John McCarthy was about eighty years old, living on his several acres of land about 3/4 mile North of the City of Highwood, a bit East of Waukegan Road. He had been widowed about a year earlier, and lived in his 3-room cottage with a few dogs and cats, raising some cows and goats, and selling corn and other vegetables in town from time to time.

Shortly after dawn on Friday morning, May 27, 1882, one of Mr. McCarthy's neighbors noticed that the house had been burned to the ground. While calling out for McCarthy in the ruins, a human torso was discovered, believed to be all of the Earthly remains of Mr. McCarthy.

It was thought that McCarthy had, a few days earlier, sold some of his livestock, for possibly up to $180 cash. The supposed proceeds from the transaction were never found, and authorities believed that McCarthy was killed while being robbed, and the house was burned down around him to destroy evidence of the crime.

Rumor also had it that Mr. McCarthy was possibly hoarding a considerable amount of gold and other valuables, although those who knew him never saw any indication of it.

Murders so vile became infamous in a hurry, being just a mere seventeen years after the ending of The Civil War, or The War Between The States, or the Northern Invasion of The South, or whatever you choose to call it.

The notoriety of the incident is evident by the wide and numerous reports we have found of it in newspapers from coast to coast. For instance, from these samples:

The Bucks County Gazette, Bristol, Pennsylvania, Thursday June 1, 1882:
 

The Record Union, Sacramento, California, Saturday May 27, 1882:
 

And
The Los Angeles Herald, Los Angeles, California, Saturday May 27, 1882:
 

After a Coroner's Inquest was held in Waukegan, it was suggested that the City Marshall should look into arresting those nasty Sweeneys, and one of their friends, for this heinous act. We have not yet gotten to the point of finding the court adjudication of this crime, but when we come across it, we will be sure to let you know the outcome.

Probably the most complete description of the crime is the public record of reportage by a member of The Chicago Daily Tribune staff, who submitted this, published on Saturday, May 27, 1882. (This amount of detail most likely rivals the official police and fire reports of the time):