Murder Case
Hannegan was an alcoholic from a young age. On the night of May 6, 1852 his brother-in-law, Captain John R. Duncan, who had served honorably in the Mexican-American War and with whom he and his wife lived with, confronted Hannegan about his heavy drinking out of concern for Hannegan's political future. Hannegan's wife took him by the arm and attempted to take him upstairs away from the argument. Hannegan grabbed a nearby cane dagger and mortally wounded Duncan by stabbing him in the neck to the hilt of the dagger. Duncan died the following day, declaring that no blame should be placed on Hannegan.
Hannegan was arrested and charged with manslaughter. At the time, Lew Wallace was the prosecuting attorney for Covington; he was also a close friend of Hannegan. Because Wallace's prosecution was so weak and Hannegan was permitted to present his case (an unusual practice), the grand jury refused to indict Hannegan. Wallace was heavily criticized by the community for his prosecution and forced to resign and move to Crawfordsville. Daniel W. Voorhees was then appointed to replace Wallace. Despite the evidence, Voorhees decided not present the case to the grand jury, and he too was forced to leave Covington. The case was dismissed by Judge Isaac Naylor, September 18, 1852.
Read more about this topic: Edward A. Hannegan
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