Peter H. Donnelly: Murdered? Or Suicide?

I was doing a blog post  on Mary (Moynahan) Parks (1833-1905) and I was distracted when I learned that her son-in-law Peter H. Donnelly died in the Railroad Exchange Hotel (demolished in the 1920s) in Salt Lake City in 1891.

Source: The Utah directory, for 1883-84 :
by J. C. Graham & Co; J.C. Graham & Company. (1883)

Here’s the thing: on ancestry.ca, Peter's death was recorded as “Murdered, in, hotel, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, USA” by someone who has done extensive research and with whom I have written to over the years. I trust her work!

Entry for Peter H. Donnelly on the Angus Aitcheson Family Tree

BUT, when I searched for Peter H. Donnelly's death/burial records, the Utah Death Register said that he committed suicide?

 Record Collection:  Utah, Salt Lake County Death Records, 1849-1949; Pg 24, Ln 974; Family Search

Confused and wanting to know the truth, I searched the newspapers and other records and I was surprised by what I found.

Peter H. Donnelly (1859-1891)

Peter H. Donnelly was born in Michigan son of Jerry and Mary Donnelly. He worked as a blacksmith and was described as " a big fellow and had a magnificent physique. He was at least six feet in height and was a well-formed and able bodied specimen of the genus homo."

He was known to have said, "Give me an apron and a hammer and I can easily make a living."

He had a brother, John Donnelly, in Dayton, Michigan that he sent packages to and there were letters found in his hotel room from his brother(-in-law) Neal in Fairplay, Colorado.

On the 4th of October 1886 he married Wilhelmina ("Willa") Parks (1863-1921) in Leadville, Colorado. Willa was the daughter of Mary J. (Moynahan) Parks

Source: Colorado, Roman Catholic Diocese of Colorado Springs Sacramental Records, 1800-1967 Author     Ancestry.com

On September 5, 1887 in  Aspen Pitkin, Colorado, Peter and Willa Donnelly had a baby girl Mary (1887-1961)

The Coroner's Inquest

Information collected at the inquest regarding P.H.'s business in Salt Lake City included the following:

• P.H. Donnelly had just arrived at the hotel eight days prior to his death
• Many reported that P.H. had been in the Salt Lake City since February
• Nine months prior to his death, P.H. Donnelly claimed to be worth $11,000 which he had somehow lost and he had been drinking for some time.
• He had a letter from the Studebaker Company at South Bend (originally a producer of wagons, buggies, carriages and harnesses before building cars) indicating that P.H. was their agent in Aspen Colorado for a time and was headed to Oregon 
• There was information that he was once employed in Stockton, California but he left there after losing two jobs
• P.H.'s wife Willa looked every day for a letter from her husband and was staying with a brother (in-law?) Neal with Baby Donnelly (who is "lovely and often talks of Papa")

Information collected at the inquest regarding P.H.s death include:

• The body was discovered at 5 o'clock by the porter
• The body was found "lying on the bed, the legs crossed and a pistol at the hips, four bullet holes in the center of the breast, a pool of blood..." a hat was placed over the pistol hand.
• The body had "a nice gold watch, a gold ring worth $10 and a charm"
• The body was taken to the undertaking rooms of S.D. Evans and Coroner Harris held an inquest
• P.H. had "shown a check for over $100 on Wednesday" but was only found with $21 in his pockets at the time of his death.

"Every Shot That He Fired Was a Fatal"

The fact that "Pete" shot himself four times in the heart then crossed his legs and rested his pistol hand beside his hip, placing his hat over the weapon makes this very difficult for me to believe.

I now understand why family would record P.H. Donnelly's death as "murder" and not suicide!. 

Read the two newspaper accounts below and decide for yourself.Let me know what YOU think in the comment section below.

Source: The Salt Lake Herald (Salt Lake City, Utah) · 24 May 1891, Sun · Page 8

Source: Salt Lake Tribune (Salt Lake City, Utah) · 24 May 1891, Sun · Page 6

Salt Lake City: R.R. Exchange Hotel: 

Whittemore Proprietor

Clipped from

The Salt Lake Tribune
Salt Lake City, Utah
10 Oct 1897, Sun  •  Page 5

Whatever Happened To 
Willa and Baby Donnelly?

If you are like me, you are curious and wondering what happened to Willa and baby Donnelly after this tragedy.

Willa (Parks) Donnelly married mine machinist William Angus in 1898 (Source: Year: 1900; Census Place: Leadville, Lake, Colorado; Page: 23; Enumeration District: 0047; FHL microfilm: 1240125 )

They lived in Leadville Colorado (Source: Census 1900 and 1910) until 1920 when they moved to Arizona

Willa passed away in 1921 and is buried at Sunnyside Cemetery Long Beach, Los Angeles County, California, USA (Plot Poinsettia, Section 169, Grave 5) Source: Find A Grave https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6889489

William passed away in 1928 and is buried Sunnyside Cemetery Long Beach, Los Angeles County, California, USA (Plot Poinsettia, Section 169, Grave 4) Source: Find A Grave https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6889490/william-angus

Sunnyside Cemetery Long Beach, Los Angeles County, California, USA; Source: Find A Grave https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6889489

Willa and William Angus had two more children

• Dorothy (b. January 1900, Colorado) who went o to work as a stenographer at a mining company (Source: Year: 1920; Census Place: Warren, Cochise, Arizona; Roll: T625_47; Page: 18B; Enumeration District: 37) Dorothy married Edward Burling Plumb and from this marriage two children were born (William Edward, Mary Kay)
• Benjamin Franklin (b. Feb 27, 1907, Colorado-1956) married Mabel Kathryn Kerr (1909-1972) in 1931. From this marriage, two children were born (Dorothy J., and William K.) and the family eventually moved to Texas

 Mary "Baby" Donnelly married Edward Norman Kavanagh (1883-1969) on July 2, 1910 in Denver Colorado and she died in 1961 and is buried in Greenwood Memorial Park San Diego, San Diego County, California, United States of America https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/186292156

Source: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/186292191/edward-n_-kavanagh