The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-05-03

a woman of the town, and known as Bell
Walker. McEugh was drunk when the
marriage took place but was induced to 20
through the ceremony by DeBeck, who told
him the marriage was lust in fun" He
made two efforts to get away, but was each
time captured and taken hack, and the last
time was locked up in the room I'M
til in the evening with his in.
tended bride. About 5000 people were
present. and every one of them had paid
. cents admisSion-a handsome sum for the
society. When the hour for the marriage ar
rived, McHugh was in a drunken sleep
Brace up" said DeBeck, slapping him on
the back, and McHugh braced up and was
married. Each of the three couples received
$25 Of the society fund to start them in life,
besides a gold ring from the mayor to each
Of the blooming brides.
For awhile life went smoothly, and McHugh
braced up, went TO work and earned q living
and he and his wife lived happily for year,
at the end of which time lie began to drink
again, then grew Jealous of his wife, who
was beautiful woman of the blonde type
failed to support her, and in the second year
of his marriage he was arrested and sent to
the workhouse once for vagrancy, once for
larceny, and once for disorderly. A few
days before the murder the woman related to
a neighbor that McHugh had become intol-
cradle and that she proposed to get divorce.
Probably feeling that the woman was about
to desert him, and embittered with jealousy,
he conceived the idea to murder her.
On Saturday night of July 30 Nc
Hugh procured a butcher knife with a blade
six inches long md went into Sixth street
market to look for his Wife,. whene he seemed
to know she had gone. He was followed by
his old mother, who ran after him and tried
to persuade him to desist He found the
woman at the corner of Sixth and Plum
streets at about $50 in a crowd, he COM
ing up Plum street, and without a
word of warning, and with the GOODNESS of
devil incarnate, brushed the people aside to
| commit the horrible deed A raised arm, the
CLEAN of the knife, the death thrust, a shout
! from the wounded woman and all was over
McHugh had done the awful work, while
beside him stood his old mother. ooh,
you have killed her ;Ethere is blood
| on my hand" she cried; but the
fiend did not stop to look. He
| hurried away, followed by the old mother,
to saloon square distant on Plum street,
where he stopped. Another woman followed,
and seeing him standing there. ..cried out,
as there no one to arrest that murderer4"
| At that Ntzhugh, passed over to Central
venue, where he was arrested half hour
later and locked up. The stabbed woman
was carried to a drug store and expired in
| few moments.
The murderer had three trials, in each Of
which ha was convicted and cor semned to
| DEATH The first time the supreme court de.
creed new trial because one OF the convict
ing juror had read the evidence before the
coroner. The second time the supreme court
again granted new trial on the technical
point that witness had not been excluded
from the courtroom while other witnesses
were testifying. The third time the verdic
was allowed to stand.
McHugh was below the medium height,
had rather red hair, light blue eyes, straight
nose, sandy mustache, and an expression tina
bespoke keen understanding and good ordi
nary intelligence.
The night the mob assaulted the jail ii
its attempt to lynch Berner, McHugh's Gel
was visited, and in the dim light he wa
asked to give his name. He answered
that he was McHugh. eve don't want yol
Red" they replied, using his nickname by
which he was Familiarity known when boot
black, and then ked for Berner. He tolt
them the number Of Berner's cell, but tina
Berner had been taken to Columbus. No
satisfied with his statement the angry mel
investigated for themselves but founC
he had told them the truth
They returned to McHugh's eel
and asked him if o he wanted out HI
told them be did not, when the mob went be
low and assaulted the bunker Johnson's cell