Telegram-herald. ([Grand Rapids, Mich.) 18??-1892, 1891-04-03
EACAN In JEOPARDY
His Trial for the Murder Of O'Con-
nor Under Way.
STORY OF FINDING TIE DEAD TOLD
BY Four Witnesses. Whe Describe the
Bloody Cisthisg ana Braised Feat
ures of the Dead Man He WAs
Found on the street sept IA

teTlat afternoon al the superior court
at $50 p. IN. The jury consists of Rich
ard Spencer of the Fourth ward, Cor
neiius DeRaiter, Third ward; Edward
Wade, Fifth ward; Godfrey Reufe,
Fifth ward; VIM. z. Race, First ward;
Aaron Van Hosen. Tenth ward Joshua
Speed, Tenth ward; Philip Fritz, Seventh
ward; Frank Cnilds, Seventh ward;
Oliver =. Earle, Fifth ward; VIM. Io-
man, Sixth ward; John j. sours, Fourth
| ward.
In ali lsi men were called. When
the jury was secured the defense had
| two challenges left and the state twelve.
The court then took a recess of five
minutes and the trial then was begun.
The Case of the People
Prosecuting Attorney Mcknight pre-
sented the case OF the people, saving
| that the evidence OF the state would
show the various circumstances OF tie
dance at Ciblln's house on the night Of
| September Is, including the incident Of
| O'Connor, the man who was murdered,
| going home for his flute; that O'Connor
| had danced the first set with Minnie
/ Dyer, that Eagan was angry thereat,
ana that he had followed o'Connor out;
that an alteration cnsued; that Eagan
| struck O'Connor with a stone, knocked
| him down, kicked hlm and said: "Now
you are dead" That he put him IN q
sitting posture and returned ~ the
| house, danced, and took Minnie Dyer
out 10 walk; showed her the dead body
and told her how 1t happened, and
made her promise to say nothing OF II.
| In short that VIM. Eagan was the mur-
derer OF Patrick O'Connor with malice
aforethought.
Discovered the Dead Body.
Sarah Giblin was the first witness
called by the State. She testified AS 10
| her residence and that she arose early
| Sunday morning and started before SIX
O'Clock for church. She was going
north on the west side of Oakland ave.
nue.; she discovered the body of Pat
rick O'Connor on the east side of the
street, about block from her house.
| 1t was nearer Chestnutst than Laurel.
de was lying on his left side with his
head hung down. She recognized
| O'Connor at first by bouquet on his
left side; she laid her hand on his
head and SAID, "My God, O'Connor.
are you dead?" She then left and did
not return till after the body mad been
removed.
| Cross-examination-" am not mar
ried; am related to the family where
the dance took place; the. bouqet was
on the same side on which he lay; hrs
garments appeared in good order and l
saw no blood; wasat the dance and had
some beer" She heard no trouble and
| went home at nine o'clock when "all
was pcscable, sociable and NICE"
(Laughter.) Judge Burlingame called
the laughers down and said 1t could
not be allowed further.
Blood on Coat and Collar.
Michael Giblin-"Live at l42 Oak
| land ave: knew o. Connor; saw his body
| on September 4, giving the same loca-
ton as the proceeding wltness.) The
| street was newly graded and the side
walk was about eighteen inches above
the street; the gutter was paved, and
rough, stony gravel was III the street;
some stones were quite large, like
cobble-stone; the body lay in the gut
ter; there was blood on the coat and
collar, and some IN the gutter IN two
small spots, two or three inches In
diameter; Pete Pike was there when
the patrol wagon came; the police and
coroner removed the body"
ross-examlnation-"T dance was
at my house; nv sister called me TO zee
the body; others were there when / ar
rived; the blood on the coat collar went
/ AS far as the collar went and then on
his sest think the boquet was of artI-
! fetal flowers; the blood on the ground
| was about three feet from the body;
| don't known whether the body had
laid there or not: the company began
| to come about O'Clock; saw Eagan
about9 o'clock; saw O'Connor before
that.
Beer Was Not Free Piunder.
| "There were two kegs of beer; both
| Eagan aud O'Connor drank; saw both
| drink two or three times; they got
drinks when gave il TO them, or when
| others dealt II out; il wasn't free plum
| der; O'Connor was a flute player and
went 10 get 1t; heard about IN. going TO
get il when was IN the kitchen: he went
out of the west side. came around on
the north side TO the street"
Assistant McGarry here stated that
he would introduce a map in evidence
then the defense could more properly
enter in the question Of location.
| ContInuauon-"1her Is no door on
the north side which O'Connor would
have TO pass; don't know whether
Esgan heard the talk about O'Connor
going after the flute or not; the beer
was IN the kitchen; saw no disagree
ment take place between Eagan and
/ O'Connor; the kegs ! think were eight
gallon kegs; don't know of any other
| liquors there"
Lieutenant Buriey Tsssfh-s.
! VIM j. Hurley; am lieutenant Of po-
lice, went 10 oakland avenue to get the
| BODY of O'Connor at Q O'Clock sunday
| morning. September IA with two Off
| GERS. Took Coroner Locher with Us.
| The body vas Icing ia the sfoDe
gutter, the head just over the stone
| curbing and inclined over the left
shoulder The clothes were soBe~bat
bloody and soiled, some on the coat
and some on the vest. The face was
badly bruised on one sde and swollen
at the eyes and lips The pose looked
broken. The fare was black and blue
and bloody. There was larg.
stone az big "a my fist near
the body. The body ~ss taken in the
patrol wagon 10 the undertsker's.
Next dav ! noticed O'Connors hands,
and they were unsoiied and contained
no hruses."
CrosS-era an1lnstion-'s1h blood on
| O'Connorfs coat was pretty vel down. /"
q