The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-09-10

murderers went through his pockets
after shooting him as he claimed they
did.
The police took formal statement from
Leonard regarding the circumstance on the
morning after the shooting. IL was 10
the same effect as the version OF The affair
he gave in the hospital.
LOOKING FOR A FRIEND.
Tho reason that Leonard was in that
part of HYDE Park is accounted for be-
cause he was looking for "a friend named
John Corcoran whom he had known for
a long time. lie always visited him when
in that vicinity. Corcoran was away
from home late on tuesday night ana
Leonard wandered down the main evenue
of the village by the BIackie Woolen Mills
and the shoddy mill. These establishments
are situated near Hyde Park avenue and
about midway between the line of the
Consolidated Railroad and the New
England Railroad.
A little footbridge not more than four
feet wide, crosses narrow stream beside
the shoddy mill, and leads to part of the
New England Railroad whore there Is no
crossing, bnt it is frequently traversed
by people living or working IL in that
vicinity. 1t was when he was mounting
the seven foot embankment of the rail-
road that the two men appeared and
ordered him 10 hold up his hands.
POCKETS SEARCHED.
He tried to push the mon away, and
they fired at him. Aftor he had fallen
they searched his pockets. bnt he had
nothing worth stealing. The highway
msn then fled. Leonard crawled down
the EN- bankment and into yard of n
house near the railroad.
He was found in that place by the
police.
Mrs Leonard was Mt the hospital with
her wounded and dying husband. She
corro oborated the statement that no con-
templated moving to Dedham or Hyde
Park. She is an employe In tho Fletcher
mill at Olneyville. and her husband be-
lieved that she could get employment In
the factories at Hydo Prak. She did not
think that her husband had enemies des-
perate enough to take his lifo. ConnicK,
who il In the Dedham jail pending a
thorough investigation, got mixed up In
the affair III the following way. ACCORD
ing to his story no was out late that
night. He crossed the foot bridge some
time before Leonard was shot. The foot
bridge is in direct line between his store
and his home He says that as he
stopped off the foot bridge man took
hold of his arm and asked him what he
was doing there at that hour. He saws
no broke away and ran TO tho door of
house, where he waited u while, and later
no went home by n roundabout course
When he reached the opposite side of the
railroad two men undertook to stop him.
hut he ran To his house. Going through
tho yard of his home his hat was Knocked
off, but he did not stop to recover II. His
hurried entrance alarmed his wife, She
went To the door ard saw the two men,
but did not recognize them. She told tho
TeuoI ter that sho shouted at the men and
told thom they were towards To chase one
man.
HEARD PISTOL SHOT.
She said sho then went out in the yard
and recovered her husbands hat. A few
minutes later she heard u pistol shot.
She SAYS she was thankful that she and
her husband were inside when she heard
tho shot. Sho tells straightforward
story.
IL was because OF these circumstances
that Connick WAS arrested. His present
prcdicament is duo To circumstances pre-
cedinc the shooting. Last week tho police
were informed that Connick was drink
ing hard, that he had revolver and
might do something that would bc re-
grcttcd. This report to tho police all
preceded the shooting and when he was
questioned regarding that affair he posi-
lively declared no had no revolver that
night and that he never had one.
The police have not as yet been able TO
verify the original report that he had a
pistol but while tho affair was iinsolved
IL vas considered advisable TO place him
under arrest.