St. Paul daily globe., 1889-02-28
SLAIN ON THE Street
John w. Doherty Shot Down
in Cold Blood by His
Mistress.
She Is a Morphine Fiend. and
Intended Only to Wing
Him.
The Victim Was Assistant
Cashier for the American
Express Company.
He Treated the Woman Like
a Dog, and Paid the
Penalty.

Shortly after o'clock last night
pedestrians in the vicinity of Fifth and
Robert streets were startled by single
air and announced the cruel and cold
blOOded murder, by a woman of the
town, of a young man in the prime of
life. The factories, shops and business
houses of the wholesale district had just
turned out upon the streets their thou
sands of employees, who were fast hurry
ing to their homes. From the office of
the American Express company came
John.W. Doherty, assistant cashier, who
proceeded up jackson street to Fifth,
turning west on that thOroughfare. AL
most at the same instant a woman, well
dressed, closely yelled and carry
ing bundle under either arm,
turned in upon the same side of Fifth
street from Robert and walked at hnr-
ried pace towards him. They met, eX-
changed glances of recognition, and
passed without speaking. No sooner
had they done So, however, than the
woman pulled glistening revolver
from the muff which she carried, turned
upon her heel and fired at the receding
man at distance of less than ten feet.
The victim uttered stifled cry, stag
gered few feet and fell forward
UPON THE PAVEMENT
utterly helpless. The woman had but
fired the shot when she replaced
the revolver in the mutf and
proceeded down the street, only paus-
ing after going few steps to glance
over her shoulder and see the victim of
her crime fall to the ground. Only
three or four people on Fifth street OBJ
served the shooting. The first of these
to act was Otto Names. a fifteen-year-
old press boy. who followed the woman
down Fifth street to Jackson, where he
met Officer Casserly, who had heard
the report of the pistol shot and was
hurrying to the scene. "Tilis is the
weman,'' said the boy, ., point
ing to the handle of the
revolver. which was visible from
the mutf. The officer, observing the
bundles which she carried. was inclined
to doubt the boys statement, but ap-
preached her and said: Are you the wo-
man who fired the shot?'' "All right"
she returned with the air of person not
in the least excited, "Pll go with YOU"
They then retraced her steps up the
street to the point in the middle of the
block where the shooting occurred,
and where several hundred people had
gathered, attracted from Robert and
Jackson streets by the report of the re-
volver. In the meantime Officer Ger
Der. who heard the report from Robert
street, had come to the wounded mans
assistance. Aided by several bystanders
he removed the man to the Exchange
laundry on the opposite side of the
street, where he
DIED WITHIN EIGHT MINUTES
from the time of the inf1ictiOn of the
wound. About three minutes he lay
upon the pavement before his removal
to the building, but at no time did he
utter an Ineligible word, the only signs
of life being an occasional low moan.
Soon after his death Murphy 81 O'Hal-
lOran. undertakerS, were summoned
and the body was removed to their
morgue on Sixth street, where an exam
ination was made of the fatal wound.
The bullet was found to have entered
the body in the middle of the back to
the right of the spine, and passed al
most through, discOlOring the skin on
his breast, just above the heart. 1t
is believed that death resulted from
hemorrhage caused by the rupture of
main artery of the heart. Coroner
Quinn viewed the body at the morgue,
but decided to postpone the autopsy
and inquest until to-day. The woman
was taken in the patrol wagon to the
central police station, where she was
assigned to cell IL. The weapon, a
38-caliber, self-cocking revolver, was
taken from her, and on removing her
hat and veil it was found that she wore
a heavy gray wig.
SORRY SHE KILLED HIM.
The Murderess Says Her Sole Aim
Was to Wing DOherty.
A reporter for the GLOBE found the
woman in a cell at the central police
station, whittier she was taken shortly
after the murder. She did not appear
greatly excited by the enOrmity of her
crime, and even evinced certain
amount of satisfaction at the way in
which she had made good her threats to
the murdered man, THAT she would
make his name ring all over the cOuu-
try, and show the people what hard
citizen he was" She came to this city
from Louisville. KY, and has been an
inmate of numerous disreputable
houses in this city. and first
made the acquaintance of Doherty
at the house of Sadie Fuller. a
wears ago. Their connection dates
from that time. ''My name" she said,