Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-01-31
HE WAS. NOT MURDERED,
AND PROVES TT TO THE SATlS-
 FACTION OF HIS FRIENDS
By Appearing to Them in the Flesh-Re- viving the Story of an old Tragedy-A Mangled Corpse in a Well-A Mystery Shrouded in Many Lies.

viving the Story of an old Tragedy-A
 Mangled Corpse in a Well-A Mystery
 shrouded in Many Lies.
 STAMFORD, Conn, Jan 31-This staid old town of Stamford is stirred up. A man, thought to be murdered and thrown in well, taken out and buried in the town plot of Darlen, three miles east of Stamford, two years ago, has just turned up alive in the place as if arisen from the dead.
 In the summer of 1885 the neighborhood was mortified when the body of a murdered man, identified as that of Thomas Leahy, shoe maker, was found at the bottom of well on the Cornell property, in Darien. Michael Eagan, who has leased the place for the last five years is an eccentric character. He lives with his family in a low, slanting roofed, old fashioned house on the Stony Creek road, and told the authorities on that memorable Sun day morning in June that he had found the body in an abandoned well near his house, which had been empty for several years.
 Eagan was arrested on suspicion, and kept in the Bridgeport jail for week, but released for want of evidence against him. Coroner Holt, of Bridgeport, brought out the fact that life had been extinct ill the body for several months Three pistol shot wounds were in the head. Some of the people of Noroton, Il, was the body of Tom Lamb, of that place. Others thought it was some one else but shoemaker named Rhilihan, of Noroton, in whose shop Leahy had worked just previous to the murder, was positive that it was Leahy.
 Leahy could not be found, and the excite ment died out. Eagan claimed that he knew nothing about the matter whatever. The murderer was never found, and it remains a mystery to-day.
 The facts that have come to light in the last fortnight, however, has revived the whole story of the tragedy, and a case has been begun in court which bids fair to reveal something as startling as the reappearance of the supposed dead man. All sorts of ru1nors and theories are afoat, now that Leahy is found. Leahy's sister, who lives ill New Jer- sey, stated that her brother had visited her one week before the body was found. The murdered man had been dead long time, and this threw doubt upon the assertion that Leahy was the victim This was not made public at the time
 On Dec. 26, 1887, Eagan made an alleged confession to Charles Waterbury, at Bridge port, and to Charles A. Hobbie, saying that he knew all about the murder and his con science forced him to speak after his long silence. He declared that John Conniff, a shoemaker, shot Leahy in the house of Andrew Moran, in Stamford, and that in the night they had taken the body in wagon and thrown it in the well. He had repeated the story to others.
 Connitf is an old white haired man who has worked for several years in Tracey's shoeshop and boarded with Moran, who is a man 50 years old, respected by his neighbors, has a family of nine and is employed at the Cold mills of the Stonington manufacturing con- pany The men, assisted by the officers of Fairfield county, ascertained that Leahy, who is of rowing disposition, was in Pennsylvania, and they prevailed upon him to come here He put in appearance ten days ago, and was presented to Eagan at his house. Eagan then declared that Leahy himself had told him that Conniff had shot the man found in the we'll Leahy denied this and all knowledge of the affair He has gone away again, but the off cers know where he is when they want him.
 Conniff has sued Eagan for 5000 damages for defamation of character, the suit being based upon the confession of Eagan, and Dep uty Sheriff Richard Bolster has attached all of Eagan's personal property to secure the claim. The trial is set down for next Tuesday, and the people expect some interesting testi- mOny.