The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-05-15
MURDER AMID ISQUALOR
The Wife of William Car
son Killed in a. Drunken
Quarrel.
By HER HUSBAND PROBABLY.
A Fragment of a Broken Pitcher the
Weapon That Made the
Fatal Wound.
BY HER HUSBAND PROBABLY.

A@A@t - - =
woman lay dying yesterday afternoon
with great cash in her throat. She had
been struck in drunken brawl, probably
by her husband. Michael Carson, perhaps
by her sisters husband, William Kerri-
gan, which Of the two no one can yet say.
although the police believe that much the
heavier suspicion falls on Carson.
Notwithstanding that the house where
the murder occurred is crowded, there is
no one in it except the people Immediately
concerned who saw or heard anything
of the aftray.
Michael Carson and his wife Bridget,
thirty eight years old, and nine year old
child named Maggie, have occupied for
two years three small rooms In the middle
of a row of three four-story frame tene-
ments on Steuben street called Busn
Flats, most vile looking row of houses, OF
dirty walls narrow halls and extreme
uncleanliness. There are seven families
in each house. The Carsons' living apart
ments were room fronting on Steu1en
street about sixteen feet wide and twelve
feet deep; a small, dark bedroom back OF
the large room, and small bedroom on
the east Of the large room just big enough
to contain narrow bed.
The floors were bare and the walls upon
which were few cheap chromos. were
stained with smoke and dirt. A stove,
two tables and some dilapidated chairs,
lamp without chimney and some
broken vases upon the mantle completed
the furnishing Of The large room. A
rickefy bedstead was the only piece of
lurpiture in the small light bedroom, and
In ohe dark bedroom were Dedstead and
table. The Carsons had the reputation OF
being hard drinkers
ENTERTAINING VISITORS.
On last Saturday night William Ker-
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the dead woman, with their three child
ren came from Sufferns, N. Y, 20 visit
the Carsons. They remained all Sunday,
and until the time OF the murder. The
TWO couples drank beer and quarreled
during all the time OF the visit, Carson
says that on Saturday night Kerrigan
threatened TO kill his wife, but 1t was at
half-past five yesterday afternoon that
the fatal blow was struck.
There was no money in the house early
yesterday morning and the couples want
ed liquor. None of the furniture could
be pawned and there seemed no way of
getting drink until one of them thought
of pawning little Maggie's shoes. The
shoes were taken from the child's feet.
and from the results of the pawning the
drink was bought. The result Of the
drinking was the murder.
THE FATAL STRUGGLE.
Carson had been at work in the fore
noon but returned home shortly after
noon. Mrs. Kerrigan was with Mrs. Car
son when he returned and they began
drinking. About i've O'Clock Kerrigan
came in and all four began quarreling.
Just what occurred after that is
mystery in all but the results Carson
says Kerrigan struck Mrs. Carson, say
ing, 'I'1 cut your windpipe out" Car
son could not stand that, and he clinched
with Kerrigan. and both rolled on the
fioos Mrs. Carson pulled the men up,
and while she was trying to separate
them Kerrigan struck her in the throat,
giving her the fatal wound. She fell and
never rose again.
Carson cannot say what she was struck
with He does say that after his wife was
struck Kerrigan struck him upon the
head, making an ugly wound There Is
broken pitcher in the room, with one OF
the fragments Of which it Is almost GER
tain the death wound was made Carson
does not know anything about this
pitcher In the foregoing / have followed
Carson's version of the affair.
Mrs. Kerrigan, the only other witness
except her husband, refuses to talk, and
says she knows nothing about the murder
except that Carson gave the woman her
death blow When these stories were
elicited by Superintendent Smith both
Carson and Mrs. Kerrigan were under
the influence of liquor, and the Superin-
tendent believes that they scarcely knew
what they were talking about. Maggie
Welsh, nine year old daughter OF the
woman who occupied the back room, said
she saw mrs. Carson snatch up an axe
and throw it at her husband as he was
about to leave the room. Carson seized
broken-edged water pitcher and struck
his wife blow with 1t. Then Mrs. Car
son tell. The axe, heavy and dull,
seemed TO be in its usual place behind the
stove when the police entered the room.
The next time that the actions or Car
son and Kerrigan were observed was af-
ter the blow was struck There is no con-
tradiction here. Kerrigan descended the
stairs and went out into the street. Pat
rick Dwyer. who lives in the same house
saw him and snoticed that bis left hand
was bloody. Kerrigan went to the corner
but returned and met Carson at the street
doorway Carson's head and neck and
shirt were covered with blood, and Kerri-
gan seized him apd said ''go up stairs"
mo" answered Carson, Il am going to
the police station"
When Carson said this, Kerriga started
on rapid walk toward Warren street.
'tCarson said to Dwyer:-"My wife's
throat is cut. VIII you come to
the station house with me,p Dwyer
into trouble. Carson then went into Mrs.
Johnson's bakery, on the ground door Of
No. 161. and said, as Mrs. Johnson reports
it;-'I have cut my wife's throat; she's
done for. VIII you come up stalrss'
Mrs. johnson also refused. Carson then
started toward Henderson street and met
Policeman Thomas Kelly and said to
him:-"My wife's throat is cut
A CHASTITY WOUND.
Kelly forced Carson to accompany him
to his rooms and opening the door saw
Mrs. Carson lying on the floor at the rear
of the room on her back. Her blue
wrapper was open at the throat, reveal
ing a crooked CASH which extended from
the upper portion of the ear down the
right side of the neck and
around and under the centre OF the
chin. The jugular vein was exposed.
rhe wound was jagged aud uneven. The
lower half of the ear had been torn away
by the force of the blow or cutting and
the face and hair were bloody Blood
covered the floor and the woman's head
was lying IN a pool of it. She was con-
scious when Kelly entered the room. He
saw some pieces of a pitcher covered
with blood lying on the floor, and, stoop-
ing over. the dying woman, said.-"Who
cut you"
She answered:-"My husband" Kelly
summoned the patrol wagon and sent
Carson to Police Headquarters. lie ha d
several ugly wounds in his head.
DR.. Gray came to the wounded woman
and sewed up the cash. but she had lost
too much blood. and rapidly lapsed into
Inconsistencies and died about half an
hour after the blow was struck.
PATHETIC SCENE
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