Daily Republican., 1885-08-29
AhoOvin the street.

GENEVA, Ill, Aug. 2S-Geneva, .
quiet, sleepy, old country town, some
twenty six miles distant from Chicago,
was early this morning the scene Of a
double tragedy. Some time between
midnight and one o'clock, the residents
OF the centre of the city, right under the
shadow of the courthouse, were awak.
ened fromsleep by succession Of pistol
shots, some say half dozen, others ten
| or more.
1t would naturally he supposed that
such fusi!lade wou Id have brought
the entire population to the streets,
but, incomprehensible as it may seem,
but one old lady took the trouble to
arise from bed, and she, after peering
through her window into the darkness
for moment, went back to her couch.
About an hour later, however, a party
OF three merry makers, returning from
pic mic, found two men lying ON the
sidewalk near the Sou invest corner of
the courthouse and the County jail,
the ground around them being spatter.
Cd with blood.
An alarm was at once raised and the
men were identified as John McNett,
poundmaster and one Of the three 20.
licemen Of the village, and Joseph
man nc the depot. The former was
dead and the later was unconscious and
dying. Both had their revolvers clasp
cd in their rigid hands, four cham bers
OF each weapon being empty. McEett
hs been shot through the head and in
the left side, over the heart, whi le
Grant, who died before medica! assist
ance could he obtained, was shot in the
right breast below the heart
The lady who looked through her
window says that she saw two men
running away in the direction Of the de-
pot, and the theory is that the Of
ticers surprised pair or more OF burg
| lars and met their death while trying
| to effect their arrest. This theory Ia
strsngthued by the fact that at day Ii Rht
IL WAS discovered that an unsuccessful
Iattsmpt had been made to enter the
| resi- ience OF Mrs. Lsrahee, two blocks
South OF the scene of the Tragedy, there
being footprints on the porch and
| marks indicating that one of the locks
had been tampered with. Two men
who are not known here, but who have
been In town for several days, and q
young servant girl, who was ont until
an early hour this morning, have been
arrested on suspic ion, but 1t is not be-
| lieved that they know anything about
the crime.
This morning n Continental revolver,
the mouth filled with fresh mud and
with every chamber loaded, was found
In Mrs. Wha ley 3 garden, close by the
courthouse. This adds to the mystery,
as IL is a number "a calibre, while the
llets with which the murders were
committed wera OF 50 calibre. Some
people entertain the idea that the men
qusrreled and shot each other, but this
Is secuted by the majority, on the
ground that they wore intimate friends
and were seen laughing and joking
with each other rs late as IL o'clock last
night
Detectives from Chicago, who arrived
| tonight, support the theory Of an at.
tempted burglary aud surprise by the
officers. The inquest was formally
opened and adjourned until Monday.
Grant WAS So and McNett 80. Both
men bore excellent regulations and
leave large families. There have been
q score of attempted burglaries in the
town during the past two months, and
to night steps are being taken toward
the formation Of the Vigilance Com
mittee.