Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1884-11-27
4 sRPrtAaksARiArs KNfgE.
Shocking Msrder efs womss "a sanrisa-
STREET Tesessst fsssse.

about the small courtyard between the
1ont house aud tue tsll rear tenement n,
No. 81 Marion street about dusk last eve
ning.
These were the lat words SPOKEN ,y the
woman. for Immediately after uttering tiem
sbe became unconscious from the loss Of
blood. and quarter Of an hour later she
expired in an ambulance that at break
necA sreed was conveying her through the
strttts 10 81. Vincents Hospital.
Tue words were addressed by Mrs Alil
'r 10 Henrietta Connsugbty, neigh0or,
Who, upon hearing a scutiie. rushed from
the house into the yard a second after the
iatai blow bsd been struck and Just Ia time
to see The blade OF the murderer's knife
iiash IN The lampiight A. he disappeared
under The s,oop that leads into the base
meni OF the tenement. Mrs. Connsughty
asserts that she recognized tue form OF the
man that had vanished into the dark
corridor OF the basement a, that
OF Dan Shea, septuigeusrian. who,
VITA his sged wife. dwell there. Mrs.
tonnaughtY screamed for help and sup
ported The wounded woman until the lat
ters hiisband c3me TO her assistance. Nil
Ter attempted with his handkerchief 10
staunch The low OF blood from the wound
IN hi, wiic's neck until Surgical help AZ
rived; but h1nGkeichieis and towels were
oil no avail. for several large arteries had
been severed. Mrs. Miller rapidly bled to
death, and the scene in the squaid court.
yard until the ambulance arrived and
partcu husband and " lie forever was lad
and terrible one.
Mil'Cr, who is bury lghterman. when
be realized how dangerously his wife had
been stabbed, clasped her to his bosom and
kissed her bIarched lips, While her blood
stained his clotbrg.
When the ambulance arrived the hls-
band carried the dying woman IN his arm,
through the long alley 10 the street lld
placed her in the vehicle. A Il ratified OF
Miller broke into tear. and loud lamenla-
tons. aa1 was soon surrounded byacroNd
OF 'ympaitizirg neighbors.
COLLECTING THE EVIDENCE.
In tic excitement consequen on the dis.
coycry Of the wounded woman. and in the
hustle caused by the arrival Of the ambu-
lance. with changing bell. the old man.
shea. ~ for the time forgotten. Word OF
the >tabbing was carried. however. to the
MulheTIv.StTeet s,ltion.hOu,c. and while
The surgeon was attending to the DIVING
woman in the ambulance Captain Murphy
and Wlrd-DeteCtiyeS Moran and Brennan
were gathering the particulars OF the
! tragedy.
Mis-. Rebecca Leonard. who. with her
| husband and family. live, on the second
| floor OF the tenemen!-hou.e, told Captain
| Murphy that she was standing AZ one OF
| her front windows looking out, when she
! noticed a struggle between man and
woman going on below her IN the court
| yard. The woman she recognized a. Mrs.
| Miller ana the man she was sure was old
/ Dan Shea. She did not see any weapon In
! the man, hand. but that might be because
| the light was 80 din.
Ms. Conuaughly'N story wa, brief. She
/ said tnlt upon hearing Mr.. Leonard cry
/ out OF the window She ran into the court
! yard and distinctly recognized Dan Shea a.
/ nc SUNK away from the wounded woman
| INTO hi, basement hOyel. She Slid. too,
! that dim ray from a keIosene.Oil Imp.
! which 1t that instant had been liz IN the
! font house. fell on the blade OF the knife
/ which the man carried in his hand. aud she
! saw The blade q, Il flashed. To thi, state
/ mcnt he added the dying words altered
! 10y the victim and quoted above.
An Italian also came forward. and in
/ broken English told the detective, that he
| had seen m Old man strike the woman. but
! was careful TO add that he did not see the
| knife. This was all the evidence that
! could be gathered by Captain Murphy and
| bis two detectives ls 10 the actual commits
| lion II the clime. No one saw the fatal
| blow struck.
QrAERELflNG FOR MONTHS.
There were. however. stories told BY the
| ncishhor, that Shea aud Mr.. Miller had
| been quarrelling continuously ior months.
| and that they bad INDUCED in a wordy war
at II o'clock on Monday night. All the
| residents OF the rear tenement could bear
wiine,> 10 that fact, becau,c their siumbers
| had been disturbed by the alteration be-
! tween the pair. The detective, were also
! told that Ms. Millcr's eat had been found
/ dead i'm the morning. and a. shea had often
| threatened to kill the animal there was 4
! general belief that hc had kicked the beast
/ to death.
All ihi, information was cleaned while
/ Ms. Milltr'S llood wa, yet flowing on the
| nag,tOnc> Of the courtyard.
Dan shea was last seen n he di-ap-
| peared into the basement, and as no one
! had seen him come out Captain Murphy
va. satisfied that hc was concealed IN hl>
/ basement apartment. Thithcr he made hi,
/ way. followed by his two detectives. The
I door OF Shea. room was suddenly opened
/ hy Captain Murphy. while Moran and
Brennan were at his heels. shea was in
/ The room, and was dressing himself by the
/ li2lt 81 kcro>cnc-Oil lamp and a candle
; He va, Just in the act OF putting on hi,
oycTcOIt. on top Of three underco1t, and D.
! many vets, when disturbed by the entrance
~ the Vo,icc Officers. lie recognized Cap
tain Murphy, and the Captain remembered
( The face OF The obi man IL that OF one of the
: ofH 4 lgggnf HtfsVgffgl- ~ Frn
| Fourteenth ward. There Wi, a wicked
| fa,h in the old man, eye ~ ia. CAPTAIN
! and The two detectives entered his abode.
/ The Place was Nertable curiosity shop.
/ Piece, oi old IRON junk and odds ANA eud-
/ were s;iiTn about the basement.
wei. whats the natter: asked shea.
q, Captain Murphy approached bin.
/ you are nv prisoner" replied the
/ police captain. land want You TO give m
toe knife"
Nv hat knife do you mean inquired
/ the old man.
The knife YOU cat that woman with, -"
answered Captain Murphy.
| WHO .aw me do il: - again asked shea.
a BLOUD-STAINLD KNIFE.
">eyeral people" retorted Captain
/ Murphy, a, he thrust his hand INTO the
] 10 thfl hi -lltd : bf'liNit i44iA i'hAhN RtAt
! two jackkniyeS. one of them Wa, stained
/ with blood. and there were hlood.tain,
/ found on >hoa'> right hand between The
/ ioielinger and the thumb. The prisoner
was then taken 10 the >lati0n-hou>c, and
; " len 1,ked why he was wearing - many
.i!ii, at one time, said 1t nay De- cold
/ ni-bt. and YOU may keep lac here. - !
thought / would be well provided. lie
/ did not seem to realize the enOrmity Of hi
crime. and soon after being placed in The
! cell icl asleep on his board bed.
Mrs.. Miller lett her apartment 10 20 ont,
, 10 the hydrInt Tor pitcher Of water only q
,econd before Mr.. Leonard saw the ,trug-
/ Gle going OF in the yard. Mr.. Miller LEFT
her husband and Mr.. Connaughty in the
, room al the time. and scarcely two minutes
elapsed before she was found fatally wound
( ed. Il 1. suspected by the police and the
I neighbOiS that the old man had deliberately
/ ul1nred The murder. and had lain in walt
! Tor his victim. A. II was dark ~ The time
be ST. ick the fatal blow be- AT first thought
he had not been seen or recognized.
Mrs Miller j. iorty.iye year, Old. and
Was born in Nonkers. y. \. Her husband
| Charles is about the same age.
shea is one OF the beSt-knOwn characters
| in the Fourteenth ward. in which he ha,
| lived for aalf a century. He ha- no chill
! dren. but lived with hi wife in the base
meut where he was arrested. The old man
A