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The Grand River Times
Grand Haven, MI
21 January 1857

              AN ATROCIOUS MURDER
              
              The usual quiet of our village was seriously disturbed
            on New Year's evening, by the commission, in one of its
            public streets, of a murder of the darkest dye, and without
            a shadow of provocation on the part of the victim. The
            attending circumstances, as elicited before the Jury of
            Inquest, were substantially as follows:
              PATRICK CONNELL, a young man of some eighteen or twenty
            years, who has resided for some time in this vicinity, 
            visited our village on New Year's day, and in company with
            others drank freely of liquor; just at the edge of evening
            these devotees of Bacchus started for a stroll and soon
            found themselves in the vicinity of several of our Holland
            citizens, known as the "saw dust addition," where they met
            several Hollanders, one of them having an ax in his hand, he
            requested the owner to let him take it, this at first was
            refused; urging his request however under pretense of a 
            desire to try its edge, upon a slab of wood lying close by,
            his wish was granted, and seizing the ax he threw it at a
            distance, and squaring himself, challanged the Hollander to
            fight, and at the same time commenced beating him, without
            any serious resistance on the part of the Hollander; his
            companions, however soon succeeded in getting him away from
            his assailant and one conducted him into a house, close by,
            while the other stood on the outside. CONNELL, watching his
            opportunity, seized a piece of scantling, some six feet long,
            and struck the unfortunate man, named HIRAM JONKER, a vigorous
            blow upon the head, knocking him at once to the ground; and
            on his attempting to rise, hit him again, and continued to
            strike him across the back while down, until one of the inmates
            of the house rushed out and succeeding in wresting the scant-
            ling from him. The wounded man was taken to the house, and
            died in a short time.
              JONKER was a young man of very exemplary character, noted
            for his piety, as well as for his gentle and inoffensive
            dispostition, had been out of health for a length of time,
            and thus unable to act in self defence, and the only show
            of provocation offered to the ruthless assault was the
            assistance he had tried to render his companion, when com-
            pelled to resist a wanton attack from a drunken assailant.
            Great indignation justly prevails in the community toward
            the guilty party. The circumstances attending the case are
            of the most atrocious and agravated character, and doubt-
            less will call down upon the head of the murderer the
            severest penalty of the law.
              CONNELL as been arrested and committed to jail to 
            await his trial.
            
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