The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1891-12-26
MURDER OF WOGAN
Selling Says He Shot in Self
Defence.
"ToM' COULD DENIES THIS.


A Murder in GOuid's Divo No Surprise, |
but the Many Conflicting Etorios Make
the Case Pocunar-The shot Fired on
tho Sidewalk and Entered Wogan's
Abdomen, Causing Almost Instant
Death Tho story of the Killing ns Told
By the Prisoner.
NEW YoRK, Dec. 28.-,1he killing of
man in Tom Gould's saloon is not
matter Of much surprise, as the place is
such a notorious dive, but fhe murder
OF John j. Wogan, the reputod pro-
prietor, but In reality the man employed
by Gould to manage the saloon, is peou-
Ii ar from the many conflicting storios
that are told Of tho Occurrences.
The facts OF the case are probably
about as followsi
The Christmas Eve orgies at Could
were wilder and more protracted than
usual At midnight, when the church
bells were psuling, three or four hun
drud men and women sat around tables,
below the level Of the street, drin king,
shouting aud laughing.
The thick clouds of vilo tobacco
smoke hanging low around and about
the baso5ted groups made the figures
appear like phAntOms But no clouds
could conceal the paint aud powder on
the faces Oi those scores of women,
Taey were ghasJly faces, made all the
more horrible by the articles used to
conceal tho pallor and the wrinkles
caused by nights Of eEcos8es in that
underground resort.
There were City men and women still
ip the place at o. clock in the morning.
Most of them we're 80 drunk that they
could not get away.
One story Is az follows Among those
who had reinforced the dwindling crowd,
at about ) o'clock, we're two neatly
dressed mon One Of them was Joseph
Selling and the other Julius Kohler.
They sat down at n table and ordered
drinks. a woman who calls herself
Mrs. Ida Adams, and lives at 237 West
rortieth street, came over and sat down
with them. Two hours we're spent in
drinking ut that table Selling and
kOhler drank little, always Of beer.
At about z o'clock the boUn Ger,
"Cad" Millspaugh, who wAs drunk,
came up TO Selling and reprOyod him for
having thrown u newspaper on the floor.
Selling is Il little man, and Millspaugh
a tall, SLENDER but powerful one. Sell
ing replied that he had meant no harm.
eyes you did, - you, and you'd
better got out o. here; seoP
"An right, Ill 80, said Selling, and
he and Kohier got up to depart.
AS they were moving toward the door
the bouncer seized Selling by the arm
and whirled him around with great
force. Just then Wogan, a short
Btocky man, weighing over 200 pounds,
came up, and being in u fighting mood,
also seized Selling. He, too, whirled
the small man around. Wogan and
Mulspsugh played with the smaller
fellow as IL pair of playful terriers
might with n ru5. Then Wogan became
tired oil the sport and grabbing Selling
by the throat threw him half way up
the stairs.
When the sidewalk was reached Soil
ing was almost unable to breathe, and
drawing his revolver he placed the
muzale close to his assailants abdomen
and fired. Wogan released his hold and
as Gould came running up the stairs,
remarked:
81 guess Pm doue for "
Wogau walked down the stairs, sat
down on chair, and moment later
rolled over to the iloor dead
Selling meanwhile, had run into
Twenty third street, pursued by a
crowd Of people from the dive. He was
caught by OMcer John Hughes who
took the still smoking revolver from hii
hand, and pl aCed him under arrest.
In the afternoon Gould and other
witnesses were called 10 the under
taker's by the coroner Gould's state
meuJs were so conflicting that th
coroner ordered him to be locked up as
"a witness.
During the afternoon Selling told thir
story:
Il went to bed at 10 o clock on Christ
mas Eve, but my cough was SO bad and
it was 30 hard for me to breathe That
could not sleep. My restlessness dis
turbed KOhler 80 that he could get nC
rest AT about O'Clock we decided b
dress and 60 out into the air for II walk
1t was better than tossing on the bed,
1--WE walked over to Sixth ayenu
and, seeing Gould's place open, went in
"A friend OF mine at the next Cabl
to ours had a NO wspapor sticking out q
hi pocket. 1 pulled it out and thre'
It down ou the floor in a joking way
4 he bouncer called Cad saw me do il
and came up 70 tell me that he'd uhro'
me into the street if / did anythin
more like chat lie was drunk an
ugly, and ! merely said that had NJ
meant to do anything wrong. Then Ia
ord cred me out, and as / got up to 6
he swung me around 50 hard that
almost fell against Woghu, who WI
walking toward US
''Wogon z. ubbed me and swung u
back toward Cad, Then Jheyihsd fu
with me, one tossing me TO the 9th,
for several minutes. Finally WOga
grabbed no by the throat, and l begg,
him not 10 do me up. lie threw Ii
out of the door aud l fell on the step
Then he took me by the neck again an
hauled me up 90 the sidewalk, where
pushed his knuokles into my thro
until / could not breathe / begged hi
not to, but he kept choking me, al
feeling that he meant 10 kill mo / DIRE
my revolver and fred Then he le t Ii
go, and / tried TO run away"