The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1874-11-10

"A OI4EN ASSAULT IN NEWARK ON a. j..
CoMSToCK-PUBLIC INDIGNATION.
The New York Tribune of the 1st inst.
contains the following statement concern
ing a most brutal assault near that city:
Anthony j. Comstock, an agent of the
vice, and also an agent OF the United States
government for preventing the transmission
of obscene matter through the mails, was
assaulted and dangerously wounded IN
Newark, n. j., on Saturday night, by
Charles Conroy, of No. BIS West Fourth
street, Brooklyn, E. D., wnom he had ar
rested on the charge of having
in his possession money let
tiers obtained fraudulently. Several
complaints had been made against Conrov.
who bad been operating in several places in
New Jersey, Staten Island and Long Island,
and these had been referred to Mr.. Com
stock tor investigation. He has been on the
track of Conroy for a long time, and finally
succeeded in tracing him to Newark, where
he arrested him On a definite charge; and
accompanied by Mr.. Hopwood, a clerk in
the poStofhce at Newark, took his prisoner
in a carriage to the Newark Jail.
Mr.. COmstock, on arriving at the
Jail, alighted and was stopping to open
the carriage door, when COnroy suddenly
drew a dirk with a blade about three inches
long and stabbed him in the head, inficting
a slight scalp wound. The blow was instantly
repeated, the dirk this time cutting a fear
full cash in Comstock's face, extending from
the temple to the chin, and laying the flesh
completely open to the bone. Four of the
facial arteries were severed. With
Comstock seized the prisoner, with
assistance from Mr.. Hopwood, and
presenting a revolver, threatened to shoot
him if he resisted. The guard soon came to
their assistance, and Conroy was locked up.
Mr.. Comstock's wound was then dressed,
I..N 90 l- wI-N H. - II
not stopped when he arrived at his resi-
dence in Brooklyn. His clothes were sat
urated with blood. He was at once at
tended by DIR. Hutchinson, who did
not succeed in stopping the flow of
blood until two hours after his ar
rival. Mr.. Comstock was doing very
we'll last night and DIR. Burlington said there
was no doubt about his recovery, the only
danger being from the possible setting in of
erysipelas. His wound is so severe that his
physicians will not permit him to converse,
and he can scarcely speak above a whisper.
He a v that Notwithstanding the provoca-
ton offered. he is glad that he did not shoot
Conroy. While Conroy was in the carriage
he tried to wheedle Mr.. Comstock into let
ting him of. He
KISSED MR.. coMsTocK's HANDS,
and resorted to the most abject fiattery to
secure that end. After the attack his con-
duct was changed, and he cursed and reviled
his captOr. Conroy is described as a large,
heavy man, with three fingers of one of his
hands amputated. He was committed by
United States Commissioner Whitehead, be-
fore the assault, to answer on Thursday. He
has been arrested before at the instance OF
Comstock. Tine latter has several times
been assaulted by those whose nefarious
business be has broken up. About a month
ago he was assaulted in City Hall
Square, but being a man of great strength
ho hod thu oAvonfona nf his occolianf ond
put him into the hands of the police. He
holds several charges against Conroy, for
the transmission of obscene literature, which
will be duly presented. Mr.. Hopwood will
prefer charges against Conroy to-day for
assault with intent to kill. The assault upon
Mr.. Comstock has aroused intense indigna-
ton among the Clinton Avenue Congrega-
tional Church of Brooklyn, of which be was
a member. The Rev. DIR. Burlington an
bounced the outrage from his pulpit yester-
day morning, and detailed the circum-
stances of il to the male members of the con-
gregation, who met in the lecture-room at
his request after the close OF the services.
DIR. Burlington spoke in terms of highest
praise of Mr.. Comstock's courage and sue
cess in his warfare on vile literature; and
was followed by Mr.. Henry W. Slocum,
who, in a short and vigorous speech, de-
picted the magnitude of the evil against
which Mr.. Comstock is ~contending, and the
duty of all decent men to sustain him. The
speaker had given hin a few paltry
dollars, but he needed more than
that-the moral support of every
right-meaning and righJ-thinking man in
the community, who would save his chill
dren and those of his %neighbors from poilU-
ton and destruction. After remarks by
other members of the congregation. a COM
consisting of the Rev. DR.. Buding-
ton, Gen. H.W. Slocom, and Messrs. Elwell.
Libby and Hall, was appointed to draft reso-
lutions expressing the sympathy of the
church and society with Mr.. Comstock, and
to devise means for increased and certain
financial support of the society of which Mr..
Comstock is the agent.