Daily Republican., 1881-09-12

gan and Shea. The two were talking
loudly, HarrigaD, whose voice could b,
distinguished above that of Shea's, sud
denly drew pistol and fred once
Shea was seen by all the three to fall
In his tracks. He was not heard tt
utter a single groan. Harrigan went
back into the house. Knowing Harri
gan's desperate character, they were
afraid to go TO the body, lest he might
fire on them. So they agreed to say
nothing about it, preferring to let some
body else give the alarm, when tkeil
testimony would prove conclusive tc
the manner of death and the identity
Of the murderer.
| Arthur Fox, q laborer in the clay
Quarries, but boarding with Harrigan,
testified that he retired to bed at lC
O'Clock At night and heard no shooting
nor disturbance.
Mrs. Harrigan, dirty ignorant wo-
man in harefeet testified that she heard
the shot but thought it came from a
colored man, as they often shot around
the house at night, shooting being moth.
ing new at their place at night. After
the shooting she says she turned over
and went to sleep, not dreaming that a
bloody murder had been committed 90
near her door.
Several of Harrigan's children gave
some irrelevant testimony calculated to
screen the father.
DR.. Mitchell, resident physician,
made an autopsy, in the presence OF
the coroner's jury. The billet, a large
= H..
breast, striking rib in its progress,
penetrating into, and severing the top
part Of the heart, and finally lodging in
the spinal column, about opposite the
bottom of the breast bone.
Singularly enough, the ball was
turned completely around, and lay
deeply imbedded in the marrow Of the
spine, with conical end facing the en-
trance hole. The weapon used was Of
the famous Bu ldog pattern.
Garrett Lacey testified to having sold
the pistol to Harrigan short ti,ne ago,
and long since he said he had none.
The pistol was found by daughter
of Harrgan's, in thorn hedge where
it had been concealed, and handed
over to jackson. The ball which had
been extracted was found to exactly fit
the barrel.
Squire Jackson himself being sworn
testified that just before the arrest
Harrigan acknowledged the shootin.,
and said he was liable to stand the
blunt OF the thing; that if it hadn't
happened this time it would
some other time and if he had
to swing he would swing and
tn t was all" He further said he had
notified Shea to keep away from his
premises bnt he had refused to de 50.
Neither Harrigan nor Fox would tell
whether Shea was on the premises that
night. From the tracks that were
found however il was thought Shea.ha
approached the rear Of the house to the
back door FROM the barnyard. This
makes it appear that Harrigan had
met Shea at the pack door and that the
two had moved out into the big road
where the latter was shot without warn
ing.
There was report that Harrigan was
Jealous of Shea and that last spring he
shot his wife on account of her alleged
intimacy with Shea, bat his wife never
breathed 1t being restrained through
fear of her husband The rumor OF
jealousy, however, is stoutly denied, as
Mrs. HarrigaD is so unsightly and ugly
rs to be repulsive to anybody except
those sunk as low as Harrigan himself
Harrigan must have been very close 20
Shea as his shirt where the bullet en-
tered is burnt with the powder. Fox
the boarder ventures the opinion that
the shooting was done by accident. The
following is the verdict Of the Coroner's
inquest i'll the case:
STATE OF DELAWARE, Is. $.
NEW CASTLE COUNTY,
An inquisition, taken this eleventh
day of September, 1881, at Mill Creek
hundred, before John &. jackson, a
Justice of the peace in and for said
county, acting as coroner (the law
fully elected coroner of said county not
being nad) upon view of the dead body
of Dennis Shea, a laboring mar ofabout
s.; years of age, found upon the Gap
and Newport turnpike, in said Eunlred,
near the residence of jeremiah Harri-
gan, by the oaths and atlirmaiions OF
G. Yerkes, w. S. Robinson, w. b Jack
son, George RearGon, Peter ConnelI, Jr.,
Walter Grace, Edward McGovern, j.
Polk, c. Franklin McNaugh, Cornelius
Il Creeden, Thomas Ector, Jr., Garrett
p. Lacy and Ed. Collins, who, being in
due manner sworn and affirmed, say
that they believe the said Dennis Shea
came to his death by pistol sh Vt in the
hands of and fired by jeremiah Harri-
gan. into the upper right thorax, cutting
the arch of the aorta and lodging in the
spinal column, causing death in a few
seconds.
In testimony whereof, the said JUS
tice, acting as coloner, and the Jurors
have hereunto vet their hands ard seal
AS soon as Coroner Weldin get the
despatch yesterday, he got DR.. Glim-
shaw and proceeded to the scene OF the
murder, but when he got there he was
to find the inquest over.
Tie funeral Of the murdered man
Shea, will take Elace this afternoon
from the residence of William Hicky,
with whom he bearded His remains
will be inferred in Golfer Run ce'ne-
terry.
He stou ly objected to the proceed
ings by Squire Jackson as he was not
his deputy and mad no right to hold an
inguest while he (the Ccroner) could
be had in time.
To-day Coroner Weldin weLt mp
again to Hockessin for the purpose OF
holding another inquest.
Took she Wrong Bundle.
a few days since, a young man rrom
up the Brandywine, came to this city
and purchased suit of clothes from :.
Mas kot street tailor; he then proceeded
to a hat store where he bought hat