Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-01

east Of the Peace Monument site. and there
was gallows. priest was with the man.
platform he commenced to struggle. but he
was held and the knot was slipped over his
head when he jumped on. Then there was
excitement In the little crowd. not more
than a hundred, In the midst of which the
man was lifted back to the platform and
the trap sprung. was too young to realize
what was going on, and nearly eighty years
having passed. the scene is somewhat in
distinct In my memory"
Particulars Of Crime.
An old inhabitant gives the following
sketch Of the crime:
''The stonecutters whom Mr.. Williamson
had brought with him from Scotland had
employed a man named McGuirck TO collect
and deposit In a box the tools and i'm
plements of the workmen when they quilted
work In the evenings. so that they might
be conveniently found in the morning when
they resumed work
For a few nights he was very prompt to
do his work. but he at length left his duty
to be performed by his wife, and he would
Join party of his countrymen In the even
ing, drinking every night to a late hour.
That he might retain his situation his wife
undertook to collect the TOOLS though physi-
cally unable. She often demonstrated with
him regarding his conduct and every night
the quarreling was kept up till late hour.
One night he came home later than usual
very much Intoxicated and she determined
to give up the onerous task and be no long
er his slave. A quarrel commenced which
soon reused his neighbors from their sleep.
Suddenly the noise ceased, and the neigh
bors supposed something serious must have
happened.
the couple and broke open the door, finding
him seated smoking his pipe. while his
wife was lying on the floor a bleeding
corpse. The women of the adjoining cabin
washed away the blood, and laid the wo-
mans body on the bed. They then called
In a doctor, who pronounced her to have
been brutality murdered. McGuirck was car
ried or dragged, drunk as he was, before
a magistrate. who committed him to jail
to abide the decision OF the criminal court.
In the course of three weeks he was ex-
amined before the criminal court and found
guilty OF murder from the evidence pro-
cured from his neighbors and the doctors
decision.
Body Thrown Into Marsh.
"A coffin was procured for him following
the execution. and he was buried by his
countrymen in Holmead's cemetery, north
west of the city boundary. 1t so happened
that widow living in Georgetown had just
buried her only daughter in this cemetery,
a few PAGES from the grave where Nc
Guircks remains were inferred. and she
objected to the burial there. She became
violent In her grief and her neighbors. to
appease her grief. went to the grave yard
one night and dug up McGuirck's coffin and
threw it into the marsh near by.
His countrymen soon got notice of what
had been done and they put the coffin back
In his grave, and placed a large monument
at the head, believing that no one could
remove II.
THE widow was made aware of this and
her lamentations were renewed. This in
duced her neighbors to rally again to the
grave yard at midnight They removed
the stone from the grave dug up the coffin
a second time, turned the coffin upside
down and again threw the body into the
marsh
His friends determined to put the coffin
pack into the grave, but finding 1t so shat
tered that 1t could not again be removed,
they buried him where he lay"