Murder of Mary Young

The Murder of Mary Young
The Revolting Crimes of a Lawrence County, Ohio Farmer

Brady Kerns First Seduces the Girl, And Then Poisons Her with Strychnine – Investigations of The Affair – The Murderer Disappears

Cincinnati Daily Gazette 20 Mar 1882
On Sunday evening 12th inst., Mary Jane Young, a young unmarried woman died under such suspicious circumstances at Greasy Ridge in Lawrence County, Ohio that mention was made of the circumstances in the Gazette’s dispatches from Ironton, Ohio.

The manner of her death indicated that she had been poisoned by strychnine. Coroner Ellison held a post-mortem and brought portions of the body to Cincinnati on Saturday last to have an analysis made by Professor Wayne. A Gazette reporter met Coroner Ellison Saturday and obtained from him an account of the affair, full particulars of which have never yet been given to the public.

It seems that Brady Kearns, the owner of a large farm in the northeastern part of Lawrence County, near the Gallia County line, has been quite a gay deceiver in his neighborhood, and she became a mother. She sued him for bastardy and obtained a judgment for $100. He, to avoid paying the money, married the girl, since which time they have been living together, apparently happy, with the exception of one period, some seven months ago.

Previous to that time he began paying clandestine attention to Mary J. Young, the daughter of a farmer living near, and she, too, because of the mother of an illegitimate child. This second crime was hushed up and compromised for the sum of $100, by Kearns going to a willing Magistrate in the neighborhood, who visited the girl and told her that Kearns being a married man that could do nothing with him.

She, in her ignorance, believed what the Magistrate said, and accepted the compromise. Since that time, Kearns has been meeting the girl clandestinely and paying her some money in small sums and also offering her father a portion of his land to cultivate.

All had gone along swimmingly until some six weeks ago when he remarked to a hired man of his that if he could do so without being found out, he would shoot Mary Young, as he was getting tired of her. Shortly after this he went to Crown City, Ohio, a few miles distant, and bought from a druggist named Maupin some strychnine. After he came back he asked the same hired man above how much strychnine it would take to kill a person, but got no satisfactory reply.

On Sunday, the 11th inst., there was a funeral at Lawrence Chapel, which is about halfway between Kearns’ house and that of the Youngs. Kearns attended the funeral, and while there gave a note to a small boy to be delivered to Mary Young. The boy, not wanting to go to Young’s house, gave the note to a young brother of Mary, who delivered it to his sister. The note read as follows:

Meet me late this evening where we met last. B.R.K.
To M.J.Y.

Mary was unable to read the note, and her younger sister read it for her. In the evening Mary and this same sister left home, saying they were going to a neighbor’s and she would go our the road and meet Brady.

This sister was to wait until she came back. Mary was gone about an hour, and when she came back said to her sister and one of the neighbor’s girls that Brady had given her a dime to buy some cordial.

The two went to bed shortly after her arrival. She had been in bed but a few minutes when her mother heard her struggling and trying to cry out. She went to her and found her in a spasm. She was taken from bed and laid on a quilt before the fire and when she recovered from the spasm said, “Brady Kearns is the cause of all this. He gave me some medicine.”

She has several spasms, and on recovering from each one repeated the same sentence. She died half an hour from the time she went to bed. Drs. Robinson, Stone, and Magee were sent for and made a post-mortem examination of the body, and forwarded the stomach and brain to Coroner Ellison at Ironton. The Coroner immediately went to Greasy Ridge, had the body exhumed, and held an inquest, at which the above facts were brought out.

On the way back he became bewildered in the hills, not knowing which was the right road to Ironton, and meeting a man on horseback, inquired the way. As they rode along together the Coroner learned that the stranger’s name was Maupin and that he kept a drug store at Crown City. He then told the man that he was Coroner of Lawrence County, Ohio, and asked him if he had sold Brady Kearns strychnine a few weeks previous. The man denied it at first but finally admitted that he had, thus confirming the testimony that Kears had bought the poison. Coroner Ellison at the inquest had taken out of the body of the dead girl such portions of the digestive organs as would be likely to show traces of poison. These were placed in jars and sealed in the presence of the physicians so that there could be no possible mistake and brought to Cincinnati to be analyzed.

The morning after the girl’s death, Kearns left, and could not be found. A warrant was issued for his arrest and placed in the hands of a Constable, who is searching for him.

Lawrence County, Ohio, has always been noted for the rarity of great crimes within its borders, but within the last few months there have been committed some of the most diabolical deeds known to criminal annuals, and this one adds another to the already bloody record and furnishes another fit subject for the hangman’s rope. If the wishes of the farming community are realized, this criminal will meet the fate that Wagoner did for the murder of Joseph Bogg, who fell a victim of Judge Lynch’s court.

One More Unfortunate
Newark Advocate, Newark, Ohio 13 Dec 1882, page one

Ironton, Ohio, Dec. 12 – The defense in the Brady Kearns case has abandoned all efforts to throw a doubt upon the fact that Mary Jane Young died of strychnine poisoning.

The proof of this is too overwhelming and conclusive. They are now trying to establish the theory of suicide, and have produced one or two witnesses who claim that she told them some four or five months before her death that she was in trouble with Brady Kearns, and that she had a notion to kill herself.

An effort is to be made to impeach the testimony of the Young family as to the dying declarations of Mary Jane. It seems that the defense has very little to work on, but the attorney will make as strong a fight as possible.

Strychnine Killed Mary Jane Young
Cincinnati Daily Gazette, 5 April 1882, page 6

Ironton, Ohio, April 4 – Coroner Ellison has received a dispatch from Prof. E.S. Wayne, of Cincinnati, to whom was entrusted the analysis of parts of the body of Mary Jane Young, who was supposed to have been poisoned by Brady Kearns, on Greasy Ridge, Lawrence County, Ohio, an account of whose death appeared in the Gazette at that time, in which he said he had found strychnine in the parts. The Coroner rendered his verdict in accordance with that fact.

Brady Kearns Trial
Strong Evidence That He Is Guilty of the Death of Mary Jane Young

Cincinnati Daily Gazette, 9 Dec 1882, page 4
Special Dispatch to the Cincinnati Gazette

Ironton, Ohio, Dec. 8 – In the trial of Brady Kearns for the murder of Mary Jane Young, the State has established the fact that she died of strychnine poisoning.

It has also proved that shortly before her death, Kearns purchased some strychnine at Crown City, Ohio, that he told John Neal that he would get rid of the d–d b–h if strychnine would do it. That he asked George Emory how much strychnine it would take to kill a person. That he and his wife quarreled about Mary Jane, and that he told others he must get rid of Mary Jane.

It is also proven that Andrew Estep carried notes between Brady and Mary Jane, and that he delivered one to Mary Jane the day of her death, asking him to meet her that evening at the place where she met him last, and that Brady made a pretext of going out that evening to get a saw which he said he had left at Lawrence Chapel, and that he afterward admitted to friends that he met Mary Jane on the evening she died.

Mary Jane’s dying statement that Brady Kearns was the cause of her trouble; that he had given her something which tasted very bitter, and that she wanted to vomit, but could not, was admitted after a hard fight against it by the defense.

It was proved that Mary Jane knew she was dying and had sent for two neighbors to pray with her when she made the statement. The chain of circumstantial evidence against Kearns seems complete, not a link is missing; and when it is remembered how mysteriously he absented himself as soon as a legal investigation of the cause of Mary Jane Young’s death was instituted, the case seems sure, but his attorney’s and friends seem confident, and the developments on their side of the case are awaited with interest. The evidence rested its case tonight.

The Ironton Poisoning Case
Cincinnati Daily Gazette, 12 Dec 1882, page 2

Ironton, Ohio, Dec. 11 – The evidence is all in the Brady Kearns murder case. Kearns himself was placed upon the stand today and admitted meeting Mary Jane Young the night she died.

He also admitted having bought strychnine, as testified but denied having given any of it to her. Major Cherrington opened the argument before the jury this evening with an able and powerful speech on behalf of the State.

The Jury Finds Kearns, The Ironton Poisoner, Not Guilty
Cincinnati Daily Gazette, 15 Dec 1882, page 3

Ironton, Ohio, Dec. 14 – After twenty-one hours of deliberation the jury in the Brady Kearns case came in this morning with a verdict that created universal astonishment. There had been a little apprehension that some of Kearns old acquaintances who had been placed on the jury would prevent his conviction, and a hung jury would have been no surprise, but when the foreman announced their verdict of ‘not guilty,’ it was like a thunderclap from a clear sky.

The evidence had been so strong against him, and his defense so weak, that the people are disposed to criticize the verdict severely, especially as this is the third poisoner who has escaped through the “reasonable doubt” dodge within a few years in this county.