Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1886-07-29
MICHIGAN MATTERS.
ARRESTED ON SUSPICION.
William Horrigan Charged With Numbering
the Knoch Family,


From the Detroit Free Press of July 49,
On the 22d of last December, six days
after the preparation of the awful trag-
edy at Frank knoch's homestead back or
Woodmere cemetery, Sheriff Stellwagan
engaged the services of private Detective
John Il. Stadler to work with him in the
effort to find out whether a murder had
been committed and, il so, try TO discover
the murderers AT the start the Sheriff ana
Mr.. Stadler had uphill work because or
the conflicting opinions and reports whlch
prevailed to u very general extent. for
instance Capt. Berger of the police depart
ment, looked into the case and insisted
that il was case of suicide, plain and sim
pie; others were sure IL was the result OF a
family quarrel and with doctors III dispute
with citizens in general expressing opin-
ions, the officers had hard work TO secure
a starting point.
Detective Stadler, basing his opinion on
knowledge of an attempt to commit a
burglary out Michigan avenue by gang
of thieves and by the character of the
gang who were in the city at that time,
FELT sure that the Knoch tragedy was the
result of "tix'' made up by parties in the
city, and from the start he has followed
that line of belief. He found an old lady
Who lives near Woodmere, who was Ill on
the morning of the 10th of December and
who left her bed to take some medicine
about 2 O'Clock. While walking in her
room her attention was called by noise
on the street, and looking out she saw two
men in buggy driving rapidly up Fort
street toward the city. About the same
time it was discovered that two men
who were in the county Jail on the
10th of December acted as IL they might
know something of the affair. They were
reading the Knoch tragedy and one OF the
men slapped his hand on his knee, saying
Il can call the turn" To find the man
who made this remark was the next step
and the last, when he was found, he ex-
planned the cause of his remark as follows:
Some two or three weeks previous to the
tragedy this witness and ex-prisoner in
the county jail were talking with pal
near the Dynamite Hall saloon on Michi-
gan avenue when they were approached
by man named William Horrigan. After
discussing various jobs that had been done
in Detroit and elsewhere about that time
Horrigan proposed that they Ego down
and do up market gardener near Wood
had a big 'boodle" and that the job
could be done in such a way as
to escape detection. This story
was corroborated by Sheriff Stellwagen,
who went to Jackson and interviewed the
second pal, to whom Horrigan had made
the proposition. This mans story cor
responded with the statements of the first
witness. Putting these statements by the
side of the story told by the lady who saw
two men driving rapidly toward the city
on the evening Oh IUt IIdHtu1, Lut
thought that it would pay to hunt up VIM.
Horrigan. For four months the search
was kept up, description of Horrigan
being about the only clue as a foundation
for the search. Two men named Horrt-
gan were run down, but proved TO be
other men by the same name. At last 1T
was found that VIM. Horrigan had been
arrested at Marshall, from which place he
was sent to the house OF correction
at Ionia Sheriff Stellwagen got
the aid of the turnkey of the Jail
at Marshall, and the turnkey learned
that there was decrepency in statements
made by Horrigan to the officers and to
his relatives at Marshall as to the date of
his leaving Detroit. To the officers he
claimed that he left the city several days
before the Knoch tragedy, and to his rela-
tives he stated that he LETT the city the day
after the tragedy. When the Marshall
turnkey had obtained this statement from
relatives Sheriff Stellwagen considered
that he had sufficient evidence to warrant
holding Horrigan for an examination.
Horrigan was sent from Marshall to lonia
for ninety days on conviction OF larceny
and his term of service expired last week,
and when he was discharged he was inn
mediately rearrested on suspicion. He
was brought to this city, as stated in the
Free Press at the time, and on Saturday
morning he was taken before Justice
Kurth of Springwells, for arraignment.
The prisoner pleaded not guilty and was
remanded to Jail, his exam nation being
set for 10 O'Clock next Saturday morning.
The prisoner is a man about % years old,
of rather large frame and medium height,
with features somewhat sharp and com
plexion inclining to the blonde. He is a
moulder by trade and worked for the De-
troit Stove Works up to last October. He
claims that he left Detroit for Battle Greek
somewhere between the 10Th and goth Of
December he doesn't remember the exact
date. He quit working at the stove works.
he says, because of rheumatism and for
the same reason went to Battle Creek. He
also claims that he never heard of the
Knoch tragedy until no reached Battle
Creek. There is this much to be said OF
the prisoner he appears calm and confident
without showing anything of the bragga-
bocio.
Mr.. Stadler, while he does not claim that
he has got sure case on Horrigan, says
that the start thus far obtained is much
more connected and comprehensive than
was the start he had in the Kelly-Samples
case in 1870 who were convicted of the
murder of IA lonely old cabinet maker
named Close. The working out of that
case was a most remarkable achievement
and ii is not impossible that one equally
as noted may be wrought in the Knoch
matter.