Waterbury evening Democrat., 1891-04-29
HANcINc m THE BALANCE.


Flanagan Was ON the Verge OF Delirium
Tremens When He Murdered Michael
McDermott.
Flanagan murder trial, which opened in
New Haven, yesterday afternoon, was
Coroner Mix, who testified to the ante
norton statement made by McDermott,
in which he accused Flanagan of the
deed. DIR Axtelle, medical examiner,
gave similar testimony. Thomas Rus
sell, who was behind the bar of his
brothers saloon, where the murder was
committed, testified that he saw Flana-
gan do the shooting. ~:
Officer Frank Blakeley, who ARRESTED
Flanagan, was then called. He pro-
duced the revolver, which was a 32-cali-'
bre one, and which he had taken still
smoking from Flanagan's pocket after
the deed was committed. In testifying
the officer said: 81 asked Flanagan what
made him do what he had done. He
said he didn't know. He asked me if
McDermott was dead. / told him no.
He said he hoped he'd die. saw
Flanagan the next morning when took
him to court. He would not say any
thing about the murder. When / ar
rested him ] thought he was quite cool,
considering what he had done. l could
not detect any signs of liquor upon
Flanagan then"
A recess of five minutes was taken
and the defense began introducing evil
dence.
Mr. Leggett, foreman of the Water
bury Manufacturing company, was the
first witness. He said: Flanagan
worked at our shop for three or four
years and / considered him a man of
very good disposition, not liable to
| jealousies. He used to go off on DRINKS
once in a while. On the spree before
the one i'm which McDermott was killed
he was off for about ten days."
John b. Wells, who is Mr. Leggett's
assistant, said that Flanagan was not a
bit quarrelsome, but was of a cheerful,
genial disposition. Continuing he said:
"He went off ON sprees once in a while.
They usually lasted from a week to ten
days. When l saw him in the police
court after he had been arrested 1
noticed that he had a peculiar starey
look in his eyes"
John McNulty testified that he saw
Flanagan about three days before the
shooting occurred and that at that time
Flanagan was acting in somewhat pc
culiar manner and that his eyes had a
peculiar look about them. He came
| into our house a day or two before the
shooting" said the witness, land he
shook all over. He sat down in a chair
and didn't say anything. l went out
and got some whiskey for him, but after
tasting it he put it on the table and
turned away from it. We asked HIM if
he wouldn't have dinner with us. He
said no, that he hadn't tasted food for
three days. He went away an hour or
| two later. He came to our house again
| a day or two later and came up into my
room. He said: Il want you to shave
me- told him I'd do the best could,
and did. He staid with us until after
supper, but wouldn't eat anything
After supper he went away and did,
see him again until after he was ar
rested"
Hugh Feely was the next witness,
and he testified to an argument in
which Flanagan participated some days
| before the shooting. 1--WE were dis
cussfng the Franco-Prussian war;" said
the witness, land after talking ON that
subject for awhile, Flanagan branched
off, without any cause, and began to
talk about Demosthenes. l thought it
rather strange that he should change
the subject SO quickly"
AT this point a recess was taken until
| this morning.
The first witness called to-day was
Sergeant Bannon, of the police force.
He testified that the night after the
murder he saw Flanagan in the police
station. He was on the verge of delirium
| tremenS.
Officer McNiff told how one night
several months before the murder was
committed Flanagan, while slightly I'M
der the influence of liquor, opped him
on the street and said he had just killed
his father with an axe. The officer
placed Flanagan under arrest and upon
investigation it was learned that his
father, whom he claimed to have MUIR
dered, had died in II leland many years
| before.
The last witness for the defense was
Thomas May. He testified that for
several days previous to the murder
Flanagan was on the verge of delirium
| tremens.
From the evidence introduced it
would appear that at the time of the
murder Flanagan was crazy from eX-
cessive use of liquor. -.
At $50 o'clock the evidence was all in
and State Attorney Terry began his
argument. He will be followed by
Attorneys Baldwin and O'Neill. The
case will probably be given to the jury