The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1892-08-06
Murder at White Birch.


| Thursday evening q telegram was re
/ ceNed here calling Sheriff Kennedy
and Coroner Whitney to White Erich
j where Il foul murder had been com
/ mitted, and they went out on tie I'D
/ South Shore train. 1t seems that "
I VI. Mccain deliberately shot and kill
/ ed one Robert = kirkwood, both
homesteaGers living near " hlte Birch.
| From information received from
coroner Whitney, it appears that Nc
Cam is not the "disreptuablc charac
ter portrayed by the Leader report,
bat that he is man of general stand
ing, a young man about - years of
age, bat unduly jealous of his wife,
and has been 1T times rather harsh to-
wards her
On the day of the shooting he called
Mrs. Raney, his sister who lives near
by to his house or yard, and accused
her of telling stories about him and of
his whipping his wife. Mrs. Raney, III
the presence Of her little nine year OLD
daughter, denied the charges and Nc
Cam, becoming angry, slapped her in
the face and kicked her, when she ran
away. McCann ;heu stepped into his
house, took down his gun and fired two
shots at his fleeing sister, bat did not
hit her This is tie testimony of TIE
little girl
Mccain was put on the stand and
questioned by the Coroner. He sub
stantially admitted all this and then
added in substance, that after shoot
Ing at his sister he walked on into the
woods short distance when lie met
the deceased, r. g. klrkWoJu. The
latter had been picking berries and
McCann asked him how is the berry
crop" and received FOL a reply that it
was good. McClnn then asked Kirk
wood why 1t WAS dat he was going
about telling people that he hid been
whipping and abusing his wife Kirk
wood replied that he had not done SO
Mccain replied that he had been SO
told by parties living there. Kirk
wood replied that he had no; and that
the man who said he had was y liar
Some further words followed when
,hirkW0od who carried pail Of her
ries in his right hand, picked up 4 club
with his left hand ANA came toward
me with the uplifted club when,
| fearing he would injure and perhaps
kill ne, drew up my gun and fired
and he fell
This is the version given by the pris-
oner, but the circumstances of the case
does not bear him out. He says the
! deceased WAS coming toward him with
/ an lipliftcd club and in threatening
manner when he fred the fatal shot,
vet the ball entered the head one and
Il half inches back % the right ear on
Il line With tie lobe of the ear and
! cane out at the right eye making Il
straight line shot. Again, the prisoner
says the deceased had one pail of Der
ries which he carried III his right hand
using the club III the left whereas he
which he carried on his left arm and Il
smaller pal which he carried in his
right hand When Slot he fell for
ward and when the body was found,
the right hand still graspcd the pail,
while the other Pail Was still hung
upon the left arm, plainly showing
that both hands were engaged with
lie berries when lie WAS shot.
The feeling against the prisoner w:s
very bitter ana talk OF l>nching was
in,lulgel III, bu. Justice Waterbury,
Sheriff Kennedy and Constable LuciuS.
maintained order and 10 violence was
done. McCann had surrendered to
constable Lucius before the Sheriff ar
rived there Besides His wife the pr!S-
oner las enc Chill. The wife seemed
nearly craZtd by the occurrence, ana
/ clung 10 her husband to the last, re-
fusng to leave his side until he was
pat Oh the morning train To be brought
here to the county Jail. The murdered
man has Il family, and stood high in
the community, and is S!iI u have
been d quiet and mOiIensive citizen
1t is a very sad and unfortunate affair
from every standpoint.