The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-11-28
SHOT THROUGH TIE HEART.
THE MURDFB or 4 FRETGHT DEPOr
W1ICHM1N ~ ASTORIA

quarrel Over Boss weed after n sunday
Night Sprce-A Body Found IN the Norn-
, ing An Art,ste ne Confession Of the
Dced-tacis which Render II Improbable.
Az A. M. yesterday ID. Carter, n freight
clerk In the Hunters Point Railroad depot
tried To open the outer door Of the freight Of
lice and found T. blocKo d up bv some heavy oh
Ject. A vigorous push ouoned the door wide
enough to admit the clerk, who saw that the
impeding object VS. the body Il P.trick Tan
the depot night Waterman. lean ing apparently
asleep. his head and arms resting uron chair
Closer exsrs1atiun showed that the man was
den'. His clothes were soaked With blood, a
large pool OF which was clotted upon the floor
evidently havinr oozed from the body after II
had been placed in its sitting position. q her
parts Of the foOr were blood-smearsd showing
that the man had lain In several places after re-
ceivinG his wounds.
Deputy Coroner Denler, who arrived soon
after the body was found. ascertained th't one
mortal wound had been caused by isto
bullet that entered the left breast, and passed
through the heart. The body was cold. and
had been dead certainly three or four hours.
No weapon was found. The door was unlocked
when 'arter entered, AMI the Key was in u, out
not an article IN the frcigh room was nts-ing.
close examination of the pre- utses revealed a
bullet mole III tue woocen wal 81 the ircig 1
room, Hnd scared bullet W - swept wnilc
persons were cleaning the flo r.
The police were sofncwh 4 uuzzled nv thesa
circumstances. IL was wei known that 4 n
Old not carry pistol. nj There every In 4.
ca ion tn he mad not been shot ~ Thieves in
tefrupted while Vt ndefinr. he first clue WAS
furnished 10y the policeman who pHtroll'd
Ferry street just about midnight lie h, ard
TAI. Dennis RIVER. also depot night watch
NJ n, aud three hangers I lNlun vcnrnentiv IN
front Of the Long Island cry Hotel lie ordered
them to make less noise nd they all went In
sioe the arroom. Inc propfictor of the hotel
said that the I've men wcrf in his saloon and
.V.l liz. t..H Inn
about uulitics, but after RIVER cot pretW fun If
liquor the talk turned upon weed ono % the
Strangers whose name was smith tnlt RIVER int
he could not tell where tweed was born anu
You liel" Hyer retorted. "Hc was reared IN
the Fourth W. d. where be sold newspapers
when hoy. He aftetw rd moved to the sew
e. TIA Ward, where he became foreman Of Zig
Blk. | belonged to Ten them
Psnaw. lens men were never any good
faii Smith, sneerinelv.
RIVER became angry, and pulled on his cont 10
light smith. lan interfered and told smith To
keen his hnnds on the Ia man. Smith insisted
on kicking RIVER iuto the street. bat an firm
ness revented him. he proprietor Of the hotel
utd not see the men alain after ne induced them
To leave the house. lie. however, e.ru them
using high words In the street
. smith, the police uscert lined. was employed
" feifht receiving depnt at per ~ east-river.
He carried the way oils for the earlN ~ bound
freight tram from thai ri &c. and Il, lyefed them
TO IAN. Tney surniised III SWith might hive
wound up his dispute hy shooting Ian. nd III
c-rs were sent 10 look for him IN New York.
Dennis Ryer had not teen seen sirce the tody
WIS lounu. nut MS absence Nlu not tNtlte the
and about o A. N. he " : seen ~ Onic.r Knocks
raunterins along the street Il ;he Green ONT
Emu OF tue bridge across NcwtuNn creek.
Ninocks says he obtained perIi--ion from his
sergeant TO go acfos. the bridge aud ar
rest MN. But hyer ana Capt. ~ ODDS snv
that the arrest was voiunt ~ surrender.
lie was on his way to Captain Moons to CIV
binse up whcn he met the poncem N. lie
admitted having shot Lon. lie sala that some
lime after the New NOrects had crossed tue
river he went into the fret ut room. where
IH1 usually He took his r.. 4 kar Z
his pocket and lail u on the dc-k. 40 made
nrush for the revolver IN sport. and RIVER tried
10 prevent nm from getting u. Inty seized II
nj the same m uent aud. in wrestling over IL. II
was disch. rgcu. lie said thnt Ian old not tan
a. once, hut walked around moaning. lie,
Rier, on-red 20 90 flr duct r. bat = ~ said,
Fer Gods Ike. don't leave me-"
" | did not 40 Tor the doctor lie only lived a
Eyer continued: AFTER Ian died went nome
aud told nv VIE about II, ana | 4 ave uysel, IN
Dy her advice"
There are many circumstrpces that render
this story improbable. K,er IL vets Quarrel
some when In hduor. althoueh he mad not be-
Tore become crazy enough e. use ui-tll. lheie
were three bullets tu account Tor. ana r. en- VIII
three shots were nred hy accident ia ne -c. NJ
over " pistO.. The mo-t dama-inl circuulst4u
however. escli ed the attention ey, OF tue
Deputy Coroner III hi- supefi, iA post-mortem
examinatiou. IL was supplied ny Undert Ger
Finan. who found a bullet hole IN IN : face
near where the nose aud iio join. Its direction
IL upward aud OK. the bullet probably lodging
somewhere In the brain AZ oil events, II vas
such wound as must render us reCipieut un-
conscious instantly. Tue wound in tHe heart,
too. must have inc pact atet l. II rom m ktns
INV muscular, Hort az all borough uost-niur EN-
examination, IL II thought, Will inuiDa e from
direction ana location thtt az least one of these
shots WIS fired after Ian had fallen g. tue floor.
There are mars, ~ poNutr uuru arc .ul the
head wound. They art not TO he seen around
the body wound, altiougn the ell u OF tue uat
must have shown IL had the eNplo-i IA been
vety close. The police theory l. in,t RIVER be-
Pan drug as soon he Otete1 the door. miss
ing WITH the urst shot, lnni tiny cody
wound az the -ccurd tg,, and nni-hing his Work
by holding the pistol ala. Osi ~ inst las victims
head.
Tue officers sent to crest Smith found him
que tly at work urun Per 43. lie seemed very
EIuCh SURPRISED Wien toll what ~. WIS wanted
fer. Taken at nrst To the Madison street police
station lo W III warrant. he Lua.y consented
10 waive legal fIrmaltN ana - t. Brooklyn 1t
once. l-iJie he aitNri iNtr bad IA tde Ms
conf sslou. Sulfh's te-tuuuy concerning the
quarrel was deemed imoortant ~ tine Cor iner.
AT ic WIS he'd IN 500 % testify attue inquest.
Futrick an ha been ten Ncrr, iu Tue employ
Of the Long Island halifuad CUmaauy, ma was
Esteemed "A tlltniul watchnlan. IL had awIfe
and two cnlidI en-. RIVER. Is, has "a wife all
children. lie l. about 90 years oid. and was
long connected with tue ult 'luNte"r IRE de
parinlrn, uu THIS city. lie has WOTaei i.r Tie
railroad c1mpauyabOut two Years.
A ERESHIE on TIfE ISYIf MIS-