evening OF the Sth of last
August, and the neighbors, after a few
weeks had elapsed, began to suspect that she
had boon a victim of foul play, and connected
her husband with their suspicious. Suisse
quent developments, it would seem,
have tended to prove all their
evening of the sth of August Barney Nc.
Mahan, a farmer residing in Monroe county,
ILL.,, q short distance from the town of
Burkesville,o on the Maysville road, had quite
a serious quarrel with his wife, and in the
presence of his children struck her several
times. The same evening he told his chill
Gren-a girl Is years old and two boys, aged
respectively IA and 16 years-to go to
an acquaintance's house and stay all
night, so that they could go
to church the next morning. This
was something unusual, as he never allowed
his children to remain over night away from
home. The next morning the children
came back, and found that their stepmother
was not there, and when they asked the
father for information concerning her, they
were told that she bad taken the morning
train for st. Louis. This is considered a very
circumstantial point against him, as there
was no morning train to st.
Louis on Sunday. Nothing was
heard of the missing woman
until Mr.. Protine, a private detective of this
city, and Mr.. Reiss, the prosecuting attor-
ney of Monroe county, had placed Barney
McMahan under arrest as the murderer of
his wife. These gentlemen had quietly gone
TO work on the case, and investigated the
farm of McMahan, and watched for any sus-
piciOus circumstances which could prove
their surmises to be correct. They were
told by the neighbors that he had
KEPT AFIRE BURNINe
on a field about four hundred yards from
the house, for two weeks, and as there was
not a tree on McMshan's farm, and the
nearest place that wood could be obtained
at was about a half mile from his farm, his
keeping the fire burning was looked upon
at once as a very suspicious circumstance. In
a field that had been plowedo over but a short
time ago the gentlemen found a lot of charred
bones, one of them a jaw-bone, containing
several teeth, one of which was broken, sew
eral steel buttons usually worn on a dress,
and a lot of hair-pins. These were found in
the field among the embers OF the fire. When
questioned concerning the fire, McMahan
said that he was burning his chickens
which had died from cholera, and that that
was what caused such a terrible stencn. but
the chickens had died sometime before har-
vest, and this statement was regarded
as too incredible by all. The facts of
the case, as nave been developed. are
these: Barney McMahan was arrested upon
suspicion which strongly pointed toward
him as the murderer OF his wife, and as he was
known to be continually quarreling with
her and abusing her, he was arrested and
held to await the preliminary examination,
which came off last Wednesday morning,
and occupied all day. Twentv-three wit
kind of circumstantiel viden adduced
against him.. He was consequently placed
under $1,000 bonds, and released
Learning that a sister of the murdered lady
was residing in this city, on Seventh and
Market streets, a Globe reporter hunted her
up, and had a conversation with her in re-
gard to her sisters death. Her sister. Mar
garet Marshall, was born on April s, 1874,
within five miles of the place where she was
murdered. She married McMahan about
six years ago, since which she had lived a
very hard life. He was continually abusing
her, aud very frequently beat her. He so
HER,
that twice she was compelled to have him
arrested. She had left him several times.
4 D0S LIZ WOoAa AhNoAAaO4J OOLn0 W nCT anu
beg and entreat her TO return home, which
she would finally do, aud they would get
along nicely for a week or so, but he would
soon commence quarreling with her again.
Once he grew so brutal in his treatment to-
ward her that she had To leave him and
come to st. Louis. She came here in COM
pany with a Mrs. Clifford, ofWaterloo, and
got a situation as a domestic in the
family OF some steamboat captain, on Clark
avenue, " Thirteenth and Four
1 fnn-Ah aFannf- Will "
McMahsn would come up from Monroe
county at different times and try to find her.
but failed for a long time. At last he did
find her by accident, and begged her to re-
turn home with him. He seemed to be so
earnest in his promises and entreaties that
she finally consented. Mrs. Brown
says that she had not seen her
sister for two years, but received word.
about a month after her disappearance, from
Mrs. CARRIER, another sister, who lives in
strange disappearance, and asking her If she
had seen anything of her; if not, to look
around and see If she could ascertain her
3 whereabouts. This is the first intimation,
Mrs. Brown said, she had received that her
sister was missing. She said that she had
often wondered why her sister would
!" not leave McMahan, for she was very in
5 %telligent and well educated, and a good
seamstress, and could easily support her
self. Mrs. Brown seemed TO have no doubt
q that McMahan bad murdered her sister, as
: all the circumstances pointed to him as the
murderer. When McMahan was told bv
: Mr.. Reiss, at the time of his arrest, that he
2 was wanted on a charge Of numbering his
wife, he smiled in a s1ckly manner and
L turned around on his heal to walk off. At
Q the preliminary examination he was very
r much confused, and contradicted himself
: several times. At times he seemed to he so
embarrassed that he could hardly articulate
] distinctly.