The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-12-03
The Slayer of Jennie Knitt1e
Placed on Trial for
His Life.
GRIM AND CHASTITY PROOFS
How the Couple Quarrelled-The
Defence Picking Microscopic
Holes in the Evidence.

IhomaS McLafen, accused OF Ine brutal
murder of his mistress, Jennie Knittle.
in Hoboken, on July 4, was led into the
Court of Oyer and Terminer to stand
trial for the crime.
He is a young man of thirty-six years.
slightly built, with reddish-brown hair
and moustache which he nervously
pulled during the trial. Near to him
sat his counsel ex-Judge William T.
Hoffman and Gen. W. c. Heppenheimer,
while at a small table adjoining was
Prosecutor C. H. Winfield. Tor the peo-
pie.
The story of the murder was graphi-
cally told to Justice Lippineott and the
struck jury by the Prosecutor in open
ing the case.
McLaren was born in Scotland, and
when quite young lao came to this
country. In 1880 he married Emma
Thomas of Scranton, Pa, and after
two years of quarrelling and making up,
they separated, and McLaren secured a
divorce. About that time he met Jennie
Knittle. at Lehlghton, Pa, and fell deep
ly in love with her. She was. so reports
say, a highty person, not very attrac-
tive, but infatuated with him. They
lived together as man and wife. One
child was born to them N Lehighton
and another in New York. Both of these
children died. Two others were born,
and these are alive-one. a girl, five
years old, and the other, boy, of three
years of age. Jennie all along claimed
that McLaren had married her, and
when, after prolonged series of quar-
rels, he deserted her and married the
widow of his brother James, she caused
his arrest for bigamy. OF this offence
he was acquitted, but was convicted of
having lived with her in open lewdness.
Sentence was suspended on payment OF
costs.
Iennie Knittle then went to live with
Mr& and Mrs. Samuel Mulvaney at No.
IS GARDEN street. Hoboken, as a domes-
tic serNant. To that place McLaren re-
peatedly went to induce her to forgive
the past and come back 20 him again.
She Indignantly refused, and one after
noon, the fouxth day of July last, when
he called on ber and repeated his re-
quest, which sh& again denied, he shot
her four times with revolver. He es-
capped, and she was removed TO st. Marg's
Hospital, where death ended her strug-
giles.
McLaren was in hidin& for more than
a month in Brooklyn. AND on August
returned to Hoboken.
Captain Hayes was acquainted Of the
fact and Detectives Quinn aIh3 Nelson
caught him at his sisters house. Me was
quickly indicted and this morning \began
the trial. the result of which. in all Srob-
ability will send him to the gallows.
IMPANELLING THE JURY.
When Justice Lppincott signalled ton
Prosecutor Winfield TO proceed that of
fetal called his list of witnesses, amounts
ing to about a score, at the close of
which he said
81 am ready, Your Honor, to move the
case for the people"
For this trial a struck jury of twenty
four had been prepared and when the
list was being read aloud by the clerk
the murderer's counsel, Judge Hoffman,
objected on a technical ground. insist
ing that the prisoner saould be tried
before the special panel drawn some
weeks ago out of the regular panel.
Justice Lippincott overruled the objec-
tion and the call for the jury continued
amid plenty of excuses from the persons
called.
Some had conscientious scruples about
hanging a man, others had a death in
the family, one jurors mother-in-law
was dead and he tried to look as if he
were sorry; two others claimed exemp-
ton because they were fremen and an
other, a druggist. wanted to get off
because he had. an assistant in the store
whose ability to run the business was
somewhat questioned. The last excuse
didn't work and the druggist took his
seat in the jury box murmuring "There'H
be another murder presently. My clerk
don't know the difference between aqua
and aqua fortis.'
Half an hour was consumed in chal-
lenging. and at last this jury was sworn
and the trial proceeded Frederick w.
Davay. foreman; Isaac Freeman, B. B.
Davis, Louis Hauenstein. Thos. w. Abell,
Charles Statley, Charles Cheney, Pat-
rick McConnill, James E. Banks, John
w Beach, John V. Burke and Robert
Alberts.
GRUESOME PROOFS.
Before Prosecutor Winfield rose to ad-
dress the jury Detective Nelson laid on
the table before him a box of Paris
green, a bottle containing morphine. The
murdered girls corsets with the holes
where the deadly bullets had entered and
from which her Life blood had oozed, and
torn calico dress with the front
scorched, so close had the murderous re-
volver been held to the woman, lay on the
floor wrapped up in a newspaper. These
were the exhibits When Mr.. Winfield
had finished a clear, unvarnished story of
the murder he put on the stand a little
boy, William Puliston, who lives at No.
It's Fourth street Jersey City. He called
at Mulvaney's house on July and found
Jennie Knittle ironing in the kitchen.
McLaren entered and told the boy to go
into another room while he spoke to his
wife, so he spoke of Jennie Knittle. Pulls
ton left the room and the door was closed
on McLaren and his wife.
''What did you hear next?" asked Mr..
Winfield.
II heard Mrs. McLaren say oh don't
shoot, Tom, and then l heard pistol
shot Then she hollered and heard more
pistol shots" Puliston ran out, he said,
for a policeman and on his return found
the dying woman lying on the floor with
her little son Tommy clasped in her arms.
Tommy. a curly haired little fellow,
sat Immediately behind McLaren, who
from time to time turned around and