Tragedy in Cary Street.
--A Woman Murdered by Her Husband.--About 7 o'clock on Thursday evening the cry of murder was heard proceeding from the back yard of a tenement on Cary street, two doors above 7th street, which was occupied by a shoemaker named Joseph John McCarthy. Parties in the neighborhood hastened to the spot, where they found Ellen McCarthy, the wife of Joseph John, in a dying condition, from a number of wounds inflicted with a knife. Several families live in the same house, and representatives from all of them were yesterday before the Coroner to furnish testimony as to the circumstances connected with the tragedy which led to the woman's death.McCarthy and his family occupied rooms in the second story of the house. Mrs. McCarthy, it seems, was a widow when McCarthy married her, and had one child by her first husband, who was living with them.--From the evidence of this child it would appear that, on the night previous, McCarthy attempted to kill his wife while she was in bed, raising a knife to stab her with, but was forced to desist on account of her cries of murder.
On Thursday evening, when McCarthy came home, his wife was about leaving the house, and passed him near the door. After remaining in the room but for a second, he went out after her, and a scuffle was soon heard at the foot of the steps leading down into the back yard. During the scuffle the cry of murder was heard, but before any one reached the spot the fatal stab had been inflicted, and the unfortunate woman was found lying weltering in blood. McCarthy himself was sitting on the steps, apparently in great agony from wounds he had received in the struggle. He was taken in custody by the police and carried off to the station-house. His condition, though suffering and painful, was not considered dangerous.
On searching the premises two knives--one of them an ordinary shockknife, and the other a bowie knife, with buck-horn handle — were found in the yard, very near where the body of the dead woman was lying. These were covered with fresh blood, and gave indications of having just been used. There was no testimony before the Coroner's jury to show that the deceased had used either of the knives, though McCarthy alleged when arrested that his wounds had been inflicted by her.
An 9 o'clock yesterday morning a jury was summoned and an inquest conducted by Coroner Sanxay, when the following testimony was elicited:
Dr. James Beale, who made an examination of the wounds on the body of the deceased, deposed: On examination of the body of the deceased, Ellen McCarthy, I found the following described wounds, viz: a wound in the throat at the top of the stemmo, pursuing a downward and backward course, reaching the trachea, and wounding the recurrent arteries in the neighborhood of the æsophagus; a wound between the 7th and 8th ribs, passing over the left lung, and severing the lower third of the heart, and cutting into both ventricles; a wound below the 9th rib, and one below the last rib. Both these wounds penetrated the cavity of the abdomen. Also, a wound on the left hand, nearly severing the thumb, as if the knife had been grasped and drawn through the hand. The fingers of the hand were also cut in a corresponding direction. It is my belief that the wounds above described, particularly the one perforating the heart, was the cause of death, and that the deceased came to her death by the infliction of those wounds.
Robert Carter, deposed: Heard a cry for the watch while at the corner of 7th and Cary streets, and ran up to the house.--Found the woman dead, and McCarthy sitting on the steps. Arrested him, and asked who cut him, when he replied that the deceased did. Then asked him who cut her, to which he made no answer.
Margaret Morris, deposed: Am a step-daughter of McCarthy, and daughter of the deceased. Was up stairs sewing when step-father came in, as mother was going out.--Father went out, and directly heard a cry from mother of "murder," then ran down stairs, and saw mother lying down, and father lying alongside of her, with his head on her shoulder. Her lips were moving, and her eyes shut. She was dying. Step-father got up and sat on the steps; he showed me his wound, and said my mother cut him; told him I did not know anything about it, and did not wish to see it; did not hear any more. There was no quarrel between them; they have had quarrels.--Night before last he raised a knife to cut her in bed, and when she cried murder he desisted; he treated her badly, sometimes striking her. [the knives were shown.] --That is a shoemakers' knife, and belongs to father; the other knife father had stuck in his belt; he just commenced to wear it this week; did not see any knife on the night of the murder; he put the knife in his belt on Thursday morning; mother had been at home all day; witness came home at 5 o'clock. The stabbing occurred between 7 and 8 o'clock; father came in as mother was going out; saw no blood inside the room. After the stabbing step-father got up and sat o the steps. He looked like he was a little in liquor, but did not stagger; he did not look very excited; witness was absent a short time looking for a policeman. He tried to stab my mother the night before; he was not cut then; was in the whole evening; don't know what was the trouble; was in bed; step-father was a little intoxicated.
Richard Steele, deposed: McCarthy was at my house on Thursday evening, about 7 o'clock; didn't speak much; asked for a pipe, pulled out a knife he had in a belt around him, (knife shown;) that looks like it; he cut some tobacco with it; then took it in his hand, and said to a young man, "How would you like to feel it," or something of that kind; witness told him to put the knife up, and he did so, and went out; half hour or so after heard he had killed his wife. My place is on the corner of 9th and Byrd streets. McCarthy did not look like he was drinking; don't know of any difficulty between them, but have heard of some; McCarthy told me about a month ago he was going away and leave his wife; she is my wife's sister. When witness got to the house, she was dead, and McCarthy had been taken away by the police. He told me his wife visited houses where he had forbidden her to go, and that he thought they could not get along together.
J. B. Denton, deposed: About 7¼ o'clock the sentinel called me out and said some one was murdered across the street — when witness came out there was a little girl standing at the sentry box, and she said she was the daughter of the married lady — started to where she directed me to go, she following, and I saw a woman lying dead in the yard, just at the foot of the steps, and a man sitting on the steps. He seemed in great pain or distress. Asked him if the woman was dead, and he said she was. Asked who killed her, and he said she killed herself. He appeared to be in a good deal of pain, and I discovered that he was also wounded. Asked him what was the matter, and he answered that he was stabbed by the woman in two places. Asked how he came to be stabbed, and he said she did it, pointing to the dead body lying on the ground. Asked him how she came to do it, and he said he was trying to take the knife from her. Watchmen came and took him off, and I left.
Maurice Berg, deposed: Was on guard at the Armory, and was posted at 7 o'clock Thursday evening. About 7¼ o'clock heard a tremendous scuffle and noise right across the street opposite my post. It sounded as it two or three parties were struggling, intermingled with exclamations, male and female voices. Heard deep moaning of a man, as if dead drunk or in deep pain. The moaning was followed by a shriek of murder, repeated two or three times. Soon after the last cry of murder a deadly silence followed, and I concluded it was all over, and that it been a family quarrel.--Did not leave my post. Soon saw some boys who went into the alley in the rear and peeped through the fence, and called for the watch. The daughter of the murdered woman came up, crying bitterly, and said her step-father had killed her mother. Soon as relieved from my post I went over, but the prisoner had been removed.
A number of other witnesses were examined, but no further facts were elicited. The jury, after summing up the testimony, rendered
a verdict that the deceased, Ellen McCarthy, came to her death from wounds inflicted with a knife in the hands of her husband, Joseph John McCarthy.
