The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1910-06-02
DOUBLE MURDER
REV. e. j. WALSH, SOUTH ct.
PAUL, VICTIM OF MURDER.
ER'S BULLET.
STARTED FROM QUARREL
Patrick j.. Gibbons Commits Double
Homicide-Gives Himself Up
He Is Taken to Ramsey Co.
Jail.

st. Paul, Mimi. Driven by a mo
tive not yet clearly revealed, Pat
rick ]. Gibbons, live stock broker Of
South st. Paul, shot and instantly
killed his wife, Mary MCGOWAN Glib
bons, following up the murder a few
minutes later by shooting Rev. E. J.
Walsh OF the st. Augustine Catholic
church, who died a short time after.
ward. Gibbons then calmly gave him
self up to the police.
The double tragedy took place i'm
mediately after Gibbons and his wife
had returned from Minneapolis, where
he had been treated at the Lawrence
sanatorium since last Wednesday for
alcoholism. He has so far refused to
make any statement as to the cause
which led to the crimes.
1t was with the permission of DR..
Lawrence that Gibbons left for his
home, but he was under the care of
A. G. Anderson, IN of the nurses, and
it was understood that he was to re-
turn Immediately after seeing his
children and attending to some i'm
portant business he had pleaded as an
excuse for leaving the sanatorium.
Quarrel Between Couple.
AS oon as the couple entered their
home, Anderson in the meantime
stopping at a hotel, it is said a quar-
rel ensued. Mrs. Gibbons started to
nrnnarn tho nunpinn nnnal nnlu nnn
of the seven children happened to be
in the house, a 10-year-old girl. She
afterward told the police that she
heard her father threaten to kill his
wife and, terrified, she fed to a
neighbor and gave the alarm, but too
late.
Two shots rang put in rapid success
sion, and the man was her seer to
jump into his rig, which was still wait
ing at the door, and drive swiftly
away.
He drove directly to the home Of
Father Walsh, at the real of the
church, called the priest out and,
after a few heated words, shot him
through the head twice. The priest
staggered toward his study and drop
ped dead in the hallway.
After the double crime, + Gibbons
left his horse and buggy standing in
front of the fathers house and walk,
ed to the police station. On the way
he met his 12-year-old son to whom
he said in passing: Il have killed
the priest"
Boy Thought II a Joke.
The boy thought he was testing
and only laughed, but when he saw
his fathers rig outside the priests
house, he realized that something was
wrong and hurried home, where he
found his mother in a pool of blood,
dead on the kitchen floor.
Gibbons continued his way to the
station and when he reached there he
repeated: e" have killed the priest"
He was Immediately locked up, but
refused to talk when pressed for an
explanation Of his awful deed.
No one heard what husband and
wife were quarreling about. She was
facing him across the kitchen when
the first shot was fired, which only
grazed her left cheek bone and burned
her face. Apparently she turned and
fed, for the second bullet took effect
at the base of the brain and passed
entirely through the head, causing in
slant death.
News Spreads Fast.
The news of the shooting ran quick
ly through the town and cries of
Lynch him! Lynch him." were fire.
quent. Fearing that the threat might
be put into execution, Chief of Police
Brown, after consulting with Mayor
Lyle, decided to take the prisoner to
st. Paul In an automobile to rescue
him from the indignant mob.
When Gibbons was told Of his dan
ger he said: Let them bring the
rope. If they will only let me tell my
story, there will be no hanging"
Patrolman Frank Day, who arrested
Gibbons, says the prisoner was not
under the influence of liquor. He is
corroborated in this by Edward Moran,
the oldest policeman in town, who has
known the prisoner for many years;
also by the chief of police, who says
the mar was not drunk at the time,
but asked ~insistantly for whisky after