The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-10-22
MURDER0US QUIMB0 Apo.
HIS BLOOD-srAINED CAREER DUR
ING TwENTY-syx YEARS.
A Desperate villain or a Most Unfortunate
Victim Of Circumstapors-HisM Most Recent
Murder Perpetrated In Scif-Defepce.


A Desperate Villain or a Most Unfortunate
Victim Of fCircumstapcrs-HisN Most Recent
| Murder Perpetrated In Scif-Defepce.
Quimbo Appo, a Mongolian resident OF
| New York, has often been before tho authori-
| ties OF the city He Is a small man, but his ad-
versaries, whether male or female. large or small
have always surrendered to the prowess OF this
| Milesian-lookine Celestial. His latest exploit
| with the knife grew out Of quarrel In the Howe
lodging house, a resort for tramps and other
| impecunious people. John A. Kelly, a newspa-
| per reporter and more rem otely machinist, was
the victim. Quimbo Is a skilled player Of
| drauehts or checkers. Chance has made him an
occasional lodger at tho place mentioned. Kelly
also lodger there, was one OF those whom his
skill defeated for small stakes. After their
game both men started to 20 to bed on the up
per floor. As soon as Kelly saw his late antago-
mist ho said, "What, you here, you damned
| Chinaman," and struck him q violent blow with
| his ist. Kelly was large, muscular man, and
| the Celestial Ia a man much below medium slzo.
Tho latter srove to escape, but before he reached
the landing Of the top story Kelly was striking
and kicking him. One kick sent the Cbinsman
| to the landing OF the third story. There Kelly
lighted upon him again, and the dodgers .hear-
ing the noise OF an ARRAY ran to the door Just In
time to see a stalwart white man kicking
small. weak looking yellow man. As they closed
tho sfS Chinaman, YAH % take 'd thai. Yahi take
that" repeated three times. Kelly threw up
| his arms, and crying, oh God I'm stabbed"
| fell bleeding ana spcechless, while the swarthy
Mongoiian ned down the steps three at time
| and escaped.
An ofhcer standing at the foot Of the stairs
rushed up and supported the living man: while
another patr'll,ng tn the direction Of Mott
| street arrested Qutmbo Appo He and his VIC
| tim were taken TO the Franklin street police
station. where Kelly soon breathed his last. lie
| had been stabbed three times-OnCe In the
shoulder, once under the right arm, and once In
the night breast over the heart, The fatal wound
| was that under the arm which, after severing
| tho nxillary artery, pierced tho heart. The
weapon used in these several stabs has not been
| found. and Quimbo stoutly denies having had
| any knife at all. Although the first charge
against the Chinaman was assault with lntentto
| mitted him to answer for the murder Of John A.
| Kelly.
The criminal has had a chcckered history
He was born in Chu 81, China, After several
| removals In the Flowery Kingdom. he turned
up In California In 1874 He there mined with
| toierabe success until 1915, when he bought a
passage to the states for $3.50 gold, and landed
In philadelphia. Tne United states ship Van
| dalia was then fitting out. in prospect OF war
win Mexico. and Quimbo became Captains
cook. He served In that capacity and as stew
nine years ho was the banner carrier OF a tea
warehouse In Catharine street. that Ia. he aud
| as guarantees for the genuineness Of the
teas sold by yoyce s Joyce. He had
and had married an irish woman. CathatTe
aiizpatrick, by whom he had two children.
| QulmOO hnu nts lflhD Wis IVe0 with one
Fletcher and his wife Mary at 10 0vsr street.
On ST. Patrick's day. 1850 Fletcher, being patri-
ss"on ms az MSs.eo eo dTak ena Play
| Qulmbo drank. but would not play cards. so he
and Fletcher auarrellei They were still wrane-
| ling when they reached home, and Mary File cher
| took her husbands part After worry war;
she struck Quimoo over the eye. with a hat iron.
and he snatched a carving knife on the supper
| table and plunged II into her stomach. She soon
| died, and Apo was indicted for murder In tho
nrst degree. lie lay year Ia the Tomos await
lug trial and at last was convicted OF mur9Sr In
| the first degree and sentenced to be hanged.
His counsel. after rvc months endeavor, OBJ
| tanned new trial for him, upon which he plead
| ed guilty TO manslaughter. and was sentenced
In prison his conduct was so exemplary that
| strong interest was brought TO bear. and Gov.
| More' pardoned him In 1853. Quimbo had
| only been released a lew months wnen he was
| again brought IN conflict with the authorities
| lie was living with some people whose name he
| does not remember. IN Cherry street. quar-
| rel arose. The woman OF the family whose
| first name was Lizzie. showed him violently aud
no fell into an open burning coal stove His
right hand was badly burned but his left was
used with sucn revsngful effect that Lizzie died
within the month. He was again incarcerated
In the Tombs. but after an Imprisonment Of
| over a year, was released without triIl.
| Again in 1872 he became involved with tho
| authorities. lie was then running a ourbstone
booth In the Fourth Ward A Polander named
| Luikowski got into controversy with Apo.
| The former was large man, but he was forced
to use paving stone. Quimoo also used a
| severe between the eyes that he lay between
life and death In Bellevue Hospital for weeks
| proved so conclusively tnat the weapon was hot
deadly. that he was convicted only Of assault
| to do bodily harm, and Judge Bedford gave min
| Ave years In the State Prison.
| -, his sentence expired In January last. Quinn
another nght, and on trial Ia Special Sessions
was sentenced to Blackwelis Island for six
| months.
| HIS Communication allowance enlarged him
| only three weeks ago. He found his old job Of
tea salesman was not obtainable, and he started a
| curbstone confectionery aud cigar booth. This
| was not very remunerative, but he made enough
TO support himself. his wife, after his first con-
| mia, and was lost at sea. His children were SO
scattered that he never looked for thep, and
| his only luxury was whiskey, I've, or boulbon."
! III mad been indulging In these Injuries In a
| Sixth Ward bucket shop before he went to en-
gage the checker players Of the Howe Lodging
.Quimbo Appo is not more than Ave feet high.
| He Is not proportioned beyond his height, and
| gives no physical evidence OF being tho athletic
! desperado that he Is described But for his
swarthy complexion, his cast Of features and
taken for Celt, and his accent In English speak
ing Is almost unnoticeabls.
| In an Interview with a SUN reporter In the
Tombs yesterday, he described the ARRAY much
ns I. related IN the toresoing. When asked
mo, no.. / had no knife. They have not
found a knife. only defended myself"
How did you defend yourselff' aueried the
with my nst," answered tho prisoner. doub-
ling orawny nst and plying It at AN imaginary
Z" He was stabbed and some one must have
stabbed him" said the reporter. doubtfuly
| Yes" replied Quimbo, me dropped right
away and he died soon after. There were
| dozen men around, but did not stab him."
He persists In this defence. The Coroner Ia
yestigated yesterday. and saw no reason TO
doubt that long 6lsded knife inflicted the
| wound. Quimbo will have an opportunity OF
demonstrating TO Coroner's jury that he did
| the deed In self defence.
| Although Quimbo's son Is in Sing Sing for lar
| ceny, II Is worthy OF remark that the hoary
stabber has himself never been charged with 4
| crime against property