The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-01-16

H Kennedy, who was shot TO death by
Mrs. Elizabeth Regan last Friday. af-
firm she was not acting in defense Of
her life, but in wanton jealous frenzy
She had recently learned that the man
with whom she was infatuated was en-
gagged to another woman, and that she
must give him up. The verdict of the
CorOner's jury that she acted in self
defense is considered manifestly I'M
Just by the relatives and associates Of
the dead man, who claim he was ruth
lessly murdered.
When the hearing of the woman
comes up in the Police Court the pub
lie prosecutor will be assisted by special
counsel, and they expect to show that
the victim of Mrs. Regan's wrath was
reclining on lounge when the shot
was fired that snuffed out his life. The
police have Investigated the contradic-
tory evidence given by the woman I'M
der arrest and by her sister. The lat
ter claimed and still claims that she
was in the room when the tragedy oc-
Cured, while Mrs. Regain insists she
was in the kitchen.
The police, with whom Kennedy came
in contact in the performance of his
duties, scott at the idea of this woman
being able to take the pistol away from
him. He always bore the reputation of
being mild and inoffensive, but brave
and a fighter. From an examination of
the wounds on her wrists they claim
the, injuries could not have been in
flicted by his teeth, as claimed, but by
being scratched on purpose by a Wo-
mans nails. The man was ALWAYS well
supplied with money and had no need
to borrow from her as claimed.
1t is asserted that for some months
Kennedy lived in mortal dread of this
: woman, who finally proved his de-
strOyer, and whom he apparently
deemed capable of performing a des-
perate deed. For some time past he has
endeavOred to sever his Illicit relations
with Mrs. Regain. having become en-
gagged TO an estimable young woman.
Under these conditions his relatives
can see no foundation for Mrs. Regan's
assertion that Kennedy was jealous of
the attention she received from other
men.
The range of the bullet does not
.c6ntrovert the claims of the dead mans
relatives that hec was reclining on the
lounge when tie bullet was fired. Ac-
cording to their theory, she held the
pistol with her elbow possibly resting
on her hip, and when he saw her action
he threw his head back-a natural i'm
pulse. This would account for the
bullet going upward and backward. In
an interview last night John Kennedy,
a brother of the murdered man, said
Mrs. Regain made my brothers life
miserable during the last year. Ere
quently she would wait for him at vari-
Gus places on his beat. She has also
gone to his late home, 31S Page street
Instead of being jealous of her, she
was insanely jealous of him.
strongly believe that she enticed him
to her house, and that when he told
her he was engaged to be married to
an estimable woman she shot him in
cold blood.
"On numerous occasions she has
threatened to kill him if he left her
About a year ago she said she would
shoot him If he deserted her for an
other woman. l believe my unfortun-
ate brother was shot long before the
time Mrs. Regan's sister notified the
police. He left the Seventeenth-stree
Station at a. m. on the morning of his
death, and, as I believe, he went to her
home in response to her invitation. It
is my opinion that being tired he lay
down on the lounge in the room where
he met his death, having placed his re-
Volver on the bureau. Knowing that
he was about to be married to another
woman Mrs. Regain in a jealous rage
picked up the revolver and demanded
to know if it were true that he intended
to leave her. When he replied in the
Affirmative l am morally certain that
he was reclining on the lounge and that
she shot him after she had heard his
reply"
When off duty Thomas H. Kennedy
was accustomed to frequent the livery
stables Of William Nicholson on Ell
lis street, between Larkin and HYDE.
"a on iv,fi 70 f-so
son, the proprietor, and Joe Foran,
foreman Of the stables, confiding in
them the innermost relations he had
with the woman who ended his life.
Kennedy was a close friend of
mine" said Nicholson last night. "I
know that for two years this woman
had been bounding his very footsteps.
He tried to avoid her, using every
means TO break off his relations with
her, but to no avail. He feared the
consequences Of a sudden rupture, as
she often intimated that something
would happen if he broke with her.
i am convinced that it was a cold
blooded murder. Tom was shot by
that woman, not in self-defense, b.
because she was jealous of him. and
feared that he was going to leave her.
He was engaged to a good, reputable
girl of his own class, and 1 think that
he went out there to tell Elizabeth
Regain Of ii. The result was that he
was murdered"
Joe Foran, who manages the stable
was cognizant of the daily details OF
Kennedy's life. That women" he said
would come to the stable and wait
around for Tom. She was in the habit
Of annoying me beyond all endurance
and one day l told Tom that she was
too bothersome and that did not have
the time to answer her telephone mes
sages. Tom then said that | should
tell her TO quit it; that he didn't want
to hear from her, and that she was
making his life a burden.
HE wanted to break with her in a
peaceable way, in order to avoid any
notoriety, for he feared she would do
something violent. So far as he was
concerned he was only too anxious to
have their relations come to a halt She
made earth hell for him, and 1t was
only the possibility of open disgrace re-
Sulting from her conduct in case of a
break that kept his associating with
this woman.
HE was murdered and in cold blood
From my conversations with Tom ]
feel positive that when he went to her
house he went there with the intention
of telling her it was the last visit he
would pay her, on account of his en-
gagement to a girl with whom he was
then keeping company The stories
Tim took money from her arc oil