The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-06-20
TRAGEDY ON S. MERIDIAN ST.
THE WOMAN HAD PLUCKu.y Sr,p
PORTED HERSELF AND HUSBAND
Finally Compelled to Get a Divorce
He Was Old SoIdfer-For-
merIy Lived in Kentucky.


self. The tragedy occurred at Mrs. Nc
CorkhilIs boarding house, No 6O6 new
number) South Meridian street, at 1O:45
o'clock.
McCorkhill was waiting for his wife when
she came home. He was sitting on the
front stoop with John File. a boarder
When Mrs. McCorkhilI came in she said to
her former husband:
What are you doing here?"
He made no reply. but followed her into
the hall, where File heard them quarreling.
File did not catch all the words, but gath
cred from what he heard that McCorkhilI
was accusing the woman of improper con-
duct He heard her say:
NO, 1 didn't, honey
Then came the shooting. They had gone
back into a sitting room Immediately in the
rear of the hall by this time One shot
was fired in this room, and Mrs McCorkhill
ran back into the hall screaming and shout
ing murder" Two more shots were fired
at the woman while in the hall, one lust
as she started to run up the steps File
saw this shot fired. The woman ran up the
steps and McCorkhill ran back into the sit
ting room and fired the two shots which
ended his own miserable existence. One
shot struck him in the heart and the other
was fired by placing the pistol in his mouth.
A crowd soon collected. Dr. Amelia r.
Keller and DR.. Durham were among the
first to arrive. DR.. Keller was beside Mrs.
McCorkhill before the latter died. The
woman was laid upon bed and DR.. Keller
soon ascertained that her death was but
matter of a few minutes. Two of the shots
had entered through the left breast. The
one in the jaw shattered the bone and prob
ably penetrated the brain. Evidences of
desperate struggle were seen upon the wom-
ans body. Her left hand was slightly
SCARED and was powder-burned, showing
that she had grasped the pistol just as the
murderer had fired it. Her clothing was
torn. Mrs McCorkhill died in fifteen min
utes after she was placed upon the bed.
She never. regained consciousness.
McCorkhill, when he fired the shots which
killed himself, fell upon his face. Blood
oozed from his mouth and ears, and his
nose was hattened out upon the carpet.
The white bosom of his shirt was bespat-
tered with blood and in the middle of it was
a round hole made by the bullet. He had
placed the muzzle of the pistol against the
bosom when he fired, for it was blackened
with powder.
THREATS SINCE THE DIVORCE.
The shooting was the result of domestic
infeIieity About six weeks ago Mrs. Nc
Corkhill secured divorce and since that
time McCorkhill has been hanging about
the house. and Mrs. McCorkhill was warned
that he would kill her. 1t seems from the
statements of the boarderS and the neigh
bors that McCorkhill was a worthless fell
low who boarded with his wife" Not
only would he not work to support her him
self. but he injured her business by inter-
fering with the boarders. He would insult
nd wa About
ago he knocked one of the boarders down
and USED a knife on him. For this he was
arrested and his wife paid his fine.
Mr. File the boarder with whom Nc
Corkhill was talking when Mrs. McCorkhill
came home, told about the same story as
given above. He said he did not see any
but the last shot fired at Mrs. McCorkhlll.
1t was all over before he could realize what
was going on James Morris, another
boarder said that he had been boarding at
the house nearly ever since Mrs McCorkh1il
had been keeping it (about two years., with
the exception of a short time that he was
away on account of McCorkhill- Before the
divorce. he says, McCorkhill told him to get
out of the house, and he did So He went
to another boarding house, and, after the
divorce. went back He said that Mrs. Nc,
COrkhil was a good woman, and deSerVed
great deal of credit for her energy anu
n.
abuse at the hands OF her husband, ana
even after she had been compelled 10 get
divorce from him she o, h T,ncb e aSnut the
family. He said that Mr.. Croft one OF
the boarders. had known them for years,
but he out of the city: Inc ser an
girl Ida Clark knew them fairly we'll, but
She had gone to Greenfield yesterday morn
ing. He said he understood the family mao
come originally from Kentucky and had
relatives living in Greensburg Ind mrs.
McCorkhill, he thought, had sister living
IN Ia Me fa
but he did not know who they were.
HOW HE HARASSED HER.
Mrs. Mary Pottage who keeps a boarding
house at No GOA South Meridian street, the
first house north of the one where the ira
gedy occurred, heard the five shots and
saw McCorkhir as he fell. She had gone
to bed and was lying awake in room OPP
posire the AIcCorkhill sitting room. When
she heard the scream of Mrs. McCorkhlll
and the firing she ran to the window and
looked out in time to see McCorkhill 1all
She says she could hear him, after he 1ell
beating his face against the floor. she E SAID
regarding the trouble between Mr.. ana MIS-.
MCCOrkhll. ,,,,
II have several times seen McCorkhill
spoken to Ida Clark about it. Two weeks
ago tonight l remember making a reInarh
to the girl that he would XIII her YET. W "a
McCorkhill had gone to the drug store ana
the man was waiting for her out there at
the corner When she returned l saw them
standing there talking, and maze the re.
mark to the girl She replied that she hau
warned Mrs McCorkhill to JOCK OUT Tor iln
She told me that the man would come mere
TO get money. He has been boardlhg at q
restaurant down town since they were ol-
vorced. but he was unable TO shirt 1or-nlm-
self, and his wife guaranteed ms BOARD IN
order to keep him away from the mousse re
was a great injury to her business he
would quarrel with the boardeTs ana lie ~
them and drive them away he sought 70
run the place. Finally her business Bot
SO poor chat she hardly made expenses.
Then she obtained a divorce ana her p ,
ers came back to her. | think her mouse
IS full now. About a year ago ne tIleo 10
Kill one of the boarders ,,.,,
Everybody who knew Mrs. McCofkkIn KUN
had a good word to say for her. MIS-;
Norris, a boarder, sat weeping at the he sa
OF the bed, upon which the corpse Oh 'he
woman lay. She was greatly aHectso' AZ
A better woman never lived sne u re-
clared. "She was noble woman anu III IN
think that this worthless man shouio XIII
her like a dog" -
Ms McCorkhll was about thirty-niisna me
years old The murderer was about n1ty
Years old. He was an old soldier ana VT h.
on the lapel of his coat g. A. X pu..
ton. They had no children, though me ne
was little boy living with them VINO We re
treated a son by Mrs. McCorknll., b III
= the child of sister of Mrs. McS A.. ~
lie is eight years old and brlgnt ILL., ns.,e
fellow He was asleep during the snooliils