ALBANY PRIEST SHOT IN CONFESSIONAL--NOT RECENTLY

The Cortland Democrat, Friday, May 20, 1887.

SHOT IN THE CONFESSIONAL.

The Murderous Attack on an Albany Priest by a Crazy Woman.

   ALBANY, May 18, 1887.—The worshippers in the Catholic Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception were startled about 6 o'clock Saturday evening by two pistol shots which disturbed the quiet of the great edifice. A puff of smoke by a confessional box near the altar drew their attention in that direction. Within the box Father M. J. Looney, a growing and popular priest, who has recently been transferred to the cathedral from St. Francis's church in Troy, was found with a bullet hole in the right shoulder of his cassock. While he was hearing confessions, Miss Bridget Kilcoyne, otherwise known as Miss Bridget McMahon, and Miss Alice Creagh, entered the edifice, and after making her confession to Father Pidgeon, left the church.

   Re-entering by another door she approached within three feet of the box where Father Looney was sitting, and drawing a revolver from her dress fired twice through the screen at the priest. Then she walked quietly down the aisle, dropped the weapon at the door and proceeded down Madison avenue. Father Looney fortunately sustained only a slight flesh wound, only one ball hitting him.

   Miss Kilcoyne is undoubtedly crazy. When asked after her arrest why she fired at the priest she said with emphasis: "I meant to kill one of them." In explanation of this statement she declared, "Why, they robbed me of a large amount of money. It was sent by them that belong to me to Father Bayard of St. John's in 1864, and I have been trying to get it ever since."

   It appears that she had importuned Father Ludden and Father Walsh several times for money which she claimed the church owed her. It is believed that she hoped to kill Father Walsh, who used to occupy that confessional, and who recently went to Troy to succeed Vicar-General Ludden, who has just been made Bishop of Syracuse. The woman, who is about 35 years old, asserts that Father Walsh has $250,000 belonging to her. Her mind is evidently filled with delusions about money, as she also declares that there is a million in Ireland which was left to her.

   The story that she has told to her friends here to that she is Lady Alice Creagh, a daughter of Capt. Creagh of County Clare, Ireland, who for certain reasons put her, when a child, in the peasant family of Patrick McMahon. She was brought up by them, and has not been recognized by her parents.

   A number of cartridges were found in her dress pocket, and all the barrels of the revolver were loaded. "I intended it to be good," she remarked when asked if she meant to hit the priest. She came from New York on the 7th of this month. She has lived here at times, and has relatives and friends in the city, who have regarded her as "a crazy thing."

SAD ACCIDENT.

Boy Drowns in a Mill Race--A Son of John Youngs Meets with a Tragic Death.

(From the Marathon Independent.)

   Clayton Youngs, a young boy seven years of age, a son of John Youngs who resides on Warren street, was drowned in the mill race between the saw mill and grist mill, late Monday afternoon. He, in company with Brainard Schofield had been playing around the race and upon the logs all the afternoon until about five o'clock, when the Schofield boy went home leaving the Youngs boy, as he says, "poking among the logs.”

   When supper time arrived, Clayton had not returned to his home and his father became alarmed at his protracted absence and started out in search of him. It had become dark by this time, and taking a lantern, and procuring the assistance of George Marvin, be searched the race above and below the grist mill until late in the night, but could discover no trace of the boy.

   Early yesterday morning, accompanied by Arby Ogden, be renewed the search and after making a thorough examination, they found the boy's hat caught in the rack of the saw mill, where it had been drawn by the suction of the water. Proceeding up the race in a boat, about ten rods above the saw mill, they discovered the body of the boy lying in about four feet of water. He had lain in the water all night and was very much bloated and discolored. He must have fallen in the race sometime between the hours of five and six as the position in which the hat was found, being drawn underneath a quantity of logs at the saw mill, shows that it must have occurred before the mill stopped at six o'clock.

   It is a sad case and the family of Mr. Youngs have the sympathy of the community. It furnishes an additional warning to young boys of the danger of being around the water unless accompanied by those of mature age.