New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-06-23
. MITRDERED MAN IN A WELL.
cu ,sr1y DISCOVERY NEAR DARIEN' CONN.

nn.,v snot surrounded by thick woods with nooous
.,s..s house nearer than half mhe' n" u ~ ,,
road ia the only approach to the promises No a.,
IN the cottage. for after IL was him
or foupd the solitude too much ior MN
nar0,v y,s,,s IT, but cntrusts the care OF the
-, nd tho cu,tj yatsn Of the fields to Michaei E"sen'
Tho lives in an old fashioned frame house Win u's
.tone chinneys, about 100 yaros ,O .ass
,,co During tho summer inc s'a'.
hos grown long and rank in tho yard ABOUT 'no
cottage. u,.rd whv he did
L:s enc horscs into the yard and let them get the
,eat of the pasture. He thought IL was "
ooa idea and Saturday a'e'n'o
g., horses were led into the yard ana 'uinoi ~
ruo little sons OF Mr.. Eagen were toid W "a'0"
nrovent the animals from falling in'o an o'u hut
,ooa IN one corner OF the yaru,
60 ho,wocn the cottage and tho farmer mouse
IT,, ,vos no curb over this well; only iew Vi" oo"'
,a hse, laid across and they we're nearly ni'uon % - 80
s,gbt by the thick growth OF grass anu "oo ,,.c
rt,,o boys played around the yaru' ,., A0op..
rsar the we'll Prompted by chru"" 80,
So often peered down between the cracks OF 'ne nan
'noy ,naras AT the water that could be seen about
su,v feet from the top When they first looked dowh
.ha bovs could see nothing but am siea'" oi '''
surface of the water but as their eycS 20
camo accustomed to the darHhess ''oy So
TWO dark objects projecting above the water STU. ~
eide They tore of bit OF the rotten pianHns anu '
a. ora daylight Then the boys made out tho OUTLINE
=, ,wo boots Even the nailhcads IN tho
so,ss could be plainly seen. Two poo''
sctinr IN in the water OF tho well were grea' us
oyery for thoboys and they ran over 10 tho
,o,d their mother who came and looked uo"n a' ''e
hoots when Mr. Eagcn, who was absent, came nome
on Saturday night, ne was
the boots sticking up In the we'll "a
am a.b ,em ont tomorrow morning." he said. ana
went to bed. ,,,, ,,o
On Sunday morning before breakfast Eagen vscd 'ne
well. let down icc hook oy s''u.
,,ece of cord and graphing one OF
,he boots tried TO pull 1t up. As "
aid not came easily. he gave stout pun ana 'oohins
aorn saw that he had dragged up the body OF man.
He did not make any further efforts to pun the ooo's
out of the well after this but, telling his vile oi inc us
covery he harnessed his horse ana oro'e
20 Darien and informed Constable Waterbury
T., ha had tound Word was sent to Bridgeport also
and Coroner Holt came down on the first train Inc
news of the discovery Of the body travelled from mouse
10 house in Daren Township and reached Stamford
FWhen the Coroner, Constable Waterbury, u"u
officer Theodore Miller and Deputy Sheriff Bolster
OF Stamford reached the Butler place they iouno 'no
ward nearly filled with neighborng farmers, who were
waiting for the officers. Making slip moose
ant OF piece OF cotton rope omcer
Miller droppcd 1t over both boats. JERK
ttchtened the moose about the feet dozen Dra"hy
hands seized the and n two minutes the body 10
which the feet belonged had bcen dragged out o 'ne
well and laid dripping upon the grass-
A thrill of horror through the spectators as
.be body was hauled into sight, for 1t was
ghas,ly sight, and took only one look TO snow that
a foul murder had tbeen. brought TOD hgnt Inc nedu
md neck of the dead were in piece OF common rag
Garnet which was held in its place by clothes "ne
that had been coied around It, The same
line bound Of the murdered man 10 MS pooy,
WAS drawn tightly around his legs above the knees aud
below them. Altogether the clothes Inc passed
twelve times about tho head and neck, and ten
times around ais body and legs. Inc rope
was unwound from about the body and
The rag capct taken from the head exposing the iace 10
The gaze OF the crowd OF farmers The features were
those of man about fifty years old, slightly bald, with
crayish hair and gray sdewhskers The lines oil the ace
and the large hands well as the clothing denoeu hat
The dead man had worked hard or had led rough HE
The body was dressed in winter clothing and from the
anpearancc OF the flesh had in the water fully two
months A heavy overcoat OF dark material ana a
nlaid pattern wa, worn over all. The buttons on the
overcoat were nearly an inch In diameter cardigan
Jacket, dark waistcoat, a blue manner jacket
nearly new, a striped cstton shirt Canton hannel
drawers dark cashmere ronsers with blue stripes and
oyeras such farm aborers wear stuffed In his ooots
completed his outfit with the exception OF silk hand
kercbcf knoted about his neck in the shape OF scarf
An examination Of the mans body and head showed
wounds and bruises that might nave
ben received before death the result Of sharp
stones thrown down the well upon him. Coroner Holt
an autopsy haa held The body was laid out under
An annie tree in the yard aud covered with a sheet
1t lay under the apple tree until late
on Sunday afternoon, when undertaken from Darien
came and took the town. where In the evening an
autopsy was made by Dr. Burke, Of South Nor
walk The result Of the autopsy showed
that there we're three buethoies I'm the
mans head and while no bones had been fractured his
breast arms showed marks Of kicks and bruises
There was no question that the man had been
beaten. murdered and thrown into the
well 10 conceal the crime. While the
body Law in the yard had been closely scrunzed by
all the farmers present the request Of Coroner Holt.
who wanted it identified. None OF the farmers could
swear that they the face of tho dean man be-
FORE although several gazed at 1t intenty and held
whispered consultations among themselves 1t was
nearly noon yesterday when Coroner Holt and the Off
cials OF Darien, Stamford and South Norwak, and all
the farmers from the neighborhood, gathered in the
yard near the well. Coroner Holt took the farmers
who were neighbors OF Michael Eagen aside and he and
Assistant States Attorney Gaen b. Carter questioned
them closely Last Of all they called Farmer Eagen aud
talked him aside After talking with Mr. Eagcn the latter
Joined his neighbors who showed disposition TO shun
him Nobody in the throng seemed surprised except
Eagen when Officer Theodore Miller went up 10 him. and
displaying his Shield told h to consider himself under
Eagen turned several shades paler. but said
nothing He put in n wagon and taken TO lookup.
The officials who have Eagen In custody refused to
give the reasons they had for arresng him oreven 10
cay where he locked up From others 1t is learned
however that the is the result of the suspicious
OF the farmers who ncighbors OF Eagen.
They say that about two months ago
fight took place IN Eagens house. In which several
were engaged. Who the participants In the fight
were is ROT known, for Eagen lived IN out-ofthe-way
place and said little of his neighbors they Of him.
He accustomed to hire men who
trampcd through the country. They and
went and no one ever thought of them. But several
.l.s A..
posed features Thomas Lahey who had worked for Eagen
about two months ago. and has not been seen for sbout