The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-11-14
THE COMMITTEE ON CRIME.
THE PRNITENTrARY-PoLIcE NEGLIGENCE
AND BDEcHITY- DEALING WITH THE RYAN

THE PENITENTrARY-PoLIcE NEGLIGENCE
AND BfBEcHITY-DEALING WITH THE RYAN
MURDERS IN BRooME STREET
The Committee on Crime resumed its session yester
day morning at the City Hail. Mr.. Campbell presiding.
Tho session very long and vast amount Of test
mony, much OF il trivial, was taken.
Warden Fox OF the Blackwell's Island Penitentary,
testified that four prisoners, duly sentenced since
February, ls74-George schlnger Charles II. Clark,
Margaret Engevert and Ellen Cuter-neyer reached
that breezy abode
Ex.Excse Commissioner Nachtman gave some
voluminous but extremely embarrassing testimony IN
regard the management Of affairs while he was Com
missioner He gave 1t his opinion that the stringent
enforcement OF the Sunday law would not lessen
crime In 1867 when II was enforced there was more
drunkenness than now. A great deal OF time was
wasted IN his examination.
Mr. james D. Freeman, chief clerk under the old
Excise Board and assistant clerk under the present
rsgme testified the practice Of taking nsalments
on license fees and giving receipts therefor From his
testimony it becomes apparent why many places Of
bad repute flourish under the or the excise au-
thorities II appears that keeper Of a house of
il-repute applies for license and pays, say $50, on
account The license is refused, but the $50 is not
returned
he CONTINUES BUSINESS USMolEsTED,
while the full fee would probably have been $3.50
Mr. Salisbury one Of Mr.. Townsend's clerks, sub
mtted list OF sixty -four fines RENTED since January
1873 and another list of thirty fines in regard which
ii did not appear from the books Of the Special Ses
sons whether they had been paid or remtted out Of
26O sent to the General Sessions from the Special
Sessions action taken in ILL., and no indictments
procured These lists submitted to be embodied
in the record of the committees proceedings
AFTER REcEsa
very we'll known conference.-the. Thompson, OF Boston,
and Mr.. Griswod-had mysteriousy disappeared in this
city. He said in Philadelphia tremendous fuss was
made over the loss of child, while here no strong
effort made to trace the whereabouts Of man like
Mr. Grswold one Of the most respected citizens ofNew
York With the permission OF the committee he would
again enter upon the investigation OF the police force
show the causes of It's inehcency Before resuming
this branch OF inquiry, however Mr. Jones, Assistant
Clerk OF the Special Sessions, was recalled lie stated
that since January 1873, 692 fines were imposed in
three thousand eight hundred and sxty-three dollars
accrued TO the treasury from these fines The men
who did not reach the Penitentiary were duly SEN
fenced.
Nr Townsend submitted the papers in the case Of
Joseph Burr arrested and indicted for "backng" lot
terry policy books This a felony, but the District
Attorney the papers back 10 the Special Sessions
TO rEY THE CASE As A MIsDExEANoR,
whereby Burr got or with $500 fine instead OF being
sent to State Prison. which might have been If tried
on an indictment for felony Mr. Jones simply looked
at the papers and acknowledged that such was the
In the case of Michel Murray, who pleaded guilty of
a felony-namey, of keeping gambling saloon-Mr.
Townsend showed that he was only fined $780, which
fine paid
officer shcard, who was first called in at the dis
covery Of the Ryan murders IN Broome street. in jan
uary, 1874 described the appearance Of the victims,
Ryan and his sister, the bloody marks. &C. at great
length but giving no new facts not repeatedly
reported in the HBRALD with regard TO that
mysterious tragedy. The evident drift of
Mr. Townsends questions was TO prove by the
bloody marks the roof the robbery OF Ryan's
watch the failure Of the police finding any nstru
beyond small penknife, with which the victims
could not possibly have butchered themselves In the
they were buichered that this was not case
OF suicide, but Of murder, and that the police only
palmed it of suicide because they were too grossly
Incapable or TOO Negligent to establish the proofs OF
murder. The officer testimony also showed that the
body Of Ryan removed by order Of the police, In
direct violation Of the law, which says that no body
Coroner had viewed IT, damning admission of this
witness was that the rooms OF the Burke family, who
lived on the same floor and whose conduct appeared
to be somewhat suspicious
WERE SEARCHED by HIM
Officer Wilson, who into the house with the
preceding witness, corroborated his testimony in It's
principal outlines He also described minutey every
detail Of the affair developed in the investigation
made BY him and his ielow-o1icers. The officer,
adoptny the theory that Nicolas RYAN first cut his
sisters throat and then killed himself, thought he
might have on to the roof after killing his sister,
and his heart failing him returned to the third floor
10 accomplish his seidestructon. He could see no
evidences Of a struggle
Mr. Townsend after very extended examination,
reproached the witness with having made very care
less examination Of the premises, &C., but
he stoutly asserted that he had done all he
could Mr. Townsend asked him # Captain
Hedden, undeI whose orders he acted, did not
direct all his energies to prove that it a suicide
and not a murder but the officer who evidently
well under discipline replied that he could not say Ho
admitted however, that the taken out Of his
hands although he the one most familiar with
It, II he had found the knife with which the wounds
inflicted he could have said that 1t was murder
and suicide but no did not lind it. AS 20 the pen
knife found it could have indicted the wounds
account Of It's smalness
Miss Mary Ann O'Brien, who figured prominently
a witness at the time Of the inquest and who found
Ryan's vest the roof was also subjected TO long
and most tedious examination which failed to bring
out any interesting facts. The committee adjourned
till Wednesday morning, at eleven o'clock