The New York herald., 1874-11-05
THE POLITICAL HOMICIDE.
The Excitement which the McKenna
Murder Has Created.
A WARRANT FOR o'BRrEN.
The Coming Inquest-The Line
of Evidence.

OF GVl00OCe.
YIN political circles yesterday tns nam topic
or conversation was the Croker-O'Brien i'm
brs,glio IN the Tweuty-nrst ward. 1t even engaged
m0re attention than the result OF the election
itsslf especially In the ward where the two
mel. who are mainly mentioned as having parttc-
pat,d In the melee are so well known ana followed
by two distinct sets OF sdherents, who practice
ardent devotion TO their respective chiefs. Among
the O'Brten men the general feeling resolves
itsdn into rough abuse and profanity; while the
other party asserts itself In logical argument and
dem oustraton.
A. is usual In all anairs OF this kind, where two
polr;1cal factions engage in free hight, the real
trutp OF the AFFAIR In all its details win never
prol ably DO fully known. Even those most In.
tere stcd from being present can scarcely tell
succanct story, and dazen different people give
dssen different versions OF the fight. In all the
nat CONTRADICTIONS exaggerations and misstate-
mes IS which are being made 1t is excessively
hart to get at the exact facts But
amiist all this ialslhcation several things
arc patent-hrst, that O'Brlens men had been
committing numerous personal assaults and out
RACES In Second avenue, and that they did not
rtgl,tfully belong in the district; second that
Croker, In spite of grave personal abuse did not
strike the hrst blow; third, that, amid the con-
trstiictosy statements made BY oil parties ana the
numerous shots lred 1t is exceedingly doubtful
who fred the shot that killed McKenna.
III win be Of course the province OF the coroner's
jury 20 slit all the mass OF testimony that
vii be onered on the inquest.
AMONG THE o'BRIEHITEs
ybu cannot nnd an O'Brien man but that says
ne believes Croker fired q shot, aud that some
on OF the shots fired killed McKenna. Even those
~ Mnht hot
Cr sKer did It. and that the exSherin was entirely
iree OF all intention OF wrong. doing. They state
In substance that Croker went about with the pur
Dol 10 OF intimidating those who oppoAed him. while
OIL lrien was simply attending to his business as
CO nddate and took the part OF his friends when
he found them insulted BY the Tammany men |;
TIN 1t Croker then struck James o. Brien in the face
an the row began, and pistols were used freely
BY the Tammany men; but that, OF course, they
NJ ed none themselves They protest that none OF
the O'Brien men had pistols and would soorn to
AMONG THE CRoKERrrRs.
ON the other hand the Croker men, who were in
II melee, do not deuy pulling out revovers. They
simply say that they were four against fifty, and
a, ms against them they drew iortn their own, eS.
cs ptng Croker, VINO had none, and at each assault
Q! the crowd made them start back by presenting
sSs crowd - on H' .9s Sidewalk GcSenns seil
s1es % did not dare turn around from the genera.
who says that when mcKenna fell the dying mans
he did not know he was was shot I and only WIEN %
igoing away saw him give convulslve gasp. as n
saying. and noticed some blood tr1ckled over his
rHx STATION HOUSE SCENE.
over and McKenna, stin alive and unconscious,
had been carried TO Bellevue Hospital. croker and
ns friends ren1 70 me station house N TR,r'
Tor assault and battery. Sergeant Christie was at
the desk and heard Groker's complaint As this
friends and made complaint against Croker, OF
assault ana battery, SHOWING mis- mouth,
croker had given hIm in response to MS own TO
Croker. Sergeant Christie said that O'Brten was
complaint nrst. AS these iormalises were going
on craig an O'Brien man, came. rushing into the
Then, and not Till then. did o'Brien Change his
simple charge OF assault and battery TO that OF
never cssed IN nS
lile;'' but the charge was taken and Gro
ksr 70 1s aans. Hs saa
geant said, mo. murder Is worse than assault and
5attery.n Croker and his companions were
sent him by John Kelly, when he was brought up
stairs again and taken to the CAPTAINS room,
where he renamed IN consultation with his coun-
sci until Coroner woltman arrived.
WAS N'KENNA CONSCIOUS?
Second avenue, and win whom McKenna
boarded, gave currency on the day OF the snoot-
t. 20 e sas
Craig at nrst said that McKenna stated that
"elthsr Croker Or sheridan had shot him, ;,
nome nome but Craig saw aeKsuna in his state 0. n
SeIsn bed Statement mt IN n soRenns's MONTH HERALD
reporter asked two well known physicians yes:
T. as Ssa BEEN pnsea the bali had
the brain at the temple and traversed 1t
the as other s1 was uns eas
! until the moment he died: No man with ball In
his brain would be capable Of saying word Just
before death, but syncope would ensue immedl-
oisbelieved @ @ that McKenna had uttered the words
attributed TO him, and Deputy Coroners Marsh and
Macwhinnie were OF the same opinion.
WHAT CORONER woLrMAN SAYS.
/ Coroner Woltman spoke 10 the writer yesterday
as TO the abuse he had received for the action he
took IN relation to tue shooting OF McKenna. This
by Deputy Coroner Macw hinnie and man named
Campbell that there nad been eel riot IL tne Eign
GssoI od snd the ms1 Wa @
TnIrty-ntn street station house. de went there
and found ns man VINO HsS shot w was mot
mans n ante mortsm statement. but found he was
up in the street. lie was informed that the man
could not live, and he was unable TO get any
statement whatever from him.. as the doctors
there said he could not be revived. He went back
to the station house, and on questioning all the
parties about the ARRAY, the only positive state.
ment 10 could get was from q policeman who
said he saw the pistol with which McKenna was
shot In the hands Of young man named Max
well, who was shown to have been miles
away at the time OF the shooting O'Brten was
/ not present and made no statement to him. No.
body present accused Croker OF murder and he let
him ana the men that were with nlm 90 on bail,
alter consulting several awy ers and the statutes.
/ II he had thought either OF the men arrested had
committed the crime. he would not have released
them. But nobody was accused. In the evening,
when he learned that McKenna was dead, he
issued warrants and had the parties rearrested
and had the bail increased In each case, bot only
| to retain them as witnesses.