The Murder of Patrick Mehigan 1853
- Helen Escott
- Aug 15
- 2 min read
There are some historical murders where the surviving records give us a complete story.
And then there are cases like Patrick Mehigan where an old newspaper gives us a glimpse into a brutal crime, but still leaves us wanting to know more.
It was a Thursday evening in December 1853, sometime between eight and nine o'clock, when a woman living near Queen Street in St. John's was startled by the sound of blows and screams coming from the street.
She rushed outside and found a man lying face down on the ground, bleeding badly from his head.
She recognized him immediately.
His name was Patrick Mehigan, a fisherman who had been boarding at her home and had left only about ten minutes earlier.
Standing just six or seven feet away was another man, Patrick Grace, a labourer. He was holding what witnesses described as either a poker or a stick.
The woman accused Grace of murdering Mehigan.
According to the newspaper account, Grace simply walked toward his own nearby house, saying, "Take that and be done ta ya."
Neighbours helped bring Mehigan inside, and medical assistance was called. But his injuries were too severe.
He remained alive, apparently in terrible pain and unable to speak, for almost a full day.
The following evening, Patrick Mehigan died.
Grace had already been taken into custody, and an inquest began.
But even then, the question of what exactly happened was not as simple as it might appear.
The jury initially returned a verdict saying that Mehigan had died from blows inflicted to his head by Patrick Grace. The coroner refused to accept that verdict, and the inquest was continued.
After reconsideration, the jury returned a more specific finding: Patrick Mehigan had died from heavy blows to his head, inflicted by Patrick Grace with some weapon made of wood or iron.
The coroner then issued a warrant for Grace's arrest on the charge of willful murder.
And that's where this story leaves us in the material we have today.
We know Patrick Mehigan died violently.
We know Patrick Grace was accused of killing him.
And we know an inquest wrestled with how that death should be officially described.
But there are still questions.
What caused the confrontation? What was the weapon? And what happened to Patrick Grace after the charge of willful murder?
That's what I love about historical crime.
Sometimes you're not simply telling an old story.
You're trying to find the story that history almost forgot.
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