Omaha daily bee., 1906-11-08
]. HACCERTY is IDENTIFIED
Proves to Be Priest Was Patient at
Council Bluffs Hospitals
FATHER DELANEY MAY BE REAL MAIZE
Doctors from Hospitals Positively
Identify Him BY MARKS from
Previous Attempts 60
Commit Suicide.

Commit Suicide.
| J. HagEerty. the man who committed sui
eide by asphyxiation last Saturday night at
the Brunswick hotel on Douglas between
/ Twelfth and Thirteenth streets. was posi-
K lively Identified yesterday as a Catholic
/ priest who escaped from 81. Demands hos
! pital in Council Bluffs last Friday evening
The impression exists that Haggerty IL not
the mans real name. He was supposed to
have been from Scranton, Pa. His porper
name is thought to have been Delaney
Father Delaney.
Last Friday evening a patient at st. Ber-
nards left surreptitiously and when the
hospital authorities learned from the news
papers Of the suicide Of a stranger at the
Brunswick who resembled a priest they be-
gan TO make Investigations. visit was
paid by the chaplain Of the hospital to the
city and county jsils in Omaha to satisfy
him the missing patient. whose mind was
not right, was not I'm either place.
About $3.50 Wednesday afternoon Mr.
/ Kim, a young medical student at the Mercy
hospital in Council BlunTs, went to the ofice
OF Coroner Bradley to view the body. He
said he had been sent at the request OF Dr.
McDemott. chief surgeon at St. Bernard's
who had an inkling that Haggerty might
be their missing patient 1t appears Hag-
gerty was an inmate Of the Mercy hospital
for few weeks last spring. where Mr.
Kim made his acquaintance. Mr. Kim said
| however. he never learned the real name OF
the patient, but thought he was Father De-
laney.
Kim Guarded in Speech.
Mr.. KIM evidently knew more about the
case than he cared to divulge When taken
into the room where the body lay Mr..
Kim refused to commit himself, saying
he did not wish to say anything until he
had talked with DIR. MeDermott He made
a minute examination of the body and
discovered several marks OF identification,
which assured him the body was that OF
the missing priest, and after he examined
the clothing worn by the dead man he
intimated he had found whom he was look
ing for
When Haggerty was found in the room
at the Brunswick hotel last Sunday MORN
ing at about o'clock nothing was re-
ported to have been found among his eff
fects except 1 cent. but IT develops he
carried rosary and wore scapuIars around
his neck. No other articles were found by
which he could be Identified beyond the
bottle which contained the carboIic acid
and three trunk checks. His collar and
underwear were marked ~ K" The
rosary was finely mounted in gold
Mr.. Kim was shown the rosary and said
he was sure Il was the one Possessed by
the man he knew at the hospital The
trunk checks are believed to be old ones
which Haggerty picked up in some manner
as diligent search on the part OF Coroner
Bradley has been futile in finding any
trunks at either OF the deposits with which
the check numbers would correspond.
DIR. O'Keefe is Positive.
Shortly after Mr. Kim left the coroneris
ONCE DIR. M. E. o,Keefe, chief surgeon at
St Demands hospital, arrived in company
with DR.. A " Hennessey of Council
bluffs- The doctors, we're conducted by
Coroner Bradley to view the body OF Hag-
gerty. DR.. oKeefe, on entering the room.
merely took one glance AZ the body ana
then said: That's the man, all right. /
am positive OF that fact" The doctor then
! examined the body for marks OF identihoa.
ton In the same manner that Mr.. Kim
had in his examination.
appears that Haggerty was being
i tFeated at the hospital and was sliebtlv
demented. About two months ago he at
tempted TO commit snicide BY cutting bIs
throat. but his snorts were frustrated: vet
the scar frolp the wound ne inflicted re-
mained and Il was ny this means the idep-
tifcatiqn was posttisely established. The
scar Is still plai8lf visible under the left
side Of the manS CHM.
Last Friday night Haggerty who had
neen a patient at the hospital for a little
poVer two months. took a stroll around the
hospital grounds and failed to return. He
was not considered "a dangerous patient
and was allowed considerable Ijbertv "a
his absence did not excite alarm untiI sun
/ day. 1t is evident he left the hospital and
came Immediately to Omaha and obtained
room at the Brunswick hotel, paying IN
ADVANCE for his accommodations. Altar
conversing with the night clerk. Harry
Merriam for few minutes he said he be-
4 lieved he would go TO the Auditorium N
hear w. J. Bryan speak.
Goes to Republican Headouar,.r.
| 1t Is certain he went to the Auditorium
and then walked to the republican head
quarters, Seventeenth and Farnam streets.
/ where he had short conversation with
James Walsh. He retired about II O'Clock
that night and spent nearly all of the next
day In the Office OF the hotel
At the inquest, which was held Monday
afternoon, Mr. Merriam, the clerk. testi-
fed that Haggerty was very afable and
spoke on many subjects, and did not ap
pear to be despondelt, yet his converse
tion was mainly on peculiar subjects and
It was thought his actions were a trihe
strange. He told the clerk Of his travels
in this country. Europe and Japan, and
gave the clerk the impression OF being a
priest
He was plainly though neatly dressed IN
a black broadcloth suit, but did not wear
vest nor the usual clerical collar. but In
other respects he answered perfectly the
description OF a priest. His hands were
very small and soft
He retired for a short nap late I'm the
afternoon on Saturday and that was the
last seen Of him at the hotel until he was
discovered Sunday morning In the room
with the gas Jet turned on and the empty
bottle OF carbohc acid lying under the bed,
where Il was found by Police Surgeon Har-
ris The hottie which contained the alcohol
had evidently been bought IN Chicago, as
Il bore the label OF the Palmer House
pharmacy n that city This fact coin
/ oides With a atatement made by Mr.. Kim
70 the effect that Haggerty had been IN
| Chicago shortly before he came 70 the
Mercy hospital for treatment
| Had Parish In WyOmlnR