Hide Article Text (OCR)
MAHONEY'S BRUTAL GRIMEJnmc« Mahoney Fires Three Shots atMiss Mary Kane-—A Remarkable I is cope from Death.One of I he moat nhucklng Iragvdic* that ever look place in Cherokee county oreuml ut the farm oJ Mr«. Elizabeth Mahoney ill Diamond township, seven miles south lt;•! Uiir city at lire o'clock hist Silurdn) morning, James Mahoney, c razed by drink and u jealous and desperate desire to have MW* Mary Kane rcoiprocato hW pafelonalo love, fired Ihrco shots ul the young lady lmm n thirty -1 wo calibre revolver, all taking effect, two unCvi iug her head and the third posting through her right nun.Maine* Mahoney has been a hard-drinking, worthless icllotv lor a number ot years, and despite the ollurls o! his relatives and others Interested in his ire I fare, to have him brace up, he has continued his worthless career. The past two weeks be had been drinking unusually heavy. Hi* brother* have instructed liquor dealer* in the neighboring towns and here nut to sell him liquor, but ue long an he had money he could secuie it. lie usually procured all he wanted by sending some one uffct it. He 1ms purchased two revolvers in this city during the pust two weeks, one n liveuud the other u six shooter, lho latter one he lined to shoot the girl.Mahoney true in this city the afternoon before the tragedy, but left early in the evening. He stayed somewhere iu the neighborhood ol his homo that night, and cntuc to tlie house early in the morning. Uo saw MWa Kauc, who was engaged getting break lust, go irom the kitchen to the envc with n dish in her liiind lo get butter fur breakfast, lie followed her down with a revolver in each baud, swore a vilo oath and told hor if »hc tuodo auy outcry ho would blow her bruius out. lie attempted to close the door, ami then thu girl crivd out and attempted to get by him and out tho door, iln then shot her in the forehead and *!ju tell to the Hour, then thu brute shot her twice more, ouce in the back ol the head and again in thu right arm. Hu Ihcil came out ami ran to a neighbor's tvhoro he reuuiiucd until tho of-flcers look him. Miss Kano Ntys she laid there two or three minutes, thinking ii shu got right tip and went out ho would shoot her ugaln, supposing he was outside. She also said “she didn’t thiiiK Jim would shoot her, thought he was only trying to scare her, but he did rlioot nit*,” she continued.Alter lying there u »horl time she gut tip and walked out to the cow stables, where William aud Lou Muhon-ey were milking. Miss Kane does not recollect what happened after that until the doctors onme to dress her wouuiW. They worked over her lor povrml hours and finally succeeded in ox I meting the bullet which entered her forehead anti it was found to be flattened considerable. Tho shot that struck the back of Iter head did not inflict 60 serious a wound.Tho news was brought to this city by Wm. Mahoney about 6:16 Saturday morning and Ors. Hundy, Avery nml Shcriimu, Coimnblu Hutlorfichl, Marshall D'ullum, II..I. Mahoney and relatives of the unfortunate girl wont uuiat ouce.Mahonuy was iound nt a neighbors liouso near by and mado no resistance to arrest, lie had two revolvers iu ltls posoMion and couhl have mado things very disagreeable (or thuoflkors but snid “did not wnnt to do them any dirt/’ lie objected some to the hand-culls, but dually gave lu without trouble.This was at John Guiihor’s farm, a qunrtcr ol a mllo south ot the fcono ot the crime. When hu camo up to Mr. Gaither's, immediately after the shoot-lug, with a revolver in each hand he told tho old gentleman ho had shot Mary nml raising the revolvers up. raid, these nro what I shot her with. Then ho wanted Mr. Gullhcr to go over and see how sho was. Uo would not bcWcvo Mnhoncr hut the latter Insisted that ho should go over to the house. So Mr. Guhhor told him hu wan going down Hint way niter a while and would atop InumUec Mary. My this I into neighbors began to arrive nml honriug of the crime nud not caring lo interfere with Mahoney, (iulther nml his hired man, who were idono on the place lolt nud gave him lull possesion. Mahoney went into the house and locked the doors nml went to bed nnlt;l tho from door had to bo broken open by ihooflkorn who vnmo to arrest him. Ho had a bottle uf whiskey and this was probably used to cause him to lorget Ida fiend tali work.It win about 10:30 that he was ca-cortod into town tv heron large crowd olv.urhtu* people woro waiting lo gel ngllmpMiof him. Tho crowd made the prisoner (eel very nervous, and he felt morn at easo when he got into Sherifl Wheeler's buggy and was oil for the Oherokvo jail.No date has yet been fixed lor Ids piflimlimry hearing. Nothing could lie tlotto until it was known whether or not tho girl would recover. Had aha died Mahoney would have been charge*) with murder. II s)tnrecover* tho charge will ho AMAtill with intent to commit mur.lcr. The result will probably be known mon Mnhutiey la very inn\nuoUo)y nud b not inclined lo talk much. Hlt;! now realizes thu enormity of his crime |nud would no doubt hi: glad of ! the power to undo whut he 1ms done, i It I* to t* hoped that the girl will nooii recover n.nl Hint her won hi-l/e j murderer will get the Mill extent ol the law In vioh nnsos.Mahoney is Ihlrty-eluhl year* old mid hnj» a divorced wile nud one child living with her parents nt Omaha, Xeh. He i* tho father of two children ouo having died iu that city Inht full. At that time his former wifo wrote him of iho child’s death and requested him to be present at the funeral.' He wont at onco to see hU child burled.Mary Kano (a an orphan girJ, sixteen year* ol ago nml has lived in this oily nud vicinity nearly nil her life. She Is un exceptionally bright youug truly nml has a very sweet disposition. As she lay on her bed the day ol the trng. edy giving the statement of the shoot-ing under oath to Notary W.O. Striker nud in tho presence ol II. J. Mahoney au.l tho writer, she scorned to hnvc uo ill-feeling toward James Ms. honey aud nothing but love for all. She said that‘•shu whs not afraid to die if bhc must, but that she was not going lo.”At the time her statement was taken it was thought she could uot recover. Sho gave it without h’esitntoo, remembering clearly wbot happened from the time she idl the hcu*o to go to the envo uutll sho became uncou-6clo\is after walking out toward the barn?. Sho signed her name to the document in a pretty hand, alter those present had arranged so the could without much exertion on her part. She ha* shown remarkable nervo and vitality nil through the trying ordeal, Hnd this to n great extent is what is bringing her out sole. The «*ool weather tho first of the week is also a tovorablc factor. Kiud handsaro doing nil in their power to bring her to a speedy recovery.Tho young lady went to lire with Mrs. Mahoney a year ago Inst March, nml nothing hut words of praise will coino from the family about Mary, whom they luvc so mucb.To sec the wid shlo of this unfortunate allair one need only lo look into tho lace of Mrs. Mahoney, tho mother, who is simply heartbroken. Sho has tried so many years to induce her snn to live nn honorable lile, all to no avail, and now alio sava the worst lias come. This stain grieves the poor old mother mournfully. She adores Mnry and her continuous prayer is that Mary may survive.Commencement Exercises.\Oral(ou ot Leon Pilcher o! the Class ol *3C.«“INMKPEX l/EXCE.”Tho 6trugglo lor independence seems to bo almost universal tunoug civilized |eop!c both collectively and individually but in Uj largest and must unlimited sense it is a state impossible.The barbarian who iuhabils a warm clime conics the nearest to it ot anyone. He can Uo lu the shade of tho banana nud bread-fruit tree which supply the cravings ol his stomach, and the palm provides him with ull tho covcriug the etiquette of tho country requires.Hut his independence is ol a very uncertain stability, lor n stronger than he may como aloug und disposes him of his comfortablo quarters nud how can he co for redress to others without sacrificing this very independence which we have pictured ou ins his glory.Atono we are impolout. iuorgaui2n-tion there is safety, but n certain amount ot dependence goea with it. Although it sometime* obliges u* to yield our own opinions and wishes up to n by-law or croud, still it leaves us a gnltier In thu larger good that organization can do for us when we are weak and most iu uced u( help aud must go down without It.*As peoplu bvcomo more civliimi they become more dcpvudctit upon each other, nevertheless wo arc prone to ignore this truth and aro apt to keep a coascless struggle lor that which we can uovcr attain. On every side wo see men and women tolling beyond their strength, literally wearing themselves out striving to gain the position of independence.Vim ask ouo why ho Is working so hard when ho appears to already have enough ami ho tolls you ho has to occasionally borrow tnonoy of tho luvuk and it hurts him terribly to do it and he wants to get I tide pendant of thorn. This sumo man by dmt of (I’lt-sscrlftw uf him and hi-* family, finally gets enough togothpr to pay hi* indebted-ness aud ho goes to the hank, got tj his note* and mortgage* and come* home to hi* family and uxuUlngly exclaims that ln will have m moro lo do with those money sharks, he I* independent of thorn.Vain mini While he 1* yet talking a spark bus found Its way Hi rough a detective flue in the at tie or Ids house. It is slowly cindering the wood-work adjoining. All unconscious of the impending danger, he aud his family retire tor the night and while they all sloop the flume* Imvo ouvolopcd the roof and upper portions uf the house.
Newspaper Details
Aurelia Sentinel
Aurelia, Iowa, US
Fri, Jul 03, 1896
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
Matthew B.
NA, 12 Apr 2017
Other Publications Near Aurelia, Iowa
Aurelia Sentinel
