The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1875-09-23
A TENTH ArENUE TRAGEDY,
The Defence Of nm Invalid whose Life had
been Thrcateuedbvn Mnddened Inebrinte-
Tenement Life in the Twentieth Ward.


Buffalo Bill Is the soubriquet that the
ncighbors apply TO william Horton, truckman,
OF 4a2 Tenth avenue presumably, on account
Of a supposititiOus personal resemblance TO the
Hon. william +. Cody the frontier ranger.
Three rooms in the first story OF ia
have been occupied by Horton, his
wife, three children and somo dodgers.
At about noon yesterday John Grau, butcher,
muscular, and VIGOROUSLY violent when in
liquor arose from the floor Of the lodging
room, on which he had spent the night, and
went into the front room. Horton was on the
lounge. to which he had been bound by
rheumatic swelling Of the left leg for Ave weeks.
Mrs. Horton WIS cooking breakfast and the
older children were playing. Grau was srilen,
having only partially recovered from the pre-
ceding nights debauch; and asked for beer.
There was none In the house, but two quarts
were soon obtained. Much Of this Grau drank.
Then he demanded breakfast. Mrs: Horton
told him TINT 1t would soon be ready. He vented
his disuleasure In a fearful oath, she being the
subject. Horton put In n few words la defence
OF his wife. Thereupon Grau hurled an carthen
jar at him. II struck Horizons uuraised elbow
sss;h,ng Il, Ihen, saying i will tnrow you out
OF the ,i window Xou -, ,Io Grau l;,I, sptans
broke. and Grau fell on his right side, back to
back with the lounge, SUI grasning Horton.
The latter seized butchers knife that was on
the table and plunged II into Grtus left breast.
Grdu got up and staggered to the front door, his
blood making clear trail. Onccr Buyan sent
htm, In charge OF two neighbors to the Thirty
seventh street station, and, guided 10y the blood
traces. went to the room in which the stabbing
was done.
Horton was still in the house in a stupor. lie
and his wife, their children and Ellen Martin, a
lpdger, were arrested. Tue flow ot blood from
Grau's wound was stanched bv Doorman
kennedy, and an ambul nee having been sum
mOned, Grau was transferred to Bellevue Hos.
pital.
Horton said " have supported Grau for i've
wears, beginning to do so soon after his arrival
from Germany. liked him, because, when not
IN liquor he was pleasant fellow. when full
Of rum, however. he l. a wild man. My wife and
| have stood all kinds Of abuse from him.
have been kept In one room for five weeks. sir,
by TINS leg Showing the ahnormally enlarged
and infamed limhl ana couldn't ret out OF
Grau's WV this morning. | merely told him,
after he had cursed my wife, that soon as
| breakfast was cooked she would give him some.
lac threw heavy r at my head. | warded II
OH with my clbow-heres the mark. Then he
came for ire. siNing tnat he would throw me
| out Of the window. knew that he meant what
he said, and ~ was helpless on account Of my
leg; S stabbed stabbed him drove trncS s Tor I1 MT
ninth street, before my leg became useless"
Mis-. Horton who was IN another cell, after
corroborating her husbands account of Grau
! sid After Or u throw the jar everything
/ ha'pened 80 quickl, that | cannot speak posi-
/ lively about anything thtvr often kept my
husband aud Grau from fighting when the latter
! WAS drunk.
10 Coroner Kessler Grau made the following
Il am tuicher: live at ~, Tenth avenue
and am employed Ia wholesale me 4 snop net
!
moor OF 4H, YESTERDAY morning. talking with Bur
fAlo BINS wife, Buffalo Iiill rushed up To me and
| without saying word stabbed me three or foul
times. lie made the attack so suddenly that
| could not get out Of his wAv. | fell To the nOOl
| unconscious, aud do not remember what hap
! pened afterwgrd. had no quarrel with Bun tlg
| Bill. anu gave him no prOyoc ,tlon. When
went to get nv breakfast buffalo Bill was In The
room smoking pipe. Then he got up AN
stabbed mo with large butcher knife that
had sharpened In the morning. and left IN m
| room"
Deputv Coroner Lon testf0ed that In nh
opinion, sever 4 OF Graus pcrcrdtac nerve
| had been severed with a KNIFE, that he wa
| bleeding internally as well as externally, IN,
| that he would certainly die.
The jury rendered verdict against Horton.