Dubuque History Lesson #16. Iowas first murder trial. In May, 1834, Patrick OConnor, a miner at Dubuque, shot George OKeaf, another miner. No provocation to the deed was apparent, and when OConnor was asked why he committed the murder he replied: That is my business. The enraged friends of OKeaf wanted at once to hang OConnor, but were prevailed upon to give the man a trial. The court at Galena, Illinois, had given out word that it had no jurisdiction over the territory west of the Mississippi, so the Dubuque people were forced to depend upon their own resources. The prisoner selected his attorney, and chose the jury. The jury sat on a log, and heard the evidence. The verdict brought in found for murder in the first degree, and fixed the penalty at death. OConnor was sentenced to be hanged at one oclock on June 20. During the month before the execution an effort was made to secure a pardon for the prisoner. The governor of Missouri said he had no authority over the case. President Jackson sent word that the laws of the United States had not been extended over the territory which included Iowa, and thus he could not interfere. He suggested that the pardoning power rested in only the settlers who had formed the court. At the time appointed OConnor was hanged. The proceedings of this impromptu court created much comment. Congress looked into the matter, and soon Iowa was under the control of Michigan Territory. iagenweb.org/history/moi/MOIChp2.htm OCONNOR, Patrick. (County of Cork, Ireland, 1797--Dubuque, IA, June 20, 1834). OConnor came to the United States in 1826 and soon moved to Galena. In 1828 he fractured his left leg in a steamboat accident. When it had to be amputated, it is claimed he became quarrelsome. After an argument with a merchant, OConnor pulled a pistol and fired fire shots. To escape punishment, he agreed to move to Dubuque. In a drunken quarrel, OConnor shot and killed his partner, George OKief. (1) OConnor never denied shooting the man, but boasted that there were no LAWS in the new land under which he could be tried. (2) On May 20, 1834, however, the first murder trial in what is now Iowa occurred outdoors. Captain White was chosen as the prosecuting attorney. OConnor chose Captain Bates, a man for whom he had worked in Galena. The jury of twelve was chosen from twenty-four people watching the proceedings. (3) Several witnesses were called. Captain Bates asked that OConnor be transferred to Illinois for trial. Captain White responded that Illinois had no jurisdiction. The jury deliberated the case for one hour. (4) OConnors scorn of the proceedings must have been badly shaken when his hand-picked jury found him guilty of first degree murder and ordered his death by hanging. (5) Appeals of the sentence were made to the governor of Missouri and President Andrew Jackson. Both replied that they had no jurisdiction. (6) OConnor had been confined in a house during the appeals. On the morning of June 20, 1834, he was placed in a horse-drawn cart along with his coffin and escorted by a priest, Charles F. Fitzmaurice, to a homemade gallows erected on the corner of White and 7th STREETS where the sentence was carried out. (7) Years later, in digging the foundation for the Jefferson House, OConnors skeleton was found and reburied. encyclopediadubuque.org/index.php?title=O%27CONNOR,_Patrick
Posted on: Sun, 04 Jan 2015 01:43:41 +0000