John_Francis_Mulvaney_murder_503-01_Clara__Mulvaney_Gaffey_first_husband_1929.htm

Tuesday October 13th, 2020 4:45 PM

Death of Clara Mulvaney Gaffey's first husband, Frank (John Francis) Mulvaney

Objective:

Relay the story of the murder of Grandma Clara Gaffey's first husband, John Francis Mulvaney
John Francis Mulvaney married Clara in 1924.
He was murdered in 1929 at informal gathering turned into a drunken brawl.
The circumstances were murky.
Their neighbor, Louis diNardo, was convicted of the murder.

Conclusion:

I found this newspaper reporting through fultonhistory.com as reported by the Camden Advance Journal March 14th, 1929

Excerpt from the article are shown below.
In the article John Francis Mulvaney was referred to as Frank Mulvaney
[ Frank Mulvaney was also Clara's first cousin, son of her father's brother, Patrick.]
According to witness statements, Frank was stabbed to death by their neighbor, Louis DiNardo
in a drunken brawl in DiNardo's home because the guests were upset DiNardo refused to serve more wine.
Several men, including Frank's uncle, Thomas Mulvaney, had gathered to drink at DiNardo's home after plowing snow.
- Dominick DiNardo
- John Francis Mulvaney aka Frank Mulvaney
- Thomas Mulvaney
- John Clark
- Earl Monroe
- Michael McCoy
Everyone participating became heavily intoxicated, some to the point of blackout with no recall.

Frank Mulvaney murder article
fultonhistory.com
Camden NY Advance 1929-1931 00002_1.pdf

John A Finch,Constable of FIorence, tells how he arresled DiNardo

I was at the farm of Dominick DiNardo between 3 and 4PM
o'clock Wednesday afternoon [6 March 1929] on a
calf buying trip. I saw John Clark
standing near a roadscraper in front
of the house and he told me of the
affair in the house.

I entered the kitchen and found DiNardo on his back near the stove.
He was either unconscious or intoxicated.
I carried him Into a bedroom and made him as comfortable as I could.
I did not know at the time that [Louis] Mulvaney was dead.
Joseph Robinson, a boy with me on my trip, helped me.

Thomas.Mulvaney was in an adjoining bedroom on the bed
He was not asleep, but said he was sick.
Back of the door in the bedroom where I found Mulvaney,
lying on a sack of sugar or salt ,
was a dark handled butcher knife with a stain on it.

I went to Florence and there was told that Louis Mulvaney was dead

With Edward Plumley I returned to the DiNardo house and
found DiNardo where I had placed him on the bed.

I told him he was under arrest and
tied his hands with strips of burlap.

"Before I tied him he wanted to
go to a bureau near the bed,
but I was afraid a knife or gun might be in the drawer.
I did find a razor In the drawer of the bureau.

As I was going out of the house with DiNardo,
Plumley yelled to me from inside the house and
showed me another knife he had found.
I told him to put It down and leave It for the state troopers

per Rome Daily Sentinel June 16, 1929

Francis Mulvaney was stabbed
with a large butcher knife in the
hands of DiNardo during the afternoon of March 6.
Mulvaney with his uncle. Thomas Mulvaney, John Carke. Earl Monroe and Michael Mulcoy.
They had been engaged in plowing snow-filled roads and
durng their work stopped at DiNardo's home.

DiNardo sold the men some wine in the DiNardo house.
Francis Mulvaney, according to testimony
brought ont at the Inquest held by Dr. H F. Hubbard, coroner,
started to scuffle with DiNardo, who kept backing away from him.
When Mulvaney had backed DiNardo back to the cupboard,
DiNardo reached berind him and picked up the knife,
running it into Mulvaney's abdomen.

Constable John A. Finch was driving by the DiNardo
home about that time and, when told of the stabbing by one of the
men, started for Florence with the injured man, [Louis Mulvaney]
who succumbed from the wound before reaching the village