Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1883-12-22
THE MAHONEY MURDER.
A Brutal Murder Committed at
Shaft No. 2 Of the RutrO Tunnel
-Mahoney Arrested for killing
His Wife.

Inc vile OF james MaHoney,
Waterman at shaft No. 2 on the limo
of the Sutro Tunnel, was murdered
last Friday afternoon by being beaten
on the head by blunt instrument,
The husband has been arrested on a
charge OF having committed the muir
der. The house occupied by Ma
honey and wife is near No. 2 Shaft.
and about three miles from Virginia
City. II is lonely spot.
The first news of the murder came
from Mahoney himself. W. W.
Booher, Principal of the Sutro pub
lie school, was on his way to Virginia
city on foot, when he was overtaken
by Mahoney, who was mounted on
mule. AS soon as be saw Mr.. Booher,
Mahoney, began to cry: 20, murder
murder. Somebody has killed my
old woman /" He then said he did
not know that his wife was dead and
he wanted. "a doctor. eeeing that
Mahoncy was q good deal intoxicated
Mr.. Booher, sent him back TO look
alter his wife, and mounting the mule
went to Virginia City and gave notice
to the authorities.
Mahoney told Mr.. Booher that he
lett the house about 2 o'clock in the
afternoon to go hunting, and did not
return till about five o'clock, when he
found his wife lying dead outside of
the house. He said the house had
been robbed of $50 IN coin and some
checks for small amounts, and that
there were two bullet holes in his
wife's forehead.
Sheriff Brown and Deputy Meow
an, of Storey county, at once went
out to the Shaft. The Coroner, Charles
Brown, Or. Conn and others also
went out to the place. Mahoney was
found sitting near the body aud still
very much under the influence OF
LIQUOR. He told Sheriff Brown that
he had gone out to look TO. quails,
and when he came back found his
wife had been murdered. He said
that he had four guns at his house;
he took one with him, and when he
came home found his wife dead, the
house robbed and the three guns
gone.
The body of Mrs. MahoneY was
found lying some fifteen feet south Of
the house. The kitchen is in that
end Of the house, and from the kit
chen door a walk leads south along
a bank to road or trail. From the
walk duwa to where the body was
living is about four feet. Near the
head, as it lay on the ground, was a
post, and the post was spattered With
blood. About the kitchen door, and
on the walls near the door, blood was
spattered. The kitchen Is the first
room at the south end of the house,
then come two bedrooms, and be-
yond these is door opening out of
the north end of the house. Blood
was spattered about tn 6 north door.
The wounds found upon the body
we're principally about the head.
The whole left side of the face was
crushed in as though with q rock or
the back offs poll pick. Along down
the lett side of the nose was cash
abont an inch deep and some tour
inches long. Over the right eye was
deep cut. The knees were found
10 be scratched, as if the body had
been dragged over rough gravel. In
the house chair was found to be
broken, as though In scutf1e. This
Mahoney himself pointed out, SAYING
showed that there had been scutfie.
In The pocket of the dead woman's
dress, wrapped in piece of paper
were found seventy five cents in sill.
yer coins.
Nothing about the house showed
that it had been rsnsacked in search
of valuables. Some of the clothes
had been removed from ole of the
beds, but Mahoney said he took them
out and put them over the body OF
his wife tokeep her warm TIL he could
come into town and get doctor.
The Sheriff asked Mahoney how 1t
happened that his hands were not
bloodv. He said that he washed
them for fear people might think he
had killed his wife. Seeing a tele-
phone in the house, the Sheriff asked
why be did not telephone to Sutro or
to this city when he found that his
wife was dead. Mshoney said the
telephone was out of order and would
not work. The Sheriff at once tried
the instrument and found that it was
in perfect order.
1t is s&id that Mrs. Mahoney was
in Virginia city few days before, and
drew $40 OF $50 at the bauk Mahoney
is said to have been drinking good
deal during the past two or three
days, and some women who passed