The Topeka state journal., 1911-04-07
Mulligan McNuIty, Most Danger.
Gus Man in Kansas.
JustifiSs His Acts of Violence by
Necessity.
In PRISON 80 YEARS.
Tells Court That He Was AL
ways Unjustly Accused.
Cut Deputy Warden's Throat Be-
cause He Feared for Life.

When Judge Schoch, of the probate
court, returned Mulligan McNulty to
the state asylum Thursday evening, it
virtually meant that McNulty had
breathed his last air of freedom and
that the man will wear the chains and
shackles until the day of his death.
1t was to obtain McNulty'S release
from the asylum, if possible, that the
nearing was held in the probate court.
McNulty'S criminal record has placed
him in the category of the asylum s
homicidal paranoia patients. But on
the witness stand McNulty underwent
an examination to which few persons
IN probate court have ever been sub
5ected. Never once did McNulty hesi-
tate. He was never confused. Not once
could he be induced to contradict a
statement. For more than an hour he
told his side of his criminal record.
When w. w. Stahl, county attorney
of Rice county, cross-eXamined Nc
Nulty, the man met StahPS questions
in the same manner in which they were
sent. From under the heavy brown
eyelashes he Slared at the lawyer and
declared that he held the enmity of
no man in Rice county.
The prisoners ability to recall names,
dates and incidents was almost remark
able in comparison with the ordinary
person on trial for his sanity. McNulty
went back 80 years when he served
his first prison term. Gradually he
brought that record down to date. Not
once, in the four times he was sent
TO the pententiary, did McNulty admit
that he was guilty of an overt act. Not
a tear came to his face, as he told of
the murder of a fellow prisoner at the
Reno county Jail. His expression new
er changed as he told the court of
incidents surrounding the attack on
Deputy Warden Thompson, when he all
but added that mans life to his list OF
homicides.
Sitting in the witness chair, McNuIty
frequently smiled as his attorney. John
Hanson, questioned him concerning his
sanity. Sometimes McNulty would rat
tie the chains as he portrayed some
event in his past life. His feet played
a pit-a-pat on the velvet carpet; but
otherwise McNulty was calm and pos
sessed. The man is six feet tall, weighs
200 pounds and is of muscular build.
With McNulty's past record handy,
there was little question in the minds
OF the court loafers as to why the asy-
1um officials prefer to keep the prisoner
in restraint.
McNulty smiled when asked if he
was a paranoic. Then he was asked
regarding his disposition and declared
that he was at peace with all the
world. After this McNulty told of be-
ing sent to prison for grand larceny,
how the deathbeda confession of the
real culprit later secured his release.
Then he told of a sentence for horse
stealing. He declared he was engaged
to sell the horse for a person and
when he had closed the deal, he couldn't
find the right party, but ran smack
dab into the sheriff" He denied any
guilt in this offense.
Not Sorry He Killed.
1t was when the second sentence
terminated that McNulty was rearrest-
ed. While in the Reno county Jail, he
killed a fellow prisoner. But McNulty
told Judge Schoch he was perfectly
justified.
See that scar there asked McNulty
as he turned and faced the court, plac-
ing his hand to his forehead where
long ugly scar was visible, well that's
what l got from that fellow. He
damned me one there with a board and
just touched him up a bit with a
knife
After a statement of the murder. Nc
Nulty told of a term in the peniten-
tiary for stealing horse blankets, which
had been blown away by the wind and
were found after he received his sem