Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1900-12-20


see no reason for the sudden deter
mination to return, and the avowed
purpose of target practice, and be-
lieye, or seem to believe, that quar-
rel occurred before they returned and
that either duel was proposed by the
two or practice suggested by Eastman
with an idea of taking this oppor-
tunity of wreaking vengeance for his
fancied or real difficulties. Later de-
velopments certainly gave some color
to the duel idea
Whatever the motive in returning,
the two did seek the the rear lot of
the Gorgan home, armed with pistols,
and did fire number of shots at tar
gets erected in the rear. They con-
tinued without attracting attention
until there was a shril cry from Gro
gan and Eastman rushed to the house
bleeding and shouting that Grogan
was shot.
The households responded to the
cry, but the first to reach the scene
was Belle Bryan, the housekeeper of
the Grogans. She was the only one
that saw the man conscious. When
the others came he had lost conscious
ness and was rapidly nearing death,
which came within ten minutes of the
firing of the shot. Medical assistance
was summoned, but without avail.
The story that Eastman told of the
shooting was the same as that to
which he has since adhered. He said
that the two were shooting together
and had exhausted the ammunition
for the small calibre revolvers which
they had been using. Grogan had
one charge in his revolver and was
aiming at the target when Eastman
picked up an old rusty Colt that lay
by. He was examining it when it sud
denly exploded in his hand and the
bullet struck Grogan in the left
breast. AS he fell the stricken man
half turned toward his brother-in-law,
crying I'm shot, and fell to the
ground. AS he fell to his knees the
revolver which he held in his hand
was discharged and the bullet sped to-
ward Eastman who rushed to the fall
ing figure, and struck the Harvard
professor in the hip cutting furrow
in his flesh, but doing no further
harm
This story might have awaited to
clear him of all blame for the tragedy
and led to it's acceptation as an acct
dent had not the housekeeper averred
that as she reached Grogan's side he
declared that he had been murdered.
The coroner's jury which investigated
the case accepted it in spite of her
testimony and acquitted the in
structor in spite of this fact the dis
trict attorney has seen fit to arrest
the man and hold him for trial on the
murder charge.
1t is generally believed that in the
investigation that has been conducted
subsequently, that some hidden facts
regarding the relations of the men
has come to light, but just what the
nature of these discoveries are will
not be made clear until the case comes
to trial. Meantime Boston is intense
ly excited over the case and is unable
to determine which of the three theo-
ries-an accident, duel Or murder
is the correct one. The remainder
of the country will follow the case in
its trial through its devious courses
with deep interest and reach its con-
clusion when the evidence is all ad-
vanced.
Parkman's Murder.
In the former case-the murder of
DR.. George Parkman--rhe evidence
which first led to the arrest of the ac-
cused Prof Webster was much less
that which the present case presents
against the prisoner Prof. Webster
had not confessed to the killing, and
was not known to have been in the
company of the dead man until he
himself said that he was. DR.. Park
man disappeared and his disappear
ance was a mysetry until Prof. Web
ster said that he had met Parkman to
keep an engagement and thus direct
ed the attention to himself. The case
still presented many remarkable and
puzzling features-features that were
not completely unraveled until the
murderer had been convicted and then
chose to confess all the details of the
case.
Prof. Webster's crime is now known
to be unintentional but when he had
slain DR.. Parknan he took every
means to conceal the murder and if
he did not have the intent which
makes a capital ofsense he took those
steps to conceal his act which gave it
the legal quality of murder and for
which he was hanged publicly on the
grounds now used by the students of
Harvard to play foot ball.
DR.. George Parkman, of old and
good family, founder of the Massa-
chusetts Medical college, about sixty
years ago was rich, respectable and
usurer. On the day of his murder he
had an appointment with John w.
Webster, professor of chemistry. He
kept it and disappeared. In the
search for him it was found that the
relations of the two men were that of
exacting creditor and helpless debtor.
Webster had given a note for moneys
loaned eight years before-at first