The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-01-09

Mary Monaghan and her brothers,
Tom and John. have been arrested for
the murder Of Michael Corcoran, the
Duryea hotelkeeper.. They were ar
rested Saturday afternoon on warrants
issued by Alderman Donahue, of
likes Barre. After preliminary
hearing in the evening before that
official they We're committed without
bail to await q further hearing We'd
nesday afternoon at o'clock.
The arrests were made on the
strength of statements which Herman
CIkeD Seidman, a Delaware, Laclla-
wannan and Western detective, of this
city, alleges were made to him by Da-
vid Williams, of Duryea Williams
standing in Duryea is not the high est.
According to his alleged story he was
unwittingly drawn into participation
in the crime. but did not profit by it.
District Attorney Thomas II. Martin,
of Luzerne county, was opposed to
having the arrests made. In an au-
thorized interview he said he would
no. ask for Il conviction of the pris-
Oners on the strength of Williams al
legged unWritten and uncorroborated
confession.
The claim is made that the arrests
were fastened by an article published
Saturday morning in the Wilkes-Barre
New-Dealer. Its contents were inde-
finite, but We're prominently displayed
and based upon the information re-
vealed by Alderman Donahue.
JOHN MONAGHAN TALKS.
John Monaghan was interviewed by
Tribune man in the Luzerne county
jail last night. He said. II know no
more about this than you do. / was
drunk and so was Tom the night Cor
| coran was killed. l was too drunk
to do such work if / had wanted to. I
had been drinking, and among other
places, was in COrcoran's. / had to be
helped home. I was dead drunk. dead
to the world, you know, and couldn't
lift hand IL | tried. Tom was about
as drunk as | was and came home
about the same time did.
Now about Williams story: ! don't
believe he made any such statement.
He may have talked--everybody has
been talking about this thing-but I'll
bet he never said what the papers say
he did. lie may have Gossiped about
us but he never said we did it."
Mary Monaghan and her other
brother, Tom, refused to be inter-
! viewed.
Detective Seidmans duties with the
| Delaware, Lackawanna and Western
| company hardly entitle him to the title
he bears. He is a young man and up
| TO short time ago was a Scranton
/ Cabman. His stand used to be any
! where along the south side of the block
! on Lackawanna avenue between Penn
avenue and the Delaware, LackaWan-
| ma and Western depot. His employ
ment by the company has consisted
mainly in preventing train-jumping Oil
| the Bloomsbury division trains and FER
reting out petty depredatiOns along
| that line of road. His work took HIN
! frequently to Duryea and its vicinity.
DETECTIVE MET WILLIAMS.
! Seidman met Williams in a casual
| way at a crossing near the Duryca
| station, According to the former S
! story he blundered upon Williams ap-
| parent knowledge of the murder and
| took advantage Of it. Seidman says
! he remarked to Williams: I'D like 10
| know as much as you do about the
/ Corcoran murder" and that Williams
/ admitted, with apparent confusion,
| that he knew the murderers and that
/ they were still in Duryea.
1t is related by Seidman that Will
/ liams said he feared the Willie" gang
/ of which he was a member, and the
| MOnaghans would kill him il he told
what he knew. Seidman, by promis-
| ing him all possible protection and ia
vor, then secured Williams verbal
| story.
In substance Williams said he was
standing in front of Corcorans hotel
about ! o'clock of the night of the
murder when Tom Monaghan and two
| men named Langan and Clark an