The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1896-10-03
CHASTITY MURDER TEN YEARS AGO
Portland Police Finally Clear Up
the Mystery.

Portland Or. Sept 2s.-rhe mystery
surrounding the murder of Thomas Ken
nealy whose mutilated body was found
in November. 1856. in the old Willard
ruins. OF what is now the basement of
the Hotel Portland. has been cleared up.
Chief OF Police Mimic having made pub
lie the facts concerning the matter to-
day.
Mimic is satisfied that the murderer
was a criminal well known at that time
as Bull Dog" Kelly. Implicated with
him were Bob Dorner. a notorious thug,
n prostitute living with Dorner. John
Cosgrove Fred Love and another pros
titute. Both women are now living in
this city but are morphine iends and
their testimony is worthless Dorner is
dead Cosgrove Is crazy and Love is IN
some penitentiary under an alias The
story of the murder came through Cos
grove. who was arrested here last
spring by Detective Cody for attempting
to strangle a French woman Marie Lee
lire. Cody wormed himself into Cos
groves confidence and secured a confes-
sion that the latter had witnessed the
I<ennealey murder Cosgroves story is
as follows:
The Kennedy murder was early In No
vember 1856. Kennedy returned from
Camp 4. between Ellensburg and Taco
ma, where he was employed by the Pa
cifc postal telegraph. which was at that
time establishing a telegraph line He
brought with him about $1,000 which had
been paid him for his services by the
company.
"Bull-Dog" Kelly, who knew he had
money followed him to Portland. Ken
nealy visited a saloon near the corner
of Fourth and Taylor streets one morn
I 81 n on he
with a woman He had few drinks
and afterwards returned to the saloon.
where he met Bob Dorner. Fred Love.
Cosgrove and Kelly. the latter having
| followed him to the saloon with intent
to rob him. These four. with two wo-
men. entered upon a concerted plan to
rob Kennedy of his money which Kelly
knew he had about his person. They
piled him with drugged liquor until he
was insensible. and then Dorner held
him while one of the women went
| through him. Kennedy came to after
the operation and struggled vainly &c
! free himself from the robbers, but Dor
ner. who was a powerful man, seized
! him by the throat and the woman de-
! liberately stabbed him till he gave nc
more sign Of life Then the robbery was
completed in cold blood. Kelly, Dornei
and the woman divided the money
| among them. paying the other witnesses
of the horror hush money. Kelly. aided
J by CosgroVe and Love. carried the body
sHll warm and limp to the old deserted
! basement of the Willard ruins Then tn,
wounded man again struggled. and Kel
| ly drew knife and viciously stabbed
| him until he was satisfied he was dead
and they hurried away and hid.
When the body was found in the base
ment of the hotel there was the wild
est excitement and arrests followed al
most daily for the neat two weeks. TIL,
only clue that could lC found was hi
hat which had been purchased at Gros
Bros. in Tacoma, and " hich lay by tn
scene of the murder. near the spot wher
lay the dead body of Kennedy whel
found. With this hat for a clue. tn
most painstaking and searching investi
cation was instituted by the police, bu
until Detective Cody secured the con
fession of Cosgrove nothing definite wa
ever learned.