New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1878-04-10


necked chickens he raise0 and Dan Kelly,
alias Manus Kull, better known as "Kelly,
the Bum" Kelly, the Bum, himself party
to the assassination of Rea, and who had
once held an old woman face downward on
red-hot stove, and whose name had spread
through four counties as one of the most
dastardly ruf6ans roundabouts, turned States
evidence, but his story was fully substan-
tieted by reliable witnesses, although without
it the other prisoners might have escaped
UNPUBLISHED. Kelly was to the Mollies in
the Lehigh region what little ssJimmy'' Ker-
rigan, the ssquealer,'' was to the Schuylkill
and Carbon counties assassins. Kelly's sto-
ny Of the killing, as sworn to, was about as
follows:
NUMBERING SUPERINTENDENT.
On the 18th of October, 1868, the day
previous to the murder, he met Pat
Hester, Peter McHugh and Ned Skiv-
ington at Big Mine Run, in the place
of Barney Dolan, who had been de-
posed as county delegate of Schuylkill coun-
ty, and succeeded by Jack Kehoe. They
afterwards walked to Ashland to Thomas
Donahue's saloon, where Hester informed
Kelly that he had lost something by not go
ing down the mountain where Hester had
been that day.
''But there is a good thing to be had to-
morrow said Hester, :sfor Rea will go to
Bells tunnel, and there is money in it TO
u.s.
1t was then agreed that Hester, McHugh.
fully, Skivington, Brian Campbell, jim
Bradley, Billy Muldouney and Kelly should
commit the robbery. Roger Laferty, alias
tombstone, procured powder and bullets for
the pistols of the party. In the morning all
but Lafferty went to meet Rea. At German
town Muldouney said he was too lame, and
dropped behind above the tollgate. Hester,
who was too big a man to do the dirty work,
left, together with Skivington. He handed
Kelly his pistol saying: ''Your pistol is no
good. Take mine, for I know it's sure y
Hester went to Shamokin to purchase some
hair to mix with lime for plasterin6 pur-
poses, and Skivington went to work in the
mine to divert suspicion. At the watering
trough the party awaited Rea's arrival. But
few of the men knew Rea, even by sight,
and so man named Dalton, who was ac-
quainted with the superintendent, walked up
of his hat. Several people passed by, but
not until a buggy came in sight did Dalton
wave his hat. The carriage reached the
spring and the party sprang into the road
way. When ordered to, Rea stepped quietly
from the carriage, and without uttering a
word, handed his watch and pocket-book to
Kelly.
"What will we do with him?' said the
Bum
81 won't be hunted around the world by
any living man." answered McHugh.
Then the shooting began, all taking a
hand. Rea ran towards the woods, when
FULLY quickly caught up to him, and, placing
his pistol close to the superintendent head,
fired. The party then escaped into the
mountains, where the money. amounting to
only sixty dollars, was divided, Dali
ton receiving a ten dollar bill for his
services. Kelly admitted firing two shots at
the superintendent. Hester had thought
that Rea would have eighteen or nineteen
thousand dollars with him, but when he heard
how small the actual sum was, he said it was
not worth dividing, and refused to take a
penny. Kelly's testimony was mistaken
before a jury, and verdicts of guilty were
rendered against the three men. This was
a sad surprise to Pat Hester, for so confident
was he that his might would secure his ac-
quittal that the day before the jury found
their verdicts he sent word to Locust Gap
to have grand supper prepared in his
house in celebration of his victory; but in
stead of enjoying that feast Pat Hester has
ever since been Lying upon prison fare in
Bloomsbury Jail.
The Final Scene-- Vas Pat Hester Gui1tye
The day before his execution, Hester part
ed with his family, and the scene is thus de-
scribed:
Hester was tested to-day in a manner here
tofore untried. His three daughters and
two sons-in-law arrived late last night by a
road wagon, having travelled twenty-seven
miles. His other son-in-law and daughter
returned home last night. Early this morn
ing, they, together with their mother, pro-
ceeded to the prison, and was admitted to