Deed of a Demon - 1884

There were several identical copies of the Newark Daily Advocate article printed in newspapers across the country from October 1 to October 10, 1884. All of the articles are virtually identical. I thought the only exception was that some refer to the date of the incident as September 30th - either by giving the date exactly or saying "yesterday" when the article was printed on Oct 1. Then I came across this Daily Gazette article which gives a much more detailed account, and the Evening Observer article which was similar but different than the others in its writing. It's really incredibly sad. Contrary to the articles, the Illinois state archives show that the woman who died that day was "Francis Jane Shay, died Sept 30, 1884". Her coroners inquest was filed on October 3, 1884. I was not able to find any record of Michael or the baby - either birth or death records or marriage or criminal records. Illinois has a very good database, but you must write the name exactly and can't search by date.

409 S. Clark Street today - located approx. at the tall late
19th century building. I don't have the dates that these
building were built, but at least one of them might
have been present in Oct 1884.

The Daily Gazette (Fort Wayne, Indiana) - October 2, 1884

CAUSED BY DRINK

A Drunken Demon Beats His Wife to
Death with Her Dead Babe.

CHICAGO, October 1 - A drunken husband committed last night an act which could scarcely be exceeded for brutality and inhumanity. Michael Shay and his wife Mary lived at 409 South Clark street. Last evening about 6 o'clock Dr. Camp was called to attend Mrs. Shay, who shortly after gave birth to a still-born babe. About 8 o'clock he was again called in, and found the woman in an almost dying condition, which, it was apparent to him, was not the result of maternity. Feeling that she had been abused by some one he summoned into the house Officer Patrick Walsh and told him his opinion. This led to inquiries and to statements from Clyde Nelson and wife living at the corner of Seven-teenth and Clark streets. They say that they were in the sick woman's room when her husband Michael came in, in an intoxicated condition. Seeing his wife lying helpless in the bed and the dead babe by her side, and finding no liquor in the house to still further brutalize himself, if that were possible, he picked up the dead infant and commenced to beat his wife with it. From the effects of that sickening brutality Mary Shay died about 11 o'clock last night.

Shay was arrested and is now locked up in the Harrison street station. He was at 1 o'clock this morning so stupefied with whisky that he could neither comprehend the enormity of his crime nor give an intelligent answer to questions asked him. Shay and his wife have both been addicted to drink, and have had many quarrels arising from it.

Harrison Street Station - where Michael was taken
after he murdered his wife.

Evening Observer (Dunkirk, New York) - October 2, 1884

A Beastly Husband's Crime.

CHICAGO, October 2 - Mrs. Micael Shay, of 400 Clark Street, gave birth to a stillborn child Tuesday. She was robust and in no danger when the physician left her. Upon visiting her again last evening, however, the doctor found her dying. He learned that Clyde Woods and wife were in the room with Mrs. Shay when her husband came home in a beastly state of intoxication. Going up to the bedside of his wife he sized the body of the dead child by the legs and beat his wife over the head with it as she lay on the couch. When exhausted with his brutal assault, he fell to the floor insensible from drink. He was taken to the Armory and locked up. At twelve o'clock the woman died.

Newark Daily Advocate (Newark, Ohio) - October 2, 1884

Deed of a Demon

CHICAGO, Oct 2. - A hideous crime has been committed here almost unparralleled in its atrocity. Michael Shay, living in a miserable hovel at 409 Clark street, went home during the night, in a drunken state, and with the body of the dead infant to which his wife had given birth during the night, beat his wife to death. When arrested Shay was in such a sodden condition that nothing intelligent could be obtained from him.

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Documents:

1619? South Clark Street, Chicago, Illinois - June 11, 1880
1880 United States Federal Census

[There is no way to know for sure if this is the same Michael Shay, as it is a common name and there were several living in Chicago, but this is the only man by this name that lived on Clark Street just four years before the article. Also the street #'s seemed confused and can't be relied upon.]

Shay, Michael - wm age 39, boarder, laborer, born Ireland