Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1882-02-22
The ROCK RAPIDS MURDER.
Further Facts Relating to the Killing .
Lanahan,

further Facts RelatIng to the Killing of
Lanahan.
Rock Rapids, Ia, Feb. l7-Mrs. Laua.
nan, Maggie, Anna and the cowardly
wretch Berch,al waived an examination
and we're bound over until the Nav term
of the district court of Lyon county. It
appears that Berch gave Lanahan a bot.
tie of uhisky three weeks ago last Sun.
day. which Lanahan did not touch. a. he
said at the time that he was afraid Of
Berch. The whisky is now found to
contain large dose of laudanum and is
in possession of the sheriff. Maggie is
a fair looking girl If twenty-five Years.
not one who would be selected to do such
Q deed, but seems to feel no remorss over
what she has done, except saying to her
mother, occasionally: Mother. I did
this for your sake" Anna is a pale.
timid girl of sixteen, who seems to real
ize fully fhe enormity of the crime to
which she was accessory. Mrs. Lana.
han is rather nice looking woman
about forty y-tive years of age and seem.
ingly more in love with Berch than il
her daughter Anna. Berch, the misera-
BILE despoiler of this once happy family,
is light-complexioned young'man of It
twenty five years, parts his hair in tho
middle, and is afraid he will be lynched,
but has nothing to say whatever. Berch
is still confined in the iail. and the
women are at the Merrill house in this CITY
under guard. In al interview this even.
ing Miss Lanahan said that all her testi
mony impllcatlng Berch is false. Mag
gle says, II did It and I am glad of Of
aud if 1 go to hell for it I won't 90 to
worse place than my home has BEEN
Maggie Lanahan who shot her Father
is about twenty years old and Anna six.
teen. All the parties have been kept
apart from the first, and have not beer
allowed to converse together, except be.
fore the aheriff and his deputies and hay.
not heard each other testify.
The mother and daughters appear t.
he very intelligent, rather handsome anc
dress we'll. The murdered man was !,
good natured Hibernian, and vel
thought of by all who knew him, Tn,
allegation that he mistreated his famil,
is not believed, but it is Thought tina
the wife and daughters wanted to liv
beyond the means of the father. Lapahs,
drove Berch from the house because h
suspected him of criminal intimacy Will
his wife and daughter. 1t was mos
blood curdling to hear the daughters OF
the stand tell so minutel,
the details of the horrible affaiii
Maggie broke down at first but rallied
and told the story coollv and deliberate
". Berch is in jail at this place an,
does not seem to be worried at all. H
| plays cards, laughs and talks freely. ii
has asked visitors frequently about til
progress OF the inquest and said ther
were rumors of confession having bee
made. He seemed very anxious to kno,
II 1t was true, and il SO what it was. Fl
is medium.sized fellow. about twenty
fonr years old, with light mustache, hal
and eyes, seemingly educated, and G
moderate intelligence. Maggie aud he
mother had been on the stand once b.
tore, but will probably be put on agai
Tor a fuller confession. When they te,
titled Monday they denied knowing any
thing, and claimed the shot was fire
through the window. It was the fiudin
OF the letter that caused the confession