Early this morning the news reached Lanark that a murder had been committed at Shannon during the night and that the victim was the Marshall of the village. Prompt inquiry by telephone confirmed the rumor and the main particulars as follows:
Charles Lashelle, a barber at Shannon was somewhat under the influence of liquor last night and was taken to his home on Main Street by the Marshall. He quarreled with his wife and went out on the street again. The Marshall took him home a second time but in a few moments he was out on the street. Mrs. Lashelle called for the Marshall and told him that Charles had got out again and asking that he be taken to jail or brought home and his razors taken away from him. Reddington went into the kitchen part of the house and was talking to Mrs. L's mother when Charles Lashelle sneaked up from behind and with a razor out cut Reddington's throat from ear to ear. This was at 12:30 a.m. The old lady screamed to her daughter that Charles had cut Reddington's throat. Lashelle jumped out of the window (the kitchen was on the second floor) and skipped. Reddington grasped the gaping wound in his throat and started for Doctor Smith's office about a block away, but expired just as he got to the doctors door. The village was soon alarmed and search parties organized. It was found that Lashelle had tried to secret himself at a relatives, Mr. Truckenmiller's, though Mr. T. denied it but afterward admitted that Lashelle had been there, but had gone away.
One search party followed Lashelle's tracks along the road leading west from Shannon until he struck the railroad near the Junction. Lanark's night police, J.M. Cross and Fin Boyle had been notified and had gone out to look for the fugitive. They nabbed him in the clump of trees on Warble's farm west of the Junction. The police took him to Lanark and then to Mt. Carroll at six o'clock this morning and placed him in the county jail.
Patsey Reddington, the murdered man, was about 29 years old and unmarried. Charles Lashelle is about 27 years old and married, and has a boy about one year old.
Contributed by John Sharp, Lanark Gazette 15 May 1886
The murderer of Policeman Patrick Reddington at Shannon on May 14, died in Mt. Carroll Saturday afternoon from the effects of a terrible clubbing received on Thursday at the hands of Francis Moyer, an insane prisoner.
Moyer who was adjudged insane only a short time ago was handcuffed and occupying the jail temporarily until disposition could be made of his case. Taking the scriptures which says all murderers shall die as a guide, Moyer loosened his hands in some way and snatching a billet of wood pounced upon the murderer, Charles LaShelle beating him in a frightful manner. He broke LaShelle's arm in two places and pounded his head.
After the act Moyer seemed to think his action was in strict compliance with the teachings of the Bible and rejoiced that he was the instrument to carry it out.
There is little doubt that LaShelle in killing Reddington was guilty of an unprovoked murder; if justice were done after the pending trial, the county probably would have been put to the expense of executing him. As it is, a man dangerous to the welfare of society and a murderer, has been removed by an irresponsible agency and the county is spared the expense of a farcical trial which might by the introduction of quibbles and technicalities by shrewd lawyers, have turned loose a bloody-handed murderer to prey on law-abiding people.
In the eternal fitness of things, the speedy retribution that has overtaken LaShelle can be looked upon as in no wise calamitous or prejudicial to the county.
The Carroll County Heritage Pg 202 - News Article dated 28 August 1886
From Jennifer Race-Sanders -
The name of Charles and Emma's son was Harry
Jacob LaShell. Harry was born September 26, 1885 in Shannon and died
July
1975 in Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
(according to the Social
Security Death Index). Harry married Sophia Emma Smith in Wisconsin.
Charles was a very sickly man
and drank heavily to "cure" it. Patsy was one of his best friends
and he
claimed he did not mean to kill him just scare him.
Charles played guitar
and while in jail his wife brought it to him and he played for everyone.
They also allowed him to cut all of the inmates hair while in jail because
he was a barber by trade. The man who killed Charles, Frances Moyer, had
once cut up his father's horse into pieces.
