Omaha daily bee., 1899-11-18
BOUND TO KILL OFF FAMILY
Chicago Man Fails TO Poison His
Children and Then Tries
n Revolver.

CHICAGO, Nov. 17.-Carrying out a plot
he had apparently planned with deliberation,
Cornelius Corcoran today shot four of his
children, killing two of them and then ended
his own life. The tragedy occurred at his
home, 54O1 Dearborn street The dead:
CORNELIUS CORCORAN 40 years old.
MARGARET CORCORAN, years old,
died at Mercy hospital
JOHN CORCORAN Z years old, died at
Mercy hospital
The wounded
Kate Corcoran, IA years old, may die. If
she RECEIVERS will lose her left eye.
Lizzie Corcoran. years old, may die.
The police are convinced the man was in
sane. Corcoran had lived with his seven
children in a fiat building at 5401 Dearborn
street for a month past. To all outward
appearances he was a kind and considerate
parent. For some days he had plotted for
the death of his children and he nearly ac-
complished his purpose Tuesday night. Hear
ing the children cough he arose and in the
dark administered laudanum to five of them,
Clifford, Timothy, John, Margaret and Liz
zie The first two were removed to the
Mercy hospital where Timothy died the next
day. Corcoran exhibited such profound grief
over the affair that the police and the
coroner thought the giving of laudanum was
a mistake.
Baked in his purpose to take the lives
of his children, Corcoran made deliberate
plans for his act of today. About 10 o'clock
the grandmother of the children, Mrs. Mar
garet Wrenn, accompanied by her niece, Mrs
Mamie Corbett, called at the Corcoran home
When they rang the bell Corcoran called out
from the inside:
who's there?"
"Its Mamie and your mother" replied Mrs.
Corbett.
Corcoran thrust his head out of the door,
disclosing the fact that he was attired in
his night gown and closed the door again,
saying:
"Wait just a minute, Mamie"
The two women opened the door and
stepped into the hallway. Just then three
shots were heard, followed by succession of
screams The two women darted out the
doorway and ran down the street screaming
at the top of their voices
"It's murder, it's murder" shouted Mrs.
Corbett, frantically. Word was sent to the
Hyde Park police station.
An appalling sight greeted the eyes of
Lieutenant Clancy, Sergeant AVIAN and other
officers when they entered the Corcoran fiat.
the body of Margaret, lying in mass OF
blood at the head of the bed while at the
foot lay John, unconscious and breathing
heavily. In the room to the rear Corcoran's
dead body was found on the floor, while that
of the baby, Lizzie, reclined on pillow.
A revolver lay near Corcoran's right hand.
Five of the chambers were empty.
Everyone of the wounds with the excep-
ton of Kate's were inflicted behind the ear.
Kate was shot in the left temple. The police
removed Kate and John to the Mercy hos
pital and later the baby, Lizzie, who was still
breathing was taken there. John died with
in half hour after his arrival at the hos
pital and no hopes were held out for the re-
covery of the others.
Evidences of Corcoran's intention to kill
his children were eeen in the house. In one
room empty whisky and wine bottles showed
he had given the children literally OF the
liquor and stupefed them.
Corcoran was injured about three years
ago in collision with a cable car while
driving mail wagon. His leg was broken
and his brain was affected, 1t is said. Six
months ago Corcoran's wife, the daughter of
Mrs Wrenn, became insane and since that
time che has been an inmate of an asylum at
Kankakee.
Cornelius has never been right since his
accident" said Mrs. Wrenn. "Iie has always
acted queerly and when my daughter became
i'll, 1t affected him. He never would have
done such dreadful thing II he had been
in his right mind"
The only child to escape injury was
Marion, 16 years old, who is at the hospital
nursing her brother Clifford