The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-10-06
THE MURDERER.
Detective Parker is Sure that
Keegan is the Man.

Detective Parker has earned the fine
reputation he has esta blished in police
centers all over the country. Many time
he has demonstrated his ability and his
fame long since passed the borders Of
the State. His excellent work in the
latest murder in Rhode Island is of small
account in comparison with some of the
detective work he has done in other cases,
but every essential feature OF the Emily
Chambers murder case has been devel-
oped by him.
He establishe the identity OF the MUIR
dered woman and followed the trail that
led up to the arrest of Lawrence Keegan.
Now all that Is lacking is sufficient evil
dence to convict.
What Mrs. Whalen has to say will not
be admitted in the trial. What Mrs.
Laird has to say has little IL anything to
do with the trial of Keegan for the muir
der of Emily Chambers. Their state
ments have nearly all been corroborated
aud they tend to only show that Keegan
was capable OF committing the crime for
which he Is now held.
Detective Parker will look for no other
person supposed to have hand in the
murder on the lonely road in Scituate.
He is confident that Keegan murdered
Emily Chambers. No doubt of that
exists in his mind and the case
now narrows down to the
murderer's movements from noon TO mid
night of the fatal Thursday. Mrs. Bacon,
with whom Keegan boarded, says that
day evening but developments go
to prove that Mrs. Bacon
is more than likely to be mistaken
Whether she is or not she is looked upon
by the detective as sure to shield Keegan
IL she can.
Mrs. Bacon cannot be seen today, and
no one suspected OF having anything TO do
with the murder case can cross her
thres hold. She doesn't want TO talk about
her bosrder or his movements.
Keegan Is 50 years of age, according TO
the police rec Jrds. He has been bad
man for at least % OF those 53 years. Ex-
cepting his arrests for drunkenness
he has eluded police punish
ment for his misdeeds. He has
been very good DR.. Jekyl and
Mr.. Hyde, principally Hyde. In May,
1866, Keegan was arrested in this city for
highway robbery. He grabbed Gasbery
Deditch's watch on Plain street, and ran
down Friendship street pursued by the
man he had robbed. Keegan ran into the
arms Of policeman, and when he found
that escape was impossible he threw the
watch over nearby fence.
He appeared in court and was released
on bail. As soon as he had chance he
went to Connecticut and joined a band OF
! moonshiners that operated in that State
| so successfully that the authorities finally
| got energetic and drove the band from
| the State.
The disposition of Keegan's highway
| robbery case is not recalled at the present
| time. Those who know say that keegan
was brutal to his wife and was notorious
| drunkard. That was his record % years
ago.
| Detective Parker, who has interviewed
Mrs. Rebecca Laird, thinks that her story
regarding Keegan on the Tuesday night
| before the murder can be re-
| lied upon. She was with High
| Sheriff White at the Court House today
| and her statement of Keegan's assault
upon her on the Warren road is substan-
tiated by the condition of her hands
| and the gloves she wore at the time. Her
hands are badly cut between the thum be-
and forefingers and the gloves are cut ir
corresponding places.
She was persuaded to get out OF the
carriage by Keegan, who suddenly pounc-
ed upon her with knife. She grappleo
with him and being stronger than hel
assailant managed to get ths knife away
from him. She threw the knife away