Wilmington daily commercial., 1875-10-27
FIRST EDITION.
The Alleged Wife Murder.


pnEL1MtsAnY ExAMrs'TroN OF wM. o'DosNeLI, DE-
GUN BEFORE THE MAYOR, LAsT EVENING SOME
STORIES OF CRUELTY.
The preliminary examination OF William
ODonnell, OF Liberty street. charged with the
murder of his wife. was begun before Mayor
Whiteley, at Police Headquarters, last evening.
The room was about two thirds full OF persons,
mostly Witnesses, while on the outside WAS 3
vast crowd euTging about the entrance endeav
oring TO get in, but kept back by policeman
stationed within the door. The atmosphere of
tue apartment WAS pervaded with au Hbomina-
bic stencil, the source Of which il we'll known,
sickening and almost uncomfortable. Yet notwth-
standing this fact, tho room would have been a
jam Of persons but for tho precaution to keep
tiom out, and the foul atmosphere would have
been further oppressive from the great number
OF brsaths.
Mayor Whiteley conducted the case in behalf
or the State, writing down the testimony, and
Levi q. Bird, ESD, appeared for the prisoner.
John Graves, (col. } VINO livea under tle same
roof with O'Donnell, was the first witness exam
ined. He said that ODonnell threw his wife out
the back door the day bofDre the died and also
beat her, and the night Of her death ho threw
hor down stairs and jumped on her with both
feet notwithstanding her appeal to not Kill her
This, he said, he saw through crack over the
door which separates the two apartments. On
Ibis cross-examinatiou witness said lie thought
Mrs. o'D. had been drinking that the difficulty
arose from her neglect to get dinner. and that
saw Mrs. O'D. as she fell down the stairway.
Mary Jane Hynson, tue wife OF frat witness,
testified that on Saturday night woek Mr. ODon-
nell beat his wife ; between and y O'Clock saw
him knock her out the door; also saw him throw
her down stars and heard hor ray you're kill
ing me /; your father killed your mother, and
now you're trying to kill mo y talked with Mrs.
OD the next day and her face was bruised she
also removed her clothing to show the kicks'. al
30 saw her each day till her death, the day before
which she was very weak. Being cross examin-
ed witness admitted thatshe had seen Mrs. O'D.
drunk once, although In her examination in chief
tho had declared that she never saw her drunk.
Louisa Craig, al-o colored, being sworn, said
that she saw . ODonuell throw his wife out into
tho yard as she (witnessl was passing. and also
heard the husband say, with an oath, II IL knock
your brains out Witness further stated that
Mrs. O'Donnell called her III and showed her the
marks of violence, which were black and blue,
and heard her say the day before she died, when
very weak that she thought she should die.
Margaret Ellis (col,) testified that she saw
O'Dounell strike his wife, on Saturday night
week, between the eyes and knocked her down.
whereupon she called him ''drunken J0hnie,'
when he renewed the assault saw Mrs. o Don
nell the following Monday when her eyes were
blacked aud her body bruised witness had fre-
quently seen O'Donnell knock his wife down,
drag her into the yard under the hydrant and let
the water run on her.
salhc Heritage sworn She did not know
either O'Donnell or his wife, but went over to
their house the next morning after death and
before the Coroner arrived, to carry some un-
dergarments for the body the face OF Mrs.
O'Donnell was so black and bruised it could not
have been told she was white woman her
breast and side were black aud blue and her
arms were also bruised.
Anne L. Jones also testified to mari of vio-
ence on Mrs. O'Donnell, saying that II Friday
last her eyes and body were black and bruised.
Perry Hamilton (coD testified to having seen
O'Donnell kick his wife on Saturday week, and
the hearing was adjourned to o'clock, this Z.
NJ Mr. O'Donuell is still in the cells.