The Sun.
London, England, 1870-05-17 00:00:00

AMERICAN CORRESPONDENCE.

(From the Anglo-American Times)
NEW YORK, April 30.
David O'Day, saloon-keeper and political bully,
was murdered last Saturday night by some of his
d arest " pals." I suppose it was in a fit of
mau din affection that they inserted a knife be-
tween his ribs, and one of the endearing thrusts
was right through his heart. He was cut on a spree,
and a quarrel arose, but the saloon-keeper, know-
ing the class of men, ordered them out, and they
adjourned, wrangling, to 81, King-street, where the
bar-tender observed, as he went out for changa, that
O'Day had recommenced the old quarrel. Though
but a few minutes absent, he found the crowd on his
return hurrying out and O'Day lying on the floor
in a pool of blood gasping for breath ; but he was
dead before a surgeon could arrive. O'Day, an
Irislinian, about 30, had already wrecked a strong
constitution, the post-mortem examination showing
the seeds of consumption to have been so well
planted that a few years must havebrought his life
to a close. He was one of a desperate gang of
political bullies, who were found useful as " re-
peaters" and " shoulder-hitters" in elections, and
therefore enjoyed an immunity which has been
fatal to them. There were Larkin, O'Baldwin,
Collins, and O'Day, but two of them have been
killed, and one is now serving out his sentence in a
Massachusetts prison. Larkin was stabbed through
the heart in November, 1868, just as O'Day was
last Saturday. O'Baldwin is serving out his sentence
in the Massachusetts State Prison and Collins in
Sing Sing. Miss Hattie Johnson is in a hurry to
change her name, nor will those of our readers be
surprised who remember that this is the young lady
who brought the Rev. Horace Cook to grief as she
disappeared for a few days in company with that
excellent gedtletnau. But instead of being jolly
under creditable circumstances the school-girl, for
she is a mere child, was quite the reverse ; neither
was Mr. Cook jolly, so the two came back, the one
to the bosom of her family, and the other of the
church, precisely as they went, except in reputation.
Mr. Cook received the col 1 shoulder and resigned,
while the young lady, after doing a little more
crying, has now been joined in wedlock to a young
man, whose natne I will not tell you, for yoti will
tell the world, and the world is very uncharitable,
and this is the solution of that little affair. The
M'Farland trial is drawing to a close, that is, if we
can ever get to the end of the postponements and
adjournments. The public anticipated scandal, but
in this the trial is " a sell," and those, particularly
the ladies, who sat it out day after day, would, if
they told the truth, acknowledge the fact. But in
consequence of the failure of the defendant's coun-
sel, especially after his universally admitted brutal
assault on Mrs. Calhoun, to establish the wicked-
ness of the free lovers, as some of our most respect-
able citizens in connection with this affair have
been facetiously called, there has been a reaction
in public sentiment. Mrs. Calhoun has received
hundreds of letters expressing sympathy, and her
reception at the Academy of Design was enthusias-
tic. Mr. Charles S. Spencer, the offending lawyer,
wrote to the independent, declaring that his expres-
sions were uttered in the discharge of his duty as an
advocate, while as an individual he did not enter-
tain a doubt of the lady's purity of character. For
this many papers have pounced on him, and he
must now be well aware of the injury he has done
both to himself and his client. Some journals have
changed front, and altogether the howl against
Richardson and the unfortunate lady concerned
has now died away. Mr. Spencer has apologised to
Mr. Runkle for the manner he spoke of that gen-
tleman's wife. He was deluded by the testimony
principally of William Sigourney (of whom I have
something to saypresently),who came expresslyfrom
St. Alban's, Vermont, to testify against Richardson.
Horace Greeley has been placed on the stand, and
was cross-examined for two hours. The counsel en-
deavoured to inveigle him into the Astor house wed-
ding, but the Recorder ruled out the questions. The
counsel said he desired to show the blasphemous
language used by the witness both against the pri-
sdner and the Recorder, and that he belonged to a
party iMited in a common bond to exculpate them-
selves by implicating others. It appears an inter-
viewer had put words into Mr. Greeley's mouth
he denies having used. Mr. Greeley showed that
M'Farland had separated finally from his wife after
the first shooting, and had signified this to him
as wellas to others. That Mr. Greeley can use strong
language is well known, and he declares that " when
the trial is ended he will skin these d—d loafers
alive." He has commenced the process of skinning
on Mr. Spencer and the Times, and the old days of
Jefferson Brick have been revived. The Tribune
and the Times have precipitated themselves into the
gutters to scrape up all the dirt within reach to
throw at each other. Mr. Graham yesterday had
a lively tussle with Judge Davis and the Recorder,
a bad time between the two. Mr. Graham declared
that they were raking the kennels of New York for
evidence against M‘Farland, and he was in danger
if they could do this ; and Judge Davis retorted
that he had never been in a court of justice where
such insolence was tolerated to any counsel. In
the course of the wrangle Mr. Graham said he had
no fault to find with Mr. Spencer's opening, but
Judge Davis did not find fault "with its statements
of fact, but with its almost unparalleled statements
of falsehood." The Recorder adjourned the court
at 2 o'clock on account of the funeral of Judge
Russell till 11 a.m.on Monday. While the crowd was
dispersing, Mr. Graham remonstrated with Judge
Davison the delay of the prosecution to gather further
testimony. Judge Davis dropped a sarcastic word
now and then as lie gathered up his papers, which
irritated the already irritated Graham beyond endu-
rance. " God d—d you," cried Graham with.his
clenched fist stretched out ; " I won't be insulted
by you ! I can lick two of you I " while the astounded
Davis leant b tck, scarcely knowing-what to think of
this assault ; and all suddenly were arrested by the
scene. The Recorder rushed before Graham ask-
ing " What is all this ?" when the fist was shaken
in his face, and he was told that he had no right to
back Davis up. While being removed Mr. Graham
broke away from the officers, and running back,
shouted " Iwon't be insulted," when he was stopped
by his client, who calmed him by saying, " Hush
Mr. Graham, you owe something to me," and Judge
Davis left with the Recorder, though the furious
Graham kept howling out his denunciations. I
am sorry to say that the M'Farland affair has
brought more disrepute on press, bar, church, and
society generally than any other which has occurred
in New York, and our citizens are beginning to
blush at the very name. The belief is general that
M'Farland will be acquitted, as the strongest testi-
mony is borne to his insanity at the time, but public
feeling no longer runs with him. The Legislature
of New York has adjourned, and Governor Hoff-
man has vetoed all the bills proposing State aid to
railroads. Major Sigourney is reported to have com-
mitted suicide yesterday week in Bloomingdale-road,
and his body was taken to the house of a friend in
One Hundred and Tenth-street, where a private
inquest was held; the lamentable circumstance and
the destitute wife at St. Alban's (Vermont) being
all feelingly detailed in the papers. It is now as-
serted that the suicide was a scheme, and that his

literary repute was acquired by adopting as his
own poems extracted from English periodicals here
unknown, while even that ou which his reputation
mainly rests, "Beautiful Snow," was not written by
him. The death of ex-Judge Abraham D. Russell,
124, Second Avenue, took us by surprise, for he
was at the Italian Opera on Monday with his wife
and daughter, and smoked his cigar before going
to bed, where he was found dead. The Courts ad-
journed out of respect to his memory. Roe Lock-
wood, Esq., of the well-known publishing house in
Broadway, is also dead. Richard B. Connolly has
been re-appointed City Controller for the term
ending January 1, 1875. There was a strong
contest for the office, Police-Commissioner Bren-
nan being the foremost candidate. I learn that
tie coroner's inquest on O'Day, whose mur-
der I have already announced, returred a verdict
of "Justifiable homicide." Cooney, who acknow-
ledges the crime, and surrendered, says he was
attacked in the most persistent and brutal manner
by O'Day, who, in knocking him down, fell with
him on a clasped knife in Cooney's hand, whereby
his death was caused.