http://www.cooganresearchgroup.com/crg/index.htm 12 March 2012 COOGAN story ____________________________________________________________________ appearing in "New York Times" [NY], 16 JUN 1865: ANOTHER EAST SIDE TRAGEDY A Returned Soldier Murders His Puta- tive Father-in-Law MICHAEL COOGAN was shot and instantly killed, at about 9 o'clock last evening, at his dwelling, in the rear of No. 99 Cannon-street, near Stanton, by MICHAEL GORMAN. The circumstances, as related by Police Captain ULMAN, of the Eleventh Ward, are as follows: GORMAN, who has served three years or more in the army and navy, and who was honorably discharged from the United States ship "Savannah" on the 4th of May, returned to this city only to find his mother, BRIDGET GORMAN, living with MICHAEL COOGAN, and calling him husband. This annoyed young GORMAN, and he made no secret of the fact, but expressed his opinion with so much plainness that COOGAN forbade him in the house. He went thither last evening to see his mother, and COOGAN being at home, after ordering him to depart, seized him by the throat and attempted to thrust him from a second-story window. In the struggle between the two COOGAN struck young GORMAN a stunning blow, knocking his head into a looking glass, and severely wounding him, and then GORMAN drew a small four-barreled Sharpe's pistol and discharged two barrels into COOGAN's breast. COOGAN still struggled a moment, and then fell to the floor and expired without uttering a word. GORMAN, now instinctively fled, but on hearing that COOGAN's wound had proved mortal, he went to the Eleventh Ward Police Station and surrendered to Capt. ULMAN. The officers, on going to Mrs. COOGAN's apartments, found her in a condition which unfitted her for communicating intelligence; yet she retained sufficient reason to attempt to hide the weapon with which the deed had been committed. She was taken to the Eleventh Ward Police Station, and held for the night. Mrs. COOGAN is perhaps 50 years of age; COOGAN, who was a laborer, was about 45; and young GORMAN; who is a printer, is but 21. Coroner WILDEY visited the scene of the murder last evening, and after leaving the corpse in care of Patrolman FAY for the night, named 10 o'clock this morning as the hour of the inquest. Young GORMAN says that he shot COOGAN in self-defence. ____________________________________________________________________ appearing in "New York Herald" [NY], 16 JUN 1865: ... During an altercation last evening, at 99 Cannon street, between Michael Coogan and his step-son, Michael [Gorman], the former received a shot which resulted in his death. [Gorman] and some other persons were locked up to await the result of the Coroner's investigation, which will take place today. ____________________________________________________________________ appearing in "New York Times" [NY], 18 JUN 1865: THE LATEST EAST-SIDE TRAGEDY A Returned Soldier Shoots his Putative Step-Father INQUEST BY CORONER WILDEY On Thursday evening, MICHAEL COOGAN was shot through the heart and instantly killed by MICHAEL GORMAN, a returned soldier, who had recently been honorably discharged from the United States ship "Savannah." The particulars of the shooting, which were briefly noted in Friday morning's TIMES, may be found in the following testimony, whuch was taken, Friday evening, before a jury: *** Henrietta Lamorous, of No. 99 Cannon-street, sworn: "I live with my mother; our apartments adjoin those of the deceased; he lived with a woman, who, I understand, was not his wife; I am well acquainted with the prisoner, the son of the woman who lived with the deceased; some few years ago he lived with her at the above place, but since that time he has been in the army and navy; a year ago he was home on furlough, and boarded on the floor above deceased's apartments; he would not enter these apartments, but when he wished to see his mother he would have her [exited ?] out; he has been home since May, and boarded in Cannon-street; he lived with his second cousin, Mrs. Lynch; he never, to my knowledge, visited the deceased";[the witness described the scene in the house subsequent to the shooting]; "I never heard the prisoner threaten deceased; have heard deceased threaten the prisoner; deceased frequently abused Mrs. Gorman, the woman with whom he lived; Mrs. Gorman [...] has bruises and a [defective] eye, the result of his violence." The mother of this witness corroborated her testimony. *** Mrs. Bridget Gorman, of No. 99 Cannon-street, mother of the prisoner, sworn: "I lived with deceased; was married ... long ago; ... ; have heard that he had a wife and children ... ; ... do not know the name of the clergyman who married us; do not know in what church the ceremony was performed; there were [no] witnesses; I have lived at 99 Cannon-street for ... years; my son lived with me until he went to the war, ... four years ago; I was married after he went away; he sent home money; he has been back about two weeks; there had been difficulty between my son and the deceased on account of my living with him; my son entered the room about dusk on Thursday evening; I did not mind the time; when my son entered only myself and husband were present; my son and the deceased spoke to each other, but no angry words were passed; the table was between the prisoner and the deceased; presently words were used that were not very pleasant; do not know what deceased said; they then quarreled; do not know what was then said; they resorted to blows; do not know who struck first; did not hear my husband tell me to open the window and let him throw my son out; I had not been drinking; my husband often drank, and sometimes became intoxicated; have been in that state myself; both prisoner and deceased fought in a corner, and a looking glass was broken; my son was nearest the wall; cannot say whether my son asked me to open the door and let him out; think that my son fired the pistol; when the pistol was discharged they were near the sink, struggling; my son had a pistol like the one now shown; we bought this pistol when my son enlisted; learning that he could not take it on board ship, he gave it to me, and when he returned I gave the pistol to him again; after the firing my husband did not fall, but sat on the stairs at the landing, and the prisoner ran down the stairs; I took the deceased into my room; he did not speak; I gave him water and held his head in my lap; I knew he had been shot; I opened his shirt and saw that he had been shot in the breast; I called in Mrs. Lamorous to help me take my husband in; my husband lived about a quarter of an hour; my son always treated me well; my husband sometimes whipped me; he was a heavier man than my son; he was very passionate and dangerous; think that he could have put my son out of the house; do not know that he had threatened to beat my son if he ever entered the house; had taken one glass of ale; two glasses; may have taken five glasses; my husband had taken a little, but was not drunk; after supper we had a quart of ale; do not know whether my son's life was in danger or not at the time when the pistol was fired." *** Mrs. Mary Smith, of No. 278 Stanton-street, sworn: "The prisoner boarded with me when he was home on a furlough about a year ago; Mrs. Gorman has told me she had been married to the deceased; she lived with him about three years; met young Gorman in the alley after the shooting, and he told me to go straight into the house; I entered and saw deceased lying senseless on the floor; deceased frequently beat his wife, and his conduct generally was such as to annoy the neighbors." *** Henry Sandford, roundsman of the Eleventh Precinct, sworn: "At about 9 o'clock on Thursday night I was told that a murder had been committed in Cannon-street; I went to the spot, and found there Captain Ulman, officer Fay, and officer Duffy; deceased lay on the floor; Capt. Ulman sent officer Fay to the station-house with Mrs. Gorman; I searched for the pistol, and found it concealed between the ticks of the bed; recognize the pistol here shown; I know nothing further." *** John Fay, Patrolman of the Eleventh Precinct, sworn: "I was on the corner of Cannon and Stanton streets, and heard that a man had been shot; I went to the scene; I asked a woman who was in the room, whether she was the deceased's wife; she replied that she was; she said that she did not know who committed the deed; the neighbors said that they had not heard a pistol fired; I went, by Capt. Ulman's order, with the woman to the Station-house, and while I had her in front of the desk, the prisoner entered and said, 'I did that; I want to deliver myself;' I asked whether he killed the man in Cannon-street, and he replied, 'Yes, I did it in self- defence;' he said he was the woman's son" *** Dr. [Webster] Beach testified that he made a post-mortem examination and found two wounds in the breast, and that one ball had lodged in the heart The case was given to this jury, and they rendered a verdict as follows: "We find that MICHAEL COOGAN came to his death by pistol-shot wounds at the hands of MICHAEL GORMAN, and we believe that the shooting was in self-defence, and, under the circumstances, justifiable," Under this verdict the Coroner dismissed the prisoner. ____________________________________________________________________