The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-04-29
MURDERS IN NEW JERSEY
uTDFOUs CiTALOGrE or ch'" ~
ON THE yhSTERN BORDhR'
. c.,v ,o,, oxeraovins with MhIetnc'or'
% ~ T,,si for Murder with some very ,.,,,.n 10,
,.rc.,,ns complications 4 Ccnni, ~ ""''"
.e''N''N ~, nutlnv- are Rampant.

a.a.t.
,crc.,inu complications y on"'' ;" " '''N
,r'.,,. aud OutInws are h"mp"nt
xvo,,cn co,iutv, y. j., has been LOT Il Ne"'
" 81 - ,f 50 many violent crimes that
.ne of the nrst things the orderly h""o''""
.,o,E Of VIII n a STRANGER comes among tnt" "
,n, ,.rcrel lawIcssness of the times and the
necessity for some drastic remedy for H. four
murders have been committed within the hof-
Ac-. of tho county sihcc the middle of last May
and there hive been many turglarics cases OF
arson. and attempts at murder; and for two
month. u Il the jail in Bclvidcre has held rris.
op,r vh, is accused uf being the perp, TRAITOR ~
,,.. .b,cktng butcher, Of Mis-. kays IN Pmlips-
hur, some years ago.
Cinningham's case IS one full OF unusual in
tercN In little shauV three-fourths OF |
muc fr, m Swartsvillc. near the crossing OF the |
Morris Canal and the Morris and Essex Rail- oad'
lived Iohu kays and his wife, in February, 1867. |
Kt,-was laborer on the railroad. His shany |
W.. the rudcst Kind Of hut, consisting Of only
one room. about twelve feet square, without at
tic OF cellar. In summer his wife kept bar
there witch was frcquentcd mainly 10y his fcl-
low wo kmen on the road. As a stowaway for
her ale aud porter bottles. there was hole III
the floor two feet long, eighteen inches wide,
ana twcnty-one deep, covered by a door. In this
ttile hole hardly larger than u bushel basket
the holy OF Mrs. Kays was found on the lb.h OF
February, 1867 her head crushed bv repcstcd
flows from a hatchct ard from heavy blunt
iron bar. known ~ a " hr kemans iron.'
The murderer was not discovered Suspicion
was strongly directed at first against her hus-
band The story he told credited 10y few
Ue s,,d that on the DAY Of the murder he uut
work IA usual at noon. and went home to take
dinner lie found the door of his shanty locked,
and apparently no one within. Going to the
window he saw that the table W set for din
ner with 1-h. potat ies. and bread, g though
prepared that moment III. arrival pHt rs
vife was not ViSiUle. Crawling through the
window he saw on tf e iiour womnn's chemise
md hetchet. ana refund the bed nlunt IRON
brake wheels. all three stained with blood, and
marks ~ blood were on he bea ana bureau. ana
Ahnut the floor He did not think Of lnoking
ftn thr hnle IN thc nlor for his wife, bee iuse.
be- .aii 1t seemed to him hardly large enough to
b4ld A bushe of potatoes. Becoming = little
nervous, he crawlcd ont of the window, the KEY
Of the door being missing. to get sumroody to
nunint.mce. witu y,hom ne returned. az In max
lns MS entrance ty the window. and the two
work, not thinking. t,'orIing to his story. of
mlkng any Inquiries concerning his wife's
Wheresbouts In the evening he again went
home, ard. finding the door of his shanty lock "a,
and his wife sull absent, lie informed an ac-
QuaintAnOe, who, enterin- the sh anty hfted the
door over the hole IN the floor, and found the
dishGured corpse The woman Of small
stature, and she hae evidently been doubled up
while vet warm and flexible.
Kays's story believed 10y very few. His
behavior was thought either extremely dull aud
to nx the crimo VI on any body else. He W ar
rested. and steps were taken 10 have him III
bill against him a fellow Iaboror on the railroad
offered testimony that divided public opinion
and secured Kays's release. This workman said
that on the morning Of the day Of the murder
be saw man with white bat standing In the
doorway OF the shanty with Mrs. kAys, the
latter pointing up the railroad track. as though
They then turned and entered the shantv. luis
mai vi = cunUnSpd
90 have been the murderer aud TO have gone 20
the shanty at time when he knew ka>s 10 be
away, with the intention OF robting tho cabin
of kays's wages Tor the month"; winch al thdl
time were due. Having ascertaned that hals
was out OF the way II was thought he tnen en-
tered the shanty ana ttied 10 Omen the uurrau
to search for the money Mrs. kays tned u
prevent hn, and he struck heI' ahd hsNihs lh
Jured her more severely than ne had intended
ne then completed the MURDER ger an inlneuls,e s
ly Jamlneu the bouy mo Tue hle nolt' -Niiui
searching IN VAN t4I intoneI lna3s nv ny "a na'tnl M
received MS wages nc 'ueh io'heu '"e uoo' ""e
went away. 49,. - I'll. A., ,.
me iahorer VINO siW tne ma, WIZ ~ VIZ VIZ W., wu''e W
bat dld not see Nun eitheIHo 70 .ne snahty ol
70 away 1ut otheTs tesoIeu 'ne' @ tney ,"r,t INV
person Win such hst "a,,Alhg up lhe Ial',oa
track soon nfterwaru. Mth win Whlte nav
we're looked Tor IN ever 1lrectioh' out the mai
NAYS soon aiter"aru remoNgu from the neigh
norhood, Leaving mahS n''H 10 me co eohV,otlOl @
that he was tue mnrueieI heaIs passed b!' ana
ia January last a lawyer in Cleveland, ohio
overheard woman who was beng beaten 0N
her husnind, eArlaih' y 200 sake
dont XIII me as YOU kllleu unet Momdi
N Jerse]' Inc l'WNcrs sttehlioh wa
attracted, ana he sought an opportunity U
question the woman. >he sara thht her nus
lands name was cunningham, Hhd mat ne
formerly lNed In fhlhpsn,ig' \. j., "hrIe ~
Wa. laborer on the railroad. ono DAY II
February. 1887, he came home Ia the Afternoon
with blOod-stained hands ana clothlng' nc
looking mucn depressed. ana toId her thAt he
had KILLED woman III cWdI. sNliie' eADeeilns u
make Sonr money oN H. oul tn"t nc haui peei
able to get any.
Af'er Cunnnghams arrest ana MS temporary
imurisonment on charge ol as-aultlug ms WIZ
had been procured the INFORMATION thus %
tanned was communicated 10 the NcW JeIsel
police, ana ABOUT a mphth ago the uhl wa
taken 20 HelVldetc on Ispulsiloh from GOV
brdIe, and committed TO ne county Jiil 20 wal
tne action OF the Urand jury lie nrhllS uehle
his wifcs story, saving that ne never wes II
swdrtsVl,e IN his NE, truhsel was assigned i'
him on his arrival and the M IN en!rt VIII PROB
HhlY DC 70 s1ut out the sunuhy o. Tue "oulh AZ
VINO has made ms charge AGAINST ulm on w
ground that size Is ms Wilr' ahu cdnuot tostll
aRAirst him IN criminal ncuon. Nlth1ut ho
testimony CONVICTION WHl pe np"ssluls u9
heIe the case ahsuWe- u new ahu Az nIsl non
hhrKpb.tcq feature rms woman saws sne
10 fia ~ CuhlilnshtuI Whti haNlng never pee
M fiied 70 nun. hcT Ieh husnahu was u con
rirt III Maryland prison hahb years ago, an
cunningham was IeloW cohNlS' tunhlhv
nam hdVlhg ueen Telehseu peloIe heI nusuAuu
the lattsr gave MIN some money 10 take TO III
WIG. cunningham TOOK IL 10 LtI, anu 500