The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1882-12-07
THE MCCONNELL MATTER.

Mrs. Mcdonnell Arrives in the City and 1
Interviewed by n Herald Reporter, L
Whom She Relates the Full Details o
the Sad AFFAIR.
Some three weeks ago, under the head Of
Thrown from Her Buggy and Injured,
the HERALD contained the following:
News was received in the city yesterday
that Mrs. Annie Mcconnell, nee Miss An
ME Hunt, formerly of this city, now o
Weatherford, was thrown from her bugg.
and seriously injured, and her baby,
lovely child about 70 months old, was in
stantly killed. Mrs. Dora McClaskey, sis
ter of Mrs. Mcconnell, left on the traiI
Tuesday to attend the bedside of he,
sister,"
Friday mornings HERALD contained the
following special from Weatherford, neal
which the alleged accident occurred
cat the inquest of Eli McConnelPs chile
Yesterday, the skull was found to have beer
shot through from one side 10 the Other
with pistol. The murderous father has
not yet been captured. Mrs. Agnes Nc
| Connell, the mother, was formerly a Miss
Hunt, of Dallas"
This put quite new phase on the affair
and as Mrs. Hunt was raised i'll
this city, where she has many
and commented upon, and from persons
direct from Weatherford it was learned
that the terrible truth had leaked out, and
that instead OF there being an accident Nc
Cornell had, while out driving in state OF
intoxication with his wife and child, at
tempted to shoot the former and killed the
child, shooting it through the head. The
babe was buried, and the guilty husband and
wife, who had kept the secret for his sake,
returned to Weatherford. The killing &C.
Cured on Wednesday, the 18th, and Satur-
day noon Mcconnell, having aroused sus-
picion by drunken remarks he had dropped,
fled the country, having been advised by
his legal adviser to do So The people OF
Weatherford were greatly excited and
Should they catch him will rend him limb
told and published concerning
the horrible affair. Yesterday morning
Mrs. Mcconnell, accompanied by her three
children, two little girls and boy, arrived
in the city and are guests of Mrs. DR.. Coch-
ran No. 4O4 Griffith street. A HERALD re-
sickening tragedy called on Mrs.
Mcdonnell, who told him in
plain, straightforward way the circum-
stances relating to the sad affair.
In appearance Mrs. Mcconnell is Guilt
waited, ladylike woman of elegant manners.
When the reporter made known TO her the
object of his call she said that she much
preferred that nothing be published Of the
affair, but when reminded that it had al
ready been published in various forms she
consented to give an account OF the sad
tragedy. the substance OF which Is given
below. The marks of her maltreatment
inflicted by the hand of her demoniacal
husband were still plainly visible Her
face and eyes were black from the blows he
L. 4, 1, v.sC en- a al
at the beginning that her husband had
been drinking very hard of late, and that
liauor had converted an otherwise kind and
considerate husband into II demon. 1t was
not he himself, hut whisky, that had
wrought such ruin. She dlG not know that
he was drinking as much as, he really
was. On Wednesday she started with him
and their baby to go TO his fathers house,
some ten miles from Weatheriotd, 70 learn
about "some slanderous remarks" McCon-
nell said his father had made concerning
her. What the remarks were she did not
state. They had gotten some four miles
out or the road, when he began to
quarrel at her, and threatenea
her violence, and as ne PROCEEDED
found herself at the mercy of perfect de.
mon, who had promised at the marriage
altar to love, cherish and protect her. He
drew his pistol and, as though he gloated
over terrifying her, fired it off in close prox-
unity to her face and threatened to Kill her.
In the excitement her hat blew of and
when he got out to recover 1t she, fearing
that he would murder her, whipped the
horses and drove away from him, getting
some fifty yards the start OF Kim. He ran
after her, firing several shots at the buggy,
but she succeeded in reaching the farm
house of Mr.. Skaggs, a farmer,
of whom she asked projections
bat he was so afraid of bringing down on
him the vengeance of Mcconnell that he re-
fused to have anything to do with NE d mat
ter II the meantime the Infatuated lend
overlook her and got into the buggy, but
they had not driven far before he
beat her over the head with his empty
pistol until she tainted away. When she.
came o the infant she held in her arms fell
over, and for the first time she realized that
her child had been injured and had died,
our baby" This seemed to sober the fiend,
and he ceased his violence at once, saying:
Oh, no, hope NOE it is only stunned"
the sparks of life had fled and |
they drove on hurriedly to his fathers, |
where they remained over night. The fol- |
lowing day the child was inferred in the
family burial grounds, and they returned
to Weatherford, she promising INN 70 Keep
the terrible affair a sacred secret, but after |
their return home Mcconnell, instead OF So |
bering up, continued his spree, and in his |
talk he remarked, II did not XII
INV child on purpose" and when he drove |
his wife and her sister away from home the
Friday night, the remark he had
made grew into r 1n,n' " fnc,
and the following day the murderous
husband and father seeing the ind ,gnation
in the faces OF the people Of Westheriord,
who had begun 20 suspect the terrible TACT,
was transformed from the clustering bully
into an abiect coward and he lied the coun-
try. Mrs. Mcconnell was summoned be.
lore the grand jury Of Parker county, aDc
as much as she disliked 70, under oath
revealed the facts. The body OF the
child was exhumed and il was found that
Il had been shot through the head Mrs.
stated that prior 70 this she had
been of the opinion that the babe had been |
killed By a blew from the pistol and that
he does not know at what time Il was shot |
She raised the child to Der breast 10 suckle |
n. when she Uncovered that Il was dead. /
IsTbe citizens Of Weatherford are fearfully |
s1cited about il, she said. and are securing |
ne country Tor him, and IL they catch him /
viii Xii him. and, Oh do trust they VIII /
not find him. for be was not responsible Tor /
what he did, Mrs.. Mcconnell stated that
,n several previous occasions, while drink |
me. her husband had misfreated and abused
her. vet never 20 severely % on the above 1
,ccasion. She Is Of the opinion that II be
had not shot ali the loads out Of his pistol
he would have killed Der. II Mcconnell i
.nueht the chances are that Judge Lynch
IL ~rr.r.rn the 1850.