Morning journal and courier., 1882-06-20
LOCAL NEWS.
The New Britain Murder.

All for Rum and a Loan of Twenty-Five
 Cents.
 The shooting of James Kinnevan by John Kerrigan, in New Britain Saturday night, adds another to the list of bloody tragedies n our little State. The full facts in the case are that in the morning Michael Burns met Kinnevan on Main street and was in his com pany until the time of the shooting. During the day he drank but once. Early in the evening Kinnevan's father and the three were joined by Kerrigan near Hart's block, and walked down South Main street Words arose between Kerrigan and Burns over twenty-five cents that the latter borrowed from the former six weeks ago. They went into Blinns saloon and each had two glasses of beer. The three left there and Kerrigan remained. Two more saloons were visited and the son saw his father partly home. He lives near the brick yard, north of Berlin sta ton, and the deceased boarded with rela- tive on Kensington street. Kinnevan, jr., came back to Burns, who had been waiting for him, and they decided to come up town and after walking a short distance found Kerrigan lying against fence. Burns states that he was hardly able to walk, and Kinne- van proposed to carry him me, and they. took him to his house on Mill street, near the sand bank. All entered, and Kerrigan again spoke about the twenty five cents He became noisy and said he would shoot some one, and told his wife to bring him a pistol, which she got in bedroom and gave him. It was @ navy revolver having five chambers. Kerrigan told reporter Sunday morning that Kinnevan started toward him three times and wanted to fight and the fourth time he was going for him he began to take off his coat, when he fired. Later in the day he made statement to City Attorney Walsh, and said that the deceased was stand ing in the doorway and he fired to scare him, intending to have the bullet go past him. Burns-and Kerrigan remarked that somebody was going to be shot, and Kinnevan replied, ''Well, then, shoot me-"
 He (Burns) decided to go, and he was on the first step outside the door when he heard the shot. He looked back and saw Kinne- van in the middle of the room in the act of falling. He ran out on the road and called man who was passing in team and told him a shot. It Constable Jones who was going by and he entered the house and made the arrest. Kerr gan was sitting in 8 chair with his shoes off and Kinnevan was laying in front of him, his body being sup ported by Kerrigan. Jones took Rerrigan 10 the station house, Burns going with him. Two officers went to the scene of the murder and MT Jones summoned a coroner's inquest and they arrived at the house at l o'clock Sunday morning. Burns and Constable Jones testified and an adjournment was taken until Monday morning at 10 o'clock, when they met at the city court room. The body was taken to Dunlay's undertaking rooms and Sunday afternoon Drs Stone and Cummings held an autopsy there and found that the ball entered between the third and fourth ribs over the heart and lodged in the left lobe of the right lung There was a discoloration under the left eye nearly two inches long and over one half an inch wide. How this came is uot known unless Kerrigans story about tn shooting is true, and that when he fell his fa struck the doorstep, near which blood was found. On the shelf in the kitchen brass knuckIes were found and they agreed with the face mark. An officer went to the house and told Kerrigans wife that he want ed the pistol She went down cellar, where | it was, and gave it to him. One chamber was found empty. Kerrigan, Burns and Kinnevan worked at the Vulcan Iron works. | The first Is known as Jack, the Horse, on ac- count of being a hard worker. lie is about | forty years old, very igno. ant, and yesterday was not able to spell his name. He has five children, the youngest three years and the oldest eleven. Kinnevan was about twenty | five years old, and up to year ago was said | to have been a hard drinker, although for the | past year he was very steady. Mrs. Kerrigan, 1 being asked what caused her husband to shoot, said it was rum and the devil"