The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1879-02-20
STORY OF THE CRIME.

ticulars are as follows On Sunday after
noon, Dec, 2, 1877, Chas. r, McGill went
to the room of his mistress, Mary Kelly,
and after some talk with her that had
infamed his jealousy, in transport OF
passion, drew his revolver and fred its
entire contents into her body. He then
coolly reloaded the weapon and emptied
three more chambers, making ten shots
in all. One shot entered behind the
right ear, another took effect in the right
side of the neck, three in the right side
of the face, one at the corner of the right
eye, one in the middle of the forehead
between the eyes. and two in the breast.
Almost any of these shots must have
proved fatal. Both the murderer and
his victim we're lying upon the bed at
the time, and in his subsequent confes'
sion MCGill said that he was holding her
in his arms when he shot her. They
were lying face to face, and as he fred
the first shot the flash of the powder
burned his face. The shot struck her
behind the right ear, and then she said /;
Go and get priest )" and when she
continued: "0h, Charlie, forgive lne," ,"
the brute deliberately fred the remain
ing shots. Her clothes and the bed
clothes took fire from the shot and Nc
Gill ex!inguished the flames with his
hands.
The tragedy occurred about l o'clock
in the afternoon, in an upper room in
the house of illfame kept by Laura Lane
at No. 100 Cross street. The noise of the
shooting alarmed the inmates, one of
whom, Mary Campbell, was sent up stairs
to see what was the matter. Opening
the door of the room she found Mary
Kelly lying upon the bed, MCGill with u
revolver in his hand, sitting on the edge
of it, and the room full of smoke. The
young woman was not quite dead and
was moaning in an uninteligible man
ner. The wOmal Campbell at once star.
ted for an officer, while McGill followed,
and going down stairs washed his hands
and told what he had done boasting that
he would do it again if necessary. The
other inmates went at once to the room
but Mary Kelly was dead.
AS they entered the room they saw the
body, fully dressed, lying crosswise on
the bed, with the feet almost to the fl Jor
and The head in a heavy clOt of blood.
She was lying on her back; the upturned
face was blaCkened and stained by the
blood which had dried upon it; here and
there upon the countenanCe were those
darkened spots that marked the entrance
of the deadly missiles Her breast was
bare; in the center were two small holes
where bullets had entered and from them
the blood was oozing. The face was full
and fair-looking, and belonged to wo.
man of perhaps % years of age.
The revolver that MCGill had thrown
on the floor was afterwards stolen by
some one in the house, but was subse
quently discovered in an clubhouse, where
the thief, apprehenslve of being detect
ed, had concealed it, McGill, in his con-
fession, spoke of his failure to find the
weapon, and the pains he took in look
ing for it thowed him to have been per.
feCtly sane and cool when he committed
the crime.
According to the story related by Nc
Gill after his incarceration, be had be-
come acquainted with Mary Kelly four
years before in Columbus, She was then
woman of the town, and soon acquired
an influence over McGill that held him
in the strongest chains. McGill at the
time was married, his wife being Miss
of Columbus, but he was not
living with her, owing to domestic trou-
BILE. Previous to this he lived in CinCin-
nate for short time. After brief ac-
luaintance with Mary Kelly, he persua-
led her to live with him, and after time
both went to Toledo, where they lived
IS man and wife. McGilPs stay in Tole-
10 was short; in 1877 he removed to this
city, and with his mistress took rooms in
,he Atwater block. During this time and
lp to the murder, MCGill showed him
3elf to be a perfectly worthless and de-
praved character. He was wretchedly
1issipated, engaged in frequent quarrels,
and soon became well known to the po.
lice. On one occasion he was engaged in
a drunken row, and was so obstreperous
that the officer had to knock him in the
head with a billy to subdue him. The
blow was severe one, and affected him
so much that at the trial the circumstance
was used in evidence as proof of mental
arrangement. From all reports Mary
Kelly loved McGill with the deepest ai-
fection, and while he supported her was
true him. But MCGill lost one place af-
ter another, until starvation stared them
in the face, and actual necessity compell-
ed them to separate. Mary found en-
ployment for time, hut after losing it
returned to her old occupation. In the
meantime she concealed her whereabouts
from Mc(iill, with whom she had quar-.
rel at the separation, but wrote him con-
ciliatory letters, without giving any ad.
dress for reply. McGill anxious to see
her again, began to cast about to find her
place of Co1Cealment, and by means of
a deCoy letter, purporting to be from
Columbus friend stopping in the city, he
procured an interview. This was on the
Saturday before the murder, and the
meeting was in a saloon on Broadway.
Mary agreed to see him that same even
ing at the place on Cross street, and ac
Cordingly repaired there early in the
evening and remained during the night.
In the morning MCGill took his depar-
ture, and after he had gone, Mary told
one of the inmates of the house that he
had been crying bitterly, and was sorry
to think she was leading such life. At
noon MCGill returned, and after remain.
ing in the parlor a short time, went with
Mary again to her room. What there
is better told in his own Ian.
guage:
THE MURDERER's STATEMENT.
81 had tried to persuade her that night
10 leave this shameful life, which was
shocked to find her leading. had begun
% feel happier, for 1 thought she would
cave that house. l was willing to for.
give her, for I loved her 80 much, and 1
znelt down and prayed God to help me,
and begged her to leave the house, to
come with me at that minute, that
would get her a nice place to stay in un-
til she could get place to live in fam.