The Minneapolis journal., 1905-11-09
Coroner's Jury Sits Facts Re-
garding Shocking Tragedy
on North Side.
Surviving Boy Comes Bandaged
to Inquest-What Prompted
Verdict.
TILE VERDICT.
We, the jury, find that Elizabeth
Brennan came to her death by rea-
son of a gun-shot wound in the
head, inflicted by Stella Brennan.

80 God, have mercy on mel"
These were the words Mrs. Stella
Brennan repeated over and over as she
. lay half-conscious and bleeding, the
night three of her stepchildren were
murdered and fourth wounded at their
home, 1922 Fifth avenue N.
The words also played an important
part in the deliberations of the coro-
ner's jury today, which named her as
g the SLAYER of the children. @
For the sake Of brevity, the inquest
dealt only with the death of Lizzie
Brennan, the oldest girl, and the first
: to die from her wounds, Scarcely a
line of evidence was introduced that
did not point to Mrs. Brennan as the
. After DR.. E. II. Beckman, city ply
q sician, and DR.. ]. W. Little reported on
e the autopsy, Tommy Brennan, the only
surviving child, told his story to. the
jury. He was attired in new suit of
clothes and shoes purchased yesterday
cumstances compelled him to give dam
aging testimony. His shattered jaw
was bandaged.
The boy repeated the story told to
the officers the day of the murder: how
Mrs. Brennan stood beside his bed and
told him to look out Of the window and
how he was shot as he did so. In an
SW6r TO ASSlSGdut OOuHGy ACGol uCy
Elmer Gray, he said:
eyes, she was Jealous of all Of us,
but not as much Of me as the others. -
Tommy said that there was light
in the room, when Mrs. Brennan came
into his room that night, and that he
thought he could have seen a third per
son, had one been there. The shot
sounded as tho it came from within the
ROOM After he had been wounded and
had gone to his stepmother's room, he
said he heard a grating sound as tho
someone was saving. When asked if
the noise might not have been ring
ING in his ears caused by his wound, he
said it might have been.
A Scene of Horror,
Captain George H. Smith of engine
company No. 16, the first man to enter
the rooms after the tragedy, told OF the
appalling scene that confronted hlm
Lizzie, the oldest child, lay dead in bee
between Arthur and Alice, who were
then in their death throes. Mrs. Bren
nan lay on the bed in the front room t,
beside Tommy and was repeating the
short prayer, go, God, have mercy
me- in subdued tone. Captain
Smith further stated that when he en-
tered the rooms they were so full Of
nowder smoke that The dimly burning
oil lamp could hardly be seen; I'M
odor of the powder was suffocatlng:
The first thing Mrs: Brennan t.1 sad
when thoroly aroused, was Wh,
don i Lizzie come to me? [ hav
called to her and she doesn t come !,
W. G.. Farmer, who lives directly be
low the Brennan fiat, testified that n
heard five shots fired. Three shot
we're fred in rapid succession, then
short pause and then two more wer
fred.
Accused Her Husband.
Detective Edward Helm, who arrive
at the house shortly after the shooting
said the windows were all down an
locked and the shades drawn. Th
windows were all sound and no sho
had been fired thru any of them; In
bullet that had passed thru Thoma
Brennan s Jaw was found on sma
pillow back of the couch, as tho 1t ha
been fired from point in the room
Mrs. Brennan had told Helm that sh
looked from the kitchen window an
The woodshed cannot be seen from tn
kitchen window. When first questione
by the detective, Mrs. Brennan sal
that she thought it.. was Mr.. Brenna
who had done the shooting, but late
contradicted this statement sayin
that he would not stoop to such a thing
She also said it might have bee
Tommy, but again retracted her state
ments. She said the man who stoo
over her bed and shot her was sma
and had a sallow complexion. Sh
professed to know nothing more abou
the case.
Lieutenant Frank FERN Of the Mort
Side station testified to finding the +,
volver in a rear ROOM All the chan
Continued on I'd Page, Sd Column.