The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-10-05
MURDER.

upon the stand Professor Doremus and the late SUR
geon General OF the United States Army.
a'a. ,e a4 MURDER. %s'f@ aa
t63M >~~~~~~~~>~~~~~~>o~>o~>~- FL tsss &4
A Visit to tho Tombs-What Those Who Are
Accused OF Murder Have TO Say. af,
Murder p Years ago It would have shudered o
whole community to hear IL announced that fellow
being was violently brought to his life's end. But
We are progressing Nowadays II anybody is killed,
II IL read in the HERALD, and after the Coroner's
inquest is held and its results published no cares
for It nor for the persons accused. Few charged
with murder are ever tried and fewer still are con-
victed. Whether the objection to capital punish
ment, now spreading among the people OF this coun-
try had anything to do with 1t, or whether
1t was the philanthropio idea that punish
ment should be commensurate to the crime,
either one Of these has votaries enough
to make up jury Of the Coroner and the verdict In
many cases will be in favor Of the living and against
the dead. 'sThe dead can tell tales" is an adage
as old as language, and II those who have been put
to death in the prime of life by the violence OF others
could speak many unjust accusations would be dis
persed and many unjust charges would be dis
proved.
visit to the Tombs will disclose 1t. Only ten per-
sons are now in the Tombs charged with mortal Of
fences, and among them are two females and all Of
them are comfortably housed. Some may object to
the word comfortable" since they are in prison,
but our own eyesght confirms us in the belief that
more than ten thousand honest people OF this city
live In less comfortable quarters and have less to eat
Saturday afternoon, Tor instance whole kettleful
OF broth was taken back again to the kitchen, and
the .has ce rom eh es 'dsse OF s
been used. Yet, to be behind lock and
bars, to be confined within the small
una nf rQl1 tn ha fad liLa q Of ofiru
times, to have nobody to converse with, to hear
only the cangor Of the keys when one or the other
habitatl0n-all this is bad enough, and it should
should inspire men with the desire to alleviate the
sn1erlngs OF the unfortunate and to lessen the
chances OF all to come within such unwelcome walls.
III the society styling itself the Prison Association
will pay but little attention to the field for which 1t
many errors abolished. -"
TO give example to this association, 1t is only
necessary to mention the name OF Macmillan
Mueller, who has been in prison since the 10Th OF
December, 1867, or very nearly ten months. He is
nue. between Thirty and Tnirtytnird streets,
IN which ne Kept store and that boy Of tender
mansiaugster or as the books Of The TomSs viii have
IL, homicide. This Mr. Mueller appears to be
young man OF some intelligence; he Is native o.
Ettenhelm In the grand duchy OF Baden and de-
cares that he knows nothing at all either about the
fire or about the death Of the young man. But
since December last there might have been sufficient
time to put the case on trial, and why 1t was not
done the officers In charge OF this business may
There is John p. Bendon, who is charged with
killing another Irishman named Patrick Eagan.
Whether the charge be true or not whether the pro-
secution have witnesses to prove every count in the
Indictment 1t is certainly wrong that since the 2Sth
May this man should be kept In close confinement,
and although he was ready for trial no trial could
be had The authorities should look into matters Of
this kind, for II a man is guilty he should be
Thomas Johnson is one OF the ..cullodn persua-
sion and he Is charged that on the l4th day Of last
July, he killed Ellen May. He is only twentyfour
NJ and I'M
disposition. AS the ARRAY happened on the side
walk, and as Thomas himself admits that he was q
that he may get lawyers TO urge this point in his
defence.
But speaking Of the inmates of the Tombs charged
with murder, II Is but proper to be more particular
There Denati Megaldi, an Italian, native Of Ma
pes only twenty-three years old, and only nine
John Ryland on the 9Th OF July last. Spoken to IN
TIA ian, he would fegn not to understand in French
nor IN English would he answer; but his eyes shone
bright glare through the bars OF his CELL No. 81
that the visitor may believe himself happy TO be be-
yond his reach. The description Of a "bravon by
Dickens u not full portrait OF the original
In cell No. 90 there Is Patrick Nicholson, charged
with killing his wife Theresa on the goth OF June
last. Patrick ID quite handsome young man, and
In appearance rs peaceabe q person as can be
found; but the fact that he shot his wife he admits
and in excavation or exculpation OF the act he
that fact so worked upon his feelings that he lost
his own senses and fired the pistol. He says that II
happiness he would be sure OF an acauitta rs Gene
raj Sickes was. But unfortunately he killed his
wife, while her seducer escaped. Yet he hoped q
John Real Is confined In cell No. 40. He almost
looks the gentleman and does not deny that he fired
have had any Intention Of killing him. the facts Of
the death Of thus policeman should be fresh In the
memory Of the reader How the officer was
several occasions at the ocer and how at last the
oricer was hit and mortally wounded all these facts
the reader knows. Yet the young man, native Of
New York and probably pupil OF Mackerelyille,
takes cooy, and he told our reporter that he had
no hopes Of getting Ing gu, Of the prison except on an
John Seibert occupies cell No. SO as his apartment.
He IL charged with causing the death OF Jacob Stell
and Q, on the 18th OF August last. lie Ia q German
and he does not seem to know much about the dread
full affair He does claim that he was too drunk on
that fearful evening TO know anything, and that 1t
having been general the fatal blow was struck
BY some one whom he does not know.
There Ii q woman confined at the Tombs named
Margaret Walsh, who IL indicted for killing man by
the name Of Robert s. McChesney she has been
tried once and sentenced to the state Prison but her
lawyers secured an annulment OF her former SEN
tence and the grant OF anew trial. Since June "a Of
this year she Is again ut the Tombs awaiting that
new trial. but by the advice OF counsel refuses TO see
anybody Not even her own confessor, she belong
ing 70 the Catholic Church, could get any Interview
with her she declining to converse even with the
For the murder OF Jacob Pfeirie which took place
on the 1sth Of June last on Fifty second street. be-
held one, the wife OF the deceased a. principal and
the other George Renhardt, accessory before the
fact. They are both Germans from the Kingdom Of
wurtemberg, and while Reinhardt In rather reti.
cent 10 his knowledge Of the occurrence except in
far 10 say that he knows who struck the fatal
blow, Mrs. Gertrude Pfefie, the widow Of
the murdered man, makes no disclaimer
In saying that abe knows VINO killed
him. she had o somewhat prolonged interview with
our reporter, and she told him many things which,
II they could be established the trial by indubt
table testimony could convince every juror that she Is
not guilty, nor that Reinhardt was of the murder
charged against them. But then, there ID the testt
mony, and whether that can be obtained Ii another
question Before the Coroner IL proved that she
struck him with an axe while she st0utIy mainta rs
that TO have been mistake on the part OF the wit
ness AZ che never did use an axe against her hus
band, but only a billet Of wood, from the blow Of
which ne had perfectly recovered she says, until
another man, living In the house. came 20 their
rooms and struck her husband again. knocking him
down. The public trial Will probably disclose the
true facts IN the case.
In recaptulallon IL may be stated that for homi-
eide there are now ten persons held in custody at
the Tnnuhs awaiting their trial all Of whom claim