Litchfield enquirer., 1874-11-12
An attempt to kill A. ;. comstook.

An attempt to kill A. j. Comstock.
 A dastardly attempt to murder Mir. An thony J. Comstock was made in Newark, on the 31, ult.. of which the Tribune gives the following account:--,, ,..., o..,
 Anthony J. Comstock, an agent of the New York Society for the suppression of vice, and also an agent of the United States Government for greventing the transmission of obscene matter through the malls, was assaulted and dangerous ly wounded in Newark, N. J., on Satur- day night, by Charles 'Conroy, of No. SIS west fourth-st.. Brooklyn, E.: D., whom he had arrested on the charge of having in his possession money letters obtained fraudulently. Several complaints have been made against Conroy, who had been operating in several places in New Jersey, Staten Island, and Long Island, and these had been referred to Mir. Comstock for investigation. He has been on the track of Conroy for long time, and finally succeeded in tracing him to Newark, where he arrested him on definite charge; and accompanied by MT. Hopwood, clerk in the Post Office at Newark, took his pris- oner in a carriage to the Newark Jail. Mir. Comstock, on arriving at the jail, alighted and was stepping to open the carriage door, when Conroy suddenly drew dirk with blade about three inches long and stabbed him in the head, lntilcting a slight scalp wound. The blow was instantly repeated, the dirk this time cutting fearful gash in Comstock's s face, extending from the temple to the chin, and laying the flesh completely open &o kha oR 3a Il .I~..s were severed. With the blood squirting prisoner, with assistance from MT. Hop- ed to shoot him if he resisted. The guard was locked up. MT. Comstock's s wound was then dressed, but so bunglingly that the flow of blood had not stopped when he arrived at. his residence in Brooklyn. His clothes were saturated with blood. He was at once attended by Dr. Hutchin- son. who did not succeed in stopping the flow of blood until two hours after his ar- rival. MT. Comstoek was doing very we'll last night and Dr. Buddington said there was no doubt about his recovery, the on- ly danger being from the possible setting in of erysipelas. His wound is so severe
 
 cofverse, and he can scarcely speak above whisper. He says that notwithstanding the provOcatlon, he IS glad that he did not shoot Conroy.
 While Conroy was in the carriage he tried to wheedle Mir. Comstock into let ting him off. He kissed MT. Comstocks hands and resorted to the most abiect hattery to secure that end. After the at foOE hi l~o cursed and reyiled his captor. Conroy is described as large, heavy man, with three fingers of one of his hands amputat- ed. He was committed by United States Commissioner Whitehead before the as- sault to answer on Thursday. He has been arrested before at the instance of Mir. Comstock. The latter has several times been assaulted by those whose ne- furious business he has broken up About q month ago he was assaulted in City Hal square, but being man of great strength he had the advantage of his as- saiiaut and put him into the hands of the police He holds several charges against ConrOy for the transmission of obscene l1taraknreys swl1iefs fIasffnly peaasnted 4Mr. Hopwood will prefer charges against Con . roy to-day for assault with intent to kin Z
 The assault upon MT. Comstock has aroused intense indignation among the Clinton Avenue Congregational Church of Brooklyn, of which he was member. The Rev. Dr. Burlington announced the outrage from his pulpit yesterday morn ing, and detailed the circumstances of it to the male members of the congregation, who met in the lecture-room at his re- quest after the close of the service. Dr. Burlington spoke in terms of highest praise of MT. Comstock's courage and success in his warfare on vile literature: and was followed by Mir. Henry W. Slo- cum, who, in short and vigorous speech depicted the magnitude of the evil against which MT. Comstock Is canseading, and the duty of all the decent men to sustain him. The speaker had given him few paItry dollars, but he needed more than that-the moral support of every right meaning and right-thinking man in the community, who would save his children and those of his neighbors fHom pollution and destruction. After remarks by other members of tho congregation, commit tee, consisting of the Rev. Dr. Burlington, Gen. Ii. ". Slocum, and Messrs. Elwel, Libby. and Hall, were appointed to draft resolutions expressing the sympathy of tie church and society with Mr. Com stock, aud to devise means for increased and certain financial support of the socie- ty of which Mir. Comstock is the agent.