Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1888-09-21
HOMICIDE AT BENNINGTON.
MAN SHOOTS :ANorHERcTHROUGH
THE HEAR AFT ERsOUARREllNG.
rhe Murderer Goes Home and Coolly Goes
so Bed-Arrested for the Crime-An
Eye witnesss Refuses to Talk Until
Examined as Such.

A murder of a mysterious and startling
character occurred at Bennington, Vt,
in the railroad station there at about
a. M, Thursday. Sept 49, The details
are meagre, as the only eye witness to be
found is the station master, who refuses
to talk until he is compelled to give testi-
mony. Women were evidently the prime
cause of the crime, and the murderer dis
played his GOODNESS by leaving his victim
dead on the floor of the station and then
going home and to bed for nights rest.
The particulars 80 far as obtained are as
follows:
George Koran of Bennington Centre,
keeper Of meat market, and said TO be n
steady, peaceable young man about 25
years old, and another young man named
ChapiD were at the Manchester fair, both
having ladies. Koran WAS accompanied
by young woman whose maiden name
was Augusta Nichols She has been mar
ried, but is now a widow, or if her hu--
band is alive-as some thlnk-she does not
live with him. She has been in the EN-
ployment of Hiland Carpenter of North
Hoosick, it is said. The two couples went
down from Manchester Wednesday night
on the sleeping train, which arrived AT
Bennington about 100 Thursday morn
ing.
Upon their arrival it seems they were
met at or near the station nv William Nc.
CURE a son Of James Mcclure, and au-
other young man named Mccarthy. 1t Is
said that Mcclure was jealous of Horau,
having taken fancy to the Nichols wo,
man, and that he and Mccarthy tried to
get the girls away from Koran and Chapln.
1t is supposed that Mcclure. who is said to
have been a desperate, insulted and proba
ply attacked Koran Whatever the provoca-
ton may have been, il any, Koran drew a
revolver and shot MCGUIRE through the
heart, killing him instantly.
Nicholas HoughtoD, the night agent at
the station, saw the whole affair, but de-
clines TO make a statement prior to his eX-
animation by the proper aut horities. The
other parties have disappeared and there
Is reticence on all hands.
Sheriff Mccall, accompanied by Hough-
ton, arrested Koran Thursday morning
about O'Clock. They found him IN bed.
Another account say that as s ION as
at Bennington William Mcclure, Il g
slain man, who, it is alleged, was intoXl-
Gated, began to pick Il quarrel with
Houran, daring him to fight, etc. Soon
after. Mcclure lightly slapped the face of
Miss Msury and also gave her several
other insults HOuran promptly resented
such treatment Of Miss Maury whereupon
Mcclure proceeded to attack Houran with
f1stand foot 1t is alleged Houran w AS
followed about the depot platform, and
was Kicked and struck several times
Houran, seeing that Mcclure evidently
INTENDED TO continue the assault, drew a
revolver and fired one shot at McGuire's
breast The victim uttered smoth-
cred cry and fell, face downward,
dead, on Il pile of mail bags close by.
The post-mortem examination Thursday
revealed the fact that the ball, a thiIt y-
two calibre, passed through the cartilege
of the tifI rib near the breast bone, tore
its way through both chambers of the
heart and then being DETECTED downward,
passed through the diaphram and spleen
and finally imbedded itself in the muscles
of the back near the kidneys. Mcclure,
who was 81 years old, was an employe GU
the Bennington battle monument, and
was regarded as steady and trustworthy.
Houran, who is about % years old, keeps "a
meat market in Bennington Centre, and
has borne good reputation. He and
Chaplin were arrested by Sheriff Mccall
soon after the shooting and placed in jail.
A warrant was sworn out later in the day
charging Houran with manslaughter. An
examination of the parties was held
Thursday afternoon aud evening by JUS
tice White. The evidence did not impli-
cate Chaplin. Houran was held in $1,000
for appearance before the grand jury IN
December