Apr 18, 1885
A Murder Near Wilkes-Barre.
A Wilkes-Barre dispatch of the 13th to the Philadelphia Press, says:
About 11 o'clock on Sunday evening, the body of Andrew Macnack, a Pole, was discovered lying on the Lehigh Valley Railroad track two miles from Wilkes-Barre, at Mill Creek, bearing unmistakable evidences of foul play, and evidently placed there in hopes a train would mangle it. The head was cut and bruised almost to a jelly, and a bullet hole was discovered in the back of the neck and another in the right arm. Tuesday morning Charles McNamee, the keeper of a saloon near the point where the body was found, Hugh Trainer, John Kennedy and William Kennedy were arrested and charged with complicity in the murder.
The crime had created great excitement here and at the trial Monday night a crowd was in attendance. The testimony showed that on Sunday evening Macnack and three Hungarians entered McNamee's saloon drunk, and began a fight. They were thrown out by those present and went away, but came back in a few minutes and renewed the fight. A hard struggle ensued, windows and furniture were broken, chairs, pokers and other weapons used, and Macnack, who seemed mad with drink, was badly beaten.
The Hungarians finally went a way, two in one direction and two in another. A few minutes after a pistol shot was heard but no attention paid to it. John Madure, the Hungarian who went off with Macnack, swore that when they had gone a short distance, Macnack said he was going back for his hat, which he had lost in the fight. Madura tried to persaude him not to do so, but he went, saying he would get his bad or they would have to fight for it. Madura went home and did not see Macnack again.
When the body was found the pockets were turned inside out and there was evidence of a struggle near by, and foot prints, as if two men had gone away from the body. The prisoners were all discharged, except McNamee, who was held in $500 for assaulting Macnack. Later developments point Joseph Maduro as the murderer, who fled upon learning that he was to be arrested.
