REVENGE AT THE ALTAR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9034, 21 April 1888, Page 2 (Supplement)

REVENGE AT THE ALTAR.

A BRIDEGROOM MURDERED. A WEDDING ceremony that was about to take place on March 4, in Knoeknainuekley Church, near Porta'lown, was interrupted in a most startling manner. William Thompson, a young man residing at Gilford, entered the church a few minutes before the wedding party, and took a seat. The ceremony was just about to commence when he fired a pistol at the- bridegroom, whose name is also Thompson. The latter fell forward, pierced through the right lung. The bride screamed and fainted, and for a time there was a scene of confusion, during which William Thompson escaped, but he was soon afterwards arrested. The injured man died at midnight on Friday. In the afternoon the prisoner was brought before Mr. Chisholm, a Justice of the Peace, at Portadown. The first witness examined was Elizabeth McGreedy, daughter of the sexton of the church. She deposed that after the rector entered the building the accused came in and asked her at what time the wedding was to take place. When told ten o'clock, he sat down. Shortly afterwards the wedding party entered in couples. Thomas Thompson, the bridegroom, and Mary Ann Moffet were the first couple. The bride was Fanny Jane Moffet, who entered along with Wm. Coulter. When they had gone as far as where witness sat there was a shot, and she saw smoke. She heard the bridegroom moan. After the tiring witness was frightened, and ran out to the graveyard. The prisoner was sitting where the smoke was. She saw him afterwards in the graveyard, and believed him to be sober. Other witnesses gave corroborative evidence. The prisoner was remanded for a week. The prisoner, it is said, purchased the revolver at a shop at Portadown, and was the morning before the act seen loitering near the church. No cause is assigned for the outrage except alleged cruelty to the first wife of the injured man, who was the prisoner's sister. As a result of a police inquiry at Gilford, a woman named Thompson has been sent to Armagh gaol on remand, charged with inciting her brother to the awful deed in the parish church. The Gilford police proceeded to the canal running between iNewry and Belfast, and at a point opposite the Madden Station commenced dragging operations in search of a dagger or sword said to have been thrown in on the previous evening. They had at that time in charge a daughter of Mrs. Thompson, the above-mentioned woman, who, it was alleged, had thrown the dagger into the water. The efforts of the constabulary to entice the girl to point out the spot where she threw the instrument into the water proved futile. On the arrival at the station of the train from Dublin, the sergeant threatened to convey her immediately to Armagh gaol. The threat had the desired effect; she pointed out the spot, and in a few moments the dagger was brought up. It appeared that William Thompson, the man now in custody, purchased the dagger a few days ago from a marine-store dealer, named Isaac Hiller, in Gilford, and as soon as possible after the crime his friends took this means of getting rid of proof against him.