Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-04-04
MOLUSKY GUILTY
May Not Be Allowed 10 so Plead
 in Court.

l itediiLiHS tldt tHS poiiSc hau
 strong case against him and that
 he was entangled in coils of evidence
 August Molusky late yesterday af-
 ternoon confessed that on Thursday
 evening he murdered James Meehan
 in the yard near the Meriden june
 tlon. A network of c.rcumstantial | evidence had been spun around the
 accused in less than "A hours, and
 he came to the conclusion that 1t
 would be wise to own up. It was
 about 4:30 in the afternoon that Mo-
 husky, while talking with Detective
 keegan acknowledged that he was
 ready to go before the coroneH and
 confess to the killing. It was find
 ing of the empty shells underneath
 Molusky's veranda which undoubted- | ly convinced the prisoner that the police had it on him. It was just | after he had talked with his wife
 and daughter who short time be- fore had been examined by the cor
 oner that he decided to tell the full ] story.
 | Molusky's story to the coroner is
 said to be in many ways similar to
 that told by his wife to a reporter of the Democrat yesterday. For
 long time he had been quarreling
 with Meehan and other men with
 whom he worked and they had made
 life "a hell for him" while on duty.
 All his fellow employees took Mee-
 hans side in the fight.
 Thursday evening after leaving 1 the trainmaster's office he was
 walking along the tracks and en-
 countered Meehan. It was only an
 accident but they had some words | Meehan, so Molusky says, insulted
 him and Molusky gave just as good as he got. They went in different | directions when Molusky suddenly
 retraced his steps, followed Meehan,
 pulled his revolver and fired three i shocs. Molusky then went to his | home.
 It is possible that the second shot
 which entered Meehan's body was fired while Meehan was on the l ground. From the course it took,
 it would seem that it entered above | the kidney and took diagonal
 course, upward, in such a way as | to reach Meehan's heart. Although
 Molusky declares that the murder was not premeditated it appears he | was prepared to do some shooting. l Two of the bullets found in his gun | by the police were sharpened on the end, so as to be more effective. The | bullets taken from Meehans body | were sharpened in like manner, but | it is thought they were sharpened some time ago.
 Moluski will not be given a hear ing in the city court until Monday | or Tuesday, by which time the cor | oner will have made his report to Prosecuting Attorney Meigs. He will then be held for the superior court without bail.
 Though Moluski may enter plea of guilty to murder in the first de- gree in the city court he will be at liberty to change that to plea of | not guilty when he reaches the higher court. If, however, he shall insist upon pleading guilty to mur- der in the first degree it will be nec- l essary for the state to produce evil dence that will corroborate this plea. in order that the court may be convinced the plea is not made to shield the really guilty party, and that the accused is telling the truth. Such evidence would be the finding of the weapon with which the mur- der was committed In the posses sion of the accused, his presence near the scene of the murder at or about the time it was committed, the motive he had for committing the deed and other incidentals leading up to the commission of the crime. It was said this morning that plea of insanity will he made for Mo luski when the case reaches the su- perior court on the grounds that no sane man would kill anyone for the reasons that Moluski is said to have killed Meehan for, annoying and bothering him. Even though Mo- husky should insist on pleading guilty to murder in the first degree nevertheless 1t would not be accepted and he would have to he given trial. No lawyer has yet consulted Molusky because it is said he has no money and of course none of the barristers are doing charitable crim- inal work. If the accused procures a lawyer and should show that the provocation was such that there was some excuse for his act, the charge may be changed to manslaughter.
 Deputy Coroner W. D. Makepeace was still conducting the investigation this morning fin the office of the superintendent of police and said that he might have statement to make about the case later in tho day,