The New York herald., 1874-02-24
THE DETECTIVES TRAGEDY.
The Search for "Dutch'' Hartmann
and What Came of 1t.
How Innocent Michael Mcnamara Received
His Death Wound-What the Officers Say
in Extenuation Of the Outrsge-Super-
intsndent Matselrs Tea of the Case

In all human probability before this statement
reaches the public Michael J. Mcnamara, the poor
iaoorer and innocent man, shot in his own room
a' No $50 west Twenty ninth street, by Patrick j.
Leahy' detective from Police headquarters, will be
ue"o Al iour O'Clock yesterday afternoon he was
Vihe III ward ten Of Bellevue Hospital surrounded
oy us tidy appearing vile and one or two
VINO looked with fearful eyes upon
ano asohies Of the dying man. On the
"oo' oesue the cot his little infant
o"i'' was paying Knowing but little OF the
i'Ss "nio" the mother ana wife would soon ex-
perience. Near the sOrrowing relatives were Dr.
Booth. OF the hospital IN earnest consultation win
Coroner Wotman anu Dr. Shine II spoken IN
Mcnamara would answer, but the effort was main.
iul. his respiration being hurried and gasnnv
HE VIII not iive four houts,n SAID the doctors
"Hls wound Is fatal, the pistol bail entering the
abdomen half an inch above the navel; peritonitis
has been developed and We think he il bleedny
internally" And, indeed, death seemed alrsaav
to have settled upon his face, and every one who
knew how the poor fellow came to his fatal wound
TURNED AWAY IN SORROW.
Mcnamara is slight built man, not over 40
pounds In weight, and has the countenance of q
hardworking honest fellow.
The excitement consequent upon the condition
OF the sufferer on Sunday and yesterday pro
where the shooting occurred, and even extended
to other portions of the city. Along Twenty-nintn
street and Tenth avenue, where Mcnamara Is
known, the brutal element was at once developed,
and Captain McElwain, of that precinct, was COM
peled to strengthen the post, and ordered patrol-
men 10 go In company on the "beat" wnere the
house is located. Vile epithets were INDUCED In
by men, women and children on Sunday evening,
and no one knew to what extent the evaporation
OF the ruffianly crowd might ASSUME.
The friends OF the dying man. one and all, pro-
nounce the shooting as an unwarrantable out
rage, and even denOunce the as being intOx-
cated at the time OF the They say that
McNamara's statement is correct in every particu-
lar and that the detectives smashed in the panel of
the door OF his room, and, thinking them burglars,
Mcnamara attempted to defend himself with q
shovel, when through the broken door they shot him.
Mrs. Mcnamara and May Murphy, young woman
living with her, corroborate this statement and
are certain that the fatal bullet fired through
the door, and they were afraid that some drunken
thieves from the neighDOrhO0d were about to
ROB AND OUTRAGE THEM
On the other hand, will be observed by the
statements given below, the detectives positively
assert that they were hunting TOR the notorious
"Dutchn Hartmann, suspected OF tue murder OF the
watchman schweich, at tn the Hudson River Rail
dence, and suspectlng that he was secreted there,
had right to proceed IS they did. They aver that
they were officers, and when they encountered re-
slstance had the right to suspect they were on the
tain the door was partly open when the fatal shot
was fired, in direct contradiction to the statement
OF Mrs. Mcnamara and others in this particular.
superintendent MatSeH thinks the officers were
careless and hasty, and that Leahy should have
never been entrusted with pistol A club was
good enough for such o nervous man. The state
fOllOws-
THE DETECTIVES STATEMENT.
tell wae In Dok q nj d-Si Of
myself Leahy, Won Ger,chten, Mullen, wolsey and VIII
sna to nI
an aas Dutch & e. there was as evidence that he s
Hudson River Railroad depot since Captain
n1SaS I%snsy 2
mistress " We also Knew that :aid had been made on
the place since ths murder for h,s sap.sTs
rng four shots q, them Gonhdsaaa Imagination Or was
Dutch" he went down TO Twentysixth street and.
taking
returned house slept there the balance Of
nsht s n sS Sos a
me ahSs e. M s eshsa
ns 5s Susn & w N
At the OET ns as on
@ and ss
s %Ssn s Ss
parolman on that post had lust advised him tha iSu.
young men nau come up 10 inc mouse AHu MklnR tn6t
ercunstanes in cSnnecnon with others we determined
The scutte was attended TO- SO that nobody could
descended he s
nd @ One 1s the snd Of s and
telling the parties inside thst we were % officers were
ourselves went into the hallway the saying
e n m @ we s frssd Sqesp IN
entered had o occupants; as we G found ADoshsI a9os
our Summons We then got to the third foor and aer
going to the 'front.' rooms Gndlns nothing. s the par
ass ssssss W.
snse oa n n
the knob nd ont the door was iSsksd AZ shs same
ndns thai the parties ;. inside mould not
al the
against Ii from the inside. thought or the moment we
stood aS GS McHamarS OS With '' '0'' A "s''
seized with both hands and upsed his head in
the act Of striking me leaned back and got on the
Asaa eiied are socers at thus
% the an soSh ns Il Was Oa S
and thinking he was trying 10 k ne, and showing his
through the partly opea door which srass MSSsnsTs
the 1s se~ a'ts%sn .sssS taa hip
who had hi; pistol ready for uss A.s1 the
s Words had ns arsa
9s sHs TO ws se % ss S.
done searched another small room on the third floor
Us until her would
the in when she opened It, but would not be-
leve we had any authority there She called Us
HARD NAMES
she could but Mt last IN when Williamson held his
shield up to her We expedited everything as well
rs possible at that early hour of the morning." =.
We'll, Mr.. Reilly are when you went 10 NC
Namaras door that you KNOCKED and told them inside
that you were officers 7"
Yes sir; Knocked and yelled out' A.
Are that when Lahey Ared the shot that the
door was open w
The door was half OPEN" ~
Didn't he fire through the bursted panel "
NO SIR"
DO you consider that you had right to smash open
morning under the circumsancesY"
Most decidedly"
without u warrant"
"Yes"
WHAT SUPERINTENDENT AATsELL THINKs.
During the afternoon superintendent Matscn was
called upou relation to the unfortunate occurrence,
and when asked what he knew OF 1t sam:-i know b9k
little about ~ the terrible condition of President Smith,
Police Commissioner excited me that not
given II much attention has been reported to me,
6owevcr and I think IL an accidental occur
renee and not felcnious assault The man
they went affer Is devil in human form. and
would not stop at anything. When such men
are being hunted for have always told the officers TO
hunch ueiph hor hood