The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1891-07-11
Borrowing Angels "Sp,ak Trumpet
Tongued Against the Deep DAM
nation Of Her Taking on"
Not a Suicide, But a Foul. COwardlJ
Tale of Dastardly iii Treat
ment and Murder.
The COrOner's Inquest Brings to Light
Piteous Tale-WhO and What
the Parties Are.

just how Mrs. Gallagher, as she was
called, came to her death and Just who
Mrs. j. G. Gallagher is, are two questions
which can not be determined. On the
former. in all probability the grand as
we'll as the petit jury will be compelled
to sit. CcrtHin it is that, though she
wore his name, the woman who now
lies cold in her grave. was never the wife
Of }. c. Gallagher. That he has adj
mitted on the stand.
THE uoRoNER's INQUEST.
The coroner's jury. ~impancled by
Judge Winters. acting coroner was COM
posed Of Mcssrs. keough. Trigg. Power.
Dunn. Archie Mcdonald and kcelcr.
Prosecuting Attorney Douglas Martin.
Mrs. Annie +. Gowan, landlady of the
Gore block, first took the stand. Her
testimony was, in brief, to the effect that
Gallagher and the deceased. calling
themselves man and wife, came to her
house and took a room. This was on the
evening of the Fourth. On Monday
evening the woman was quite sick and
Gallagher went after medicine. He
failed to return before | o'clock and
they had Il spat. When | went i'm next
morning he was bathing her head. She
said she wished she were dead. Iester-
day she stayed in bed until 1 o'clock. and
about ) went down to get a bottle Of
beer. The man had got a bottle Of
brandy and was somewhat intoxicated.
He threatened to whip her good. At
$50 last night | heard him slap her,
when | asked Are you hitting herr"
He said yes" giving her a good slap.
She was frightened and asked where to
hide. About O'Clock | protested against
his hitting her. She was so sick that |
staid while he went for a doctor at 1890.
He was gone half an hour and said
some one had drugged her. Both had
been drinking. He wanted me to take
her to work while he was looking for a
job. Said he had been married thirteen
months. She had told me she was tired
of making a living for him. One moment
they would be fighting, the next hugging
and kissing. She was in delicate health,
being advanced in pregnancy about four
months. The doctor came at 11:3U and
remained until she died.
Thomas w. Murphy was the next wit
ness. He identified the deceased as !;
woman whom he had known as the wife
of James Hannerbury in 1856. She had
sent him Il couple of notes, signing her
name as Mary J.. Gcollcrcd. Said she
had been to Missoula and the Flathead
with her husband. She left Hannerbury
and married again. This husband killed
himself and she expected to get his life
insurance. She ncrcr said a word to me
about having a husband.
Albert liockctt was examined. lie
did not add any material evidence, but
said: ] sat in IA chair in the hall and
heard her say II don't want 20 be killed
by your Mrs. Gowan said TO me, lie
is licking her now" Tho ~lGndlady was
looking over the transome and saw him
tying her legs together. i-saw her in the
hall. She WAS apparently perfectly sober,
w. ~. Davenport was next sworn and
described the man accurately. Had Il
conversation with the man about l:3t
yesterday morning lie told me that the
woman was MOI his wife and had been
Il sporting woman in Great Falls fouT
years ago. lie also said II know the pc.
sition | am placed in
DR.. J. G. Ferguson kindly made Il pri
waite statement to Il 1EHuNE representa-.
tive and as ii is more full in some re-
spccts than his examination. il is given
in preference. lie said: II called on
the woman about 10 O'Clock, according to
the request Of her husband. When ]
reached the room | found Mrs. Gowan
and several other M in the room,
The sick wOman lay IN her back, hen
face pale, entirely unconscious and IN Il
state of collapse. We could not rousc
her to take anything nor TO answer US in
any way. She never recovered ron
seriousness. 1t was impossible 10 pui
anything IN her mouth, because she grit
ted her teeth so tightly. She was not
frothinp at the mouth AT any time when
| saw her. There were. in my opinion,
no Indications of drug poisoning. Her
breath smelled OF liquor and she had. ]
understand, been drinking whisky. WIN
and beer. The symptoms, dilatcd pupils
etc, pointed to acute alcoholism. On
the left side of her neck. behind
the ear, was a bruisc, but the
blow which occasioncd it was not
sufficient, in my opinion, To cause death
or serious illness. When examined the
brain tissue showed that the membranes
were adhesive, probably from alcohol
On the right side Of the head IA large
eliot of blood was found on the brain,
There was no bruise neal which might
have caused this. The brain tissues
were weakened by alcohol and i N my
opinion her by sierra may have caused
one of these to burst and thus form the
clot. She was sensitive to pain and