The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-09-24
BURNED BY KEROSENE.
Mrs. Meehan Accused Of
Pouring Oil Over Her
Drunken Brother and
Firing It,
MICHAEL GROGAN MAYDIE
They Are Said to Be yicious Lot.
Horrible Ending Of a
Debaueh.
MICHAEL GROGAN MAY DIE


McNally. Mrs. Meehan, widow, kept
house for her brother. Michael Grogan,
forty-eight years old, at No. IS Leonard
street. The house is a two story frame
and Grogan's family lived 10 the upper
story.
Two sons of Mrs. Meehan, John, fifteen
years old, and Joseph. seventeen years of
| age, lived with their mother. Next door,
at No 16, Grogan's married daughter,
Mrs. Van Horn, lived and with her re-
sides her sister,
A week ago last Saturday night Grogen.
after coming home and giving his sister
some of his wages, started on drunken
| bout, sending out for beer all night. At
two O'Clock John Meehan went to bed,
and at that time his uncle was still drink
| ing. Abont eight O'Clock in the morn
ing John awoke and saw his uncle
| standing in the room with the upper por-
| tion of his body enveloped in flames and
| making 40 effort to extinguish them. The
| boy sprang out of bed and wrapped a
| blanket around his uncle's body,
smothering the fire. He says that his
uncle was stupidity drunk and unable to
| help himself at the time
| Florence Black, q colored girl. who
| lives in q rear house at the back of No. 18,
saw the smoke in the hallway and rush
| ing upstairs saw Grogan standing in the
room enveloped in flames and the boy
| John trying to eXtinguish them. No one
was i'll the room when the affair oc-
Cured but Mrs. Meehan anu Grogan, and
| their accounts are very different.
THE BURNING.
Grogan says that it was Sunday after
| noon when the occurrence took place. He
| awoke from a drunken stupor and asked
| for some supper. Mrs. Meehan told him
| that she had his money. and he could get
| his own suppor or get OUT. He staggered
| over a chair near the window, and sat
down resting his arms on the window
! sill, and sinking his head in his hands.
| Mrs. Meehan seized can of kerosene
| oil and threw some of it on his shirt,
| after which she struck match and set
| the shirt affre, and then stood by enjoy
| ing the blaze. Grogan was too helplessly
] drunk to aid himself, and John Meehan
| smothered the flames with a blanket.
| Grogan then wandered downstairs into
| the yard, where he met his married
| daughter.
"Oh, ANN he said, "I am burned,
look" and he showed his chest and back
SCARED and biistered. His daughter took
him up to her rooms where she took off
| his shoes and undressed him and put him
\ to bed. She says she sent for doctor,
but could not find one.
| Grogau lay in bed without seeing doc
tor until yesterday, when Van Horn, his
son-ln-law, called in DR.. Henry.
| THE DISCOVERY.
The doctor at once perceiv ed that this
| was a case for the police, after hearing
\ the circumstances and discovering the
| probably fatal consequence of the burns,
1 SO he wrote a letter to Captain McNulty
and notified Policeman Rocheford, the
| policeman on that beat, who immediate
| ly arrested Mrs. Meehan. Grogan was
sent at once to the City Hospital
| The police remember that Mrs. Meehan
| came to the Webster avenue station
| about seven a. m. on the day of the affair
| to get warrant for Grogan tor assault
and battery and she was told TO call the
next morning, as she was then drunk.
| She returned home and presumably re-
! yenged herself in this way. When
arraigned in court this morning Mrs.
| Meehan. who is beery looking woman
of about fifty, told her side of the story.
She said that the fire was caused by
| Grogan falling against the stove. But rs
| Grogan was fully DIRE ssed when the burn
ing took place, this is not likely Mrs
| Whelan did not attempt to explain how
| the shirt came to be saturated
with kerosene or why she stood by while
| the flames burned.
| She became confused when questioned
| by Justice Wanser and concluded by
saying she was so bothered she couldn't
/ remember how the affair happened.
| The subsequent witnesses swore there
was no fire in the stove until ten o. m
| The accident occurred about eight g. IN,
| John Meehan, the son of the accused,
| was called and sworn next. He stated
that he did not know how the fire oc-
| Cured.
all he knew was that Grogan and his
| mother were drinking when he went to
| bed, aud when he awoke he saw Grogan
in flames. He did not know how he was
awakened. All the Justice could get
! from him was that he put out the fire, and
| that no fire was lighted in the stove until
| half past ten a. M.
| Joseph Meehan was next called. He
| has newspaper route, and left the house
| early to serve his papers. He returned
about halt-past ten and the affair was
| over.
He said he did not ask how it occurred
nor had any one told him how il happen
| ed During his examination he said he
| came home at half-past ten and took his
breakfast at quarter past ten. Justice
| Wanser commented on this, which con-
fused Joseph, and he became more re-
| ticent.
A GIRLS TESTIMONY.
| Florence Black. a twelve-year-od
| colored girl who lives in rear house
at the back of No. IS. testified as to seeing
Mehan in flames. She also had not
heard any one talking about 1t: She did
not know how it occurred. Mary Van
| Horn, one of the subsequent witnesses,
| SAID that Florence claimed to have seen
Mrs. Meehan set Grogan's shirt on fire. !.
Lizzie Grogan, daughter of the injured
| man. who lives next door with her sister,
didn't know anything about it. She was
! coming home from eight O'Clock church
when the colored girl Florence Black,
met her and told her Mrs. Meehau had
attempted the incarceration of her
| father. Mrs. Van Horn, the eldest
| daughter of the injured man, said she
met him in the yard and took him up
stairs and put him to bed. He told her
| that Mrs. Meehan had poured kerosene
| oil over him and set his shirt on fire.
| Both Mrs. Meehan and Grogan have
| pretty bad regulations in what IS said to
| be pretty bad neighoorhood. They are
| both confirmed growler liends and gener-
| ally drunk and noisy Grogan has been
sent to Jail for disorderly conduct and
| drunkenness at various times.
The length of time which Grogan lay
| without medical aid render his injuries
| most severe, and the doctors have but
little hope of his recovery. The wit
nesses were all sullen and studi-
onslv reticent, and the police seem
to think there is a great deal OF mystery
| in the case. Mrs. Meehan was remanded
! by Justice Wanser, to await the result OF
Grogan's injuries. Detective McNally is
| still at work upon the case.
/