St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-12-12
FIEND IN HUMAN FORM
Patrick Regain Deliberately
Fires Four Shots Into His
Wife's Body.
She Had Applied for a Di-
vopee Because Of Alleged
Inhuman Conduct.
After Killing His Wife the
Husband ThirSts for an
Attorneys Gore,
But Luckily He Is Jugged
Before the Limb Of the
Law Can Be Found.

Patrick Regan is cold-blooded muir
derer. His wife lies dead at Mccarthy
& DOnnelly's morgue, with three bullet
wounds in her body. Regan shot her
with 3S-caliber revolver. lie then pro-
ceeded to st. Paul with the avowed pur-
pose of killing Assistant City Attorney
Herman Phillips, but he was foIed i'll
his purpose. Regan has been fOrnearly
year past residing in Tacoma, Wash.
He was employedthere by the Northern
Pacific railway company. Prior to his
departure for the coast he had
bad frequent quarrels with his
wife. She had threatened divorce
proceedings, but, as they had been mar
rled twenty years and were the parents
of ten children, Regain was slow to be-
lieve she would adopt such course.
He states that life became unbearable
with his wife, and it was to get away
from the constant trouble she caused
him that he went to Tacoma. Accord
ing to the mans own statement. he was
doing we'll out there. and sending money
home regularly for the use of his chill
dren. He would not have come back had
it not have been for letter he received
from his wife, announcing her inten-
tiOnS of beginning divorce proceedings.
The letter stated that there was no de-
sire on the part of the writer to ever see
Regan again. Almost simultaneously
he received notification from Assist
ant City Attorney Phillips, stating
that an
Action for Divorce
had been begun. He started at once
for st. Paul, arriving in the city last
Friday night. lie went to the house oc-
cupied by his family on Lexington ave-
nue., near Hatch street. He was coldly
received. Mrs. Regan refusing to recog-
niZe him as her husband. He endeav-
Ored to reason with her that divorce
proceedings would bring discredit on
their children and themselves. She re-
manned Obdurate, however, and instead
of remaining at the house, went every
night TO sleep at the residence of her
married daughter, Mrs. Hugh McFad-
den. wife of Capt. McFadden,
of Engine Company No. l. This
sort of thing continued, with inter
walls of quarreling, until yester-
day, Mrs. Regan returning during
the day to care for her family.
Papers were served on Regan Tuesday,
notifying him that suit for divorce had
been filed against him. He was frantic
with rage, declaring that Mrs. Regain
should never have divorce. He told
her that after twenty years of married
life it i'll became her to sue for separa-
ton from her husband. Yesterday
morning the qualrelling was renewed.
Regan claims that he was trying to in
duce his wife to consent to an arrange
ment which would obviate the odium
following divorce. The argument on
CUhippt hpoamn bpafad in nm
usual degree, and the wOIhan declared
with emphasis that she would get di-
YOrce or die. She would never live with
him again. Finding her ineXOrable on
the point, Regan determined TO kill her.
He pulled from his pocket
a 3S-CaIiber Revolver
he had brought with him from Tacoma,
and, taking deliberate aim, fired. The
ball struck the unfortunate woman in
the back, and she ran screaming from
the rear kitchen, in which the first shot
was fired, to the next room. Regan
followed her, firing again as she passed
through the door leading to the apart
ment formerly occupied as saloon.
The poor woman was mOrtally wounded.
and crouched down near the bar, but
the murderer was not satisfied. He
hred a third shot, and his dying victim
sank TO the floor in the throes of death.
Once she raised herself and cried In
faint voice, Marie, Marie" to one of
her daughters; then, with groan, she
fell dead. The police were on the scene
in short time, but Regan had escaped.
The premises were searched thorough
ly. and the neighborhoCd secured, but
no trace OF the man could be found.
The murder was committed at 80 o.
m, and at $50 Regan was under arrest.
As soon as he had become satisfied of
his wife's death, he went straight to
Hamllne station with the still smoking
revolver in his pocket. Arriving in st.
Paul, he went TO the Office OF Judge Nc
Catferty and told what he had done.
Il have killed my wife, he said, ''and now
I'm going over to kill Phillips"
The man seemed at that time to be
under the influence of liquor. Judge
MeCatferty at once took steps to notify
the police, and in ten minutes from the
time of his arrival Regan was on his
way to the police station in the hands
of Capt. Cook.