The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-06-13
SHEEHAN ON TRIAL
The Murderer of Dietrich
CARDS Begins the De-
fence for His Life in
Oyer and Terminer.
CLINCHING EVIDENCE PRODUCED
The Widow of the Murdered Man
Weeps Bitterly as She Re-
calls the Fatal Stabbing.
CLlNCHING EVIDENCE PRODUCED


was this morning placed on trial in
the Court of Oyer and Terminer, charg-
ed with the murder of Dietrich H. CARDS,
a saloon keeper at T~wenty-second street
and Avenue ]. Constable Hook. Shee-
han is a man of medium build, has a
low forehead, sharp red nose. small
chin. thin face and prominent cheek
bones. His upper lip is covered by a
stiff mustache. His hair is close-cropped
and his appearance was that of a prize
fighter.
Sheehan listened attentively to the evil
dence. resting both of his arms on the
end of the reporters table, where he sat.
The jury was selected with but little
difficulty, the State making but eight
challenges and the defence fifteen. When
the jury was impannelled it was as fol-
lows:-Edward Murphy, foreman; John
D. Clark Florence Chinery, George w.
Simmons. Henry Payne, Daniel Coffey,
Timothy Regain, Michael C. Manning,
John F. Kitrick, Thomas Lee, James
Lundy and Michael Connolly.
Prosecutor Winfield's opening was
brief. He said that at about nine O'Clock
Sunday morning, April 7, Sheehan went
to CARDS saloon and had a drink. Shee-
han said he wanted to speak to CARDS,
and they went to a back room. Sheehan
said to CARDS that he wanted to know
why CARDS was talking about him and
preventing him from getting employment.
CARDS denied that he had talked about
Sheehan. Sheehan then stabbed CARDS
with a pocket knife in the left breast.
The blade penetrated the lung and the
coating of the heart. Sheehan stabbed
CARDS again in the right shoulder, and
then he went out of the saloon. Mrs.
CARDS saw the stabbing. When Sheehan
was arrested he told the policeman
you've got the wrong man.; the man
who did the stabbing ran way.
THE FIRST WITNESS.
Thomas Marine, of Tw~enty-seventh
street. Bayonne, testifed:-"I know
CARDS, but only know Sheehan by sight.
I saw Sheehan the Sunday morning in
question at the corner where CARDS
saloon was. He asked me to go in and
have a drink, and I did so. We had a
couple of drinks, and then Sheehan told
CARDS, who was behind the bar, that he
wanted to speak to him. CARDS went to
a back room with Sheehan. About five
minutes afterwards I heard some one
holler. CARDS just after came in bar
room and he was stabbed. I next saw
Sheehan in Twenty-seventh street walk
ing along slowly. He was smoking his
pipe"
The cross-examination by ex-JudgeGar-
retson failed to shake his evidence.
John O'Neill, who boarded at CARDS
place testiied:-"I saw Sheehan enter
the barroom with Marine. 1 was read
ing a paper. I saw them drinking. My
attention was next attracted by what
sounded like a groan in the dining
room We all ran out there; there was a
man ahead of me. The key was in the
lock of the door in the dining room,
and the man unlocked it. Some one
said, Go for a DOCTOR When I went
out Sheehan was standing in a vacant
lot alongside the house. He came from
the rear of the building and was walk
ing slow. I saw the blade of a knife in
his hand.
while / was in the bar room I heard
Mrs. CARDS say, Harry, some one want
you.' CARDS was sometimes called Har-
ry. Four or five minutes after CARDS
went to the dining room I heard the
groan. and I went there Immediately.
When I saw Sheehan he asked me where
] was going, and I replied, I'll show
you when 1 get a cop" He said, I'll
go with you" He followed me up the
street until he was arrested by PONCE
man Hunter"
CORROBORATED BY
James Corbett.a also a boarder at CARDS
place, corroborated the evidence Oh the
last witness.
Joseph Mccarthy, of Twenty-second
street, testified to similar facts, and then
Mrs. Marguerite CARDS was called. She
was dressed in deep mourning. Her evil
dence was as follows:-
II am the widow of Dietrich CARDS.
I keep boarders and they were in the
bar room on the day in question. I saw
Sheehan go in there. He was there eight
or ten minutes and then he came into
the dining room.
II didn' hear any one say, Harry, some
one wants to see you.' When Sheehan
said Come on out here to my husband,
they were by the door, Sheehan was in
front. My husband followed him. They
went through the hallway to the lining
room. My husband stood with his back
against the doorway. I heard Paddy
Sheehan say something, then Paddy Shee-
he struck him on the right shoulder. My
husband came toward me. l didnt see
"nal become OF oneehan.
s'AoWn an a"iuny pioouy hir ny euc