The New York herald., 1877-08-29
'LlNEIIAN'S DEATH.
Was 1t the Result of Disease or Of
Police Brutality?
BOTH SIDES OF THE STORY.
Corcoran's Statement Strongly Refuted
by the Officers.

by the Officers.
on Sunday morning Timothy Linehsn, Of No "a
Roosevelt street. found lying IN an alley at No. 81
Roosevelt street. He seemed to be utterly prostrated
and before tn ambulance which was autographed Tor
arrived at tho station house, he breathed hh
last. The Coroner notified OF the case ane
Deputy Coroner Miller madc post -mortsm sxamiua.
tion, which showed that deceased had been suffer
ing from kidney and liver complaints together With
complication OF other diseases and from these death
had resulted. Now . story has besn bru,tsd about
that Linehan dubbed 10 death by three Fourth
precinct police ofhcsrx with whom he reinonstrated
In behalf OF poor drunken woman they had bees
treating with brutality.
The main evidence bearing upon tnis matter hal
been cleaned from young man named Michael Cor
coran, who resides At No. 81 Oak street. He statsA
that at three O'Clock Sunday moruipg be
passing through Roosevelt street whom hs
saw several policemen dragging . drunken
woman TO the station house She was expostu-
latng with thcm In rambling, incobereni
way, and thcy In turn, forcing her along and u
times treating her roughly The policemen were
Omccrs Fnckcn and sharboro and Roundsman siausen
When nearly opposite No. rs Roosevelt street the
woman attempted TO struggle with them, bat they
threw her tho walk ana dragged her along the
pavement bruising and laceralng her nba Her
shrieks were heartrcnding
TUE DEcEAsHD's IxrKRYIRIScE. III
There we're u few people abroad at tho time and
Corcoran noticed man, whom he recognized as Line
han, stanuing at tho door OF Ma. 10 Roosevols
street. He CROSSED to the other SIDE OF the
way when the trouble with the woman began
ana attempted 10 rcuionstrato with the oulcera
and them 10 their brutal treat
ment OF her They IN turn told him 10 be OF, and
when be failed to do so Fincken turned upon him,
threatened him and then aung his club at him The
weapon stru-k Lpehan ana Knocked him down. The
policemen then took their prisoner TO the station
house. few minutes lalcr they returned and ind
ing Linehan there stili, thoy began drag him
about and abuse him. They had got him ~
lar No 81 Roosevelt street when Fnckeu
struck him a blow across the mouth and the others
fell TO clubbing and Kicking him until hc became un-
conscious. Corcoran, sec,ng that they bent on
numbering the man, approached them and sought to
rem0Dstratc with tnem. when the three hurried away
He then approached ILnehan, VINO he saw Was IN
dying condtion, but len him whom he tho officers
returning They pretended hc had faen Oh the
schoohouse railing near BY and csIrisd him 70 the
them and enter the building. but was repulsed and
cluobca by Roundsman sawson. This sso-y
Gus iSpGSseG psopls r.s,aus % tie iocay. Nos.
them differ IN some particulars in giving the
The police on their part ridicule the charge. Tncy
claim that II originates IN the hostility expressed and
warc, and say that tho local Imagination equal TO
the conception Of any that could gain
oi %I the I Fourth precinct and ip especially Of that
hborhood where the outrage said 10 have been
perpetrated, are n chrome riot They bo-
iieve the police their natural and
sequsnuy wage = sort Of desutory warfare against
them. or late their hostility has been mani.
tested by the casting Of bricks upon the
heads Of passing wcarers OF the Municipal police'a
uniform aud by beilgerent demonstrations at door.
ways and Windows This persecution has recently bo-
| come inlolerable that decided stand mas boen
taken sgAins, H. and special exertons have been made
TO any crowd OF people disposed TO DC riotoua
| Lnehan's death caused they say and the Cor
onsrs invsstsston supports tnem IN i, BY shs CON-
| pcaton OF diseases which afflicted him, and irou
| which at any moment he was likely 20 de-
TuK OFFICERS DEFENCE
Tho officers concerned Ia the affair were iDtcrviewed
last night by HERALD reporter. From thor s,orics
II would appear that Corcoran's narrative u fabrica-
.,on from beginning TO end "a. = ne rsputed among
and who from time TO time, has made himself
temporarily conspicuous by MS aspra.Ions 70
botter Of tho Fourth precinct that be must be wrona
In some o. the details OF his narrative. The woman
house In charge OF ON sr Mcbride she fouud on
south street. and outside oil keeping tns crowd away
when the station house was neared the accused ocera
had share IN her arrest
when questioned about tho case oGcer sharbore
gave the following accyuut Of the a1air:-sI was
my beat and was standing The corner OF James and
Oak streets, when heard quite an uproar. There
was woman shriekisg, and tue noise Of crowd
gathering around hor This oame from New
Chambers street, where Offcer Mcbride aud
two others were bringing woman In.
vent down Now ChamOers street, through Batavia
and up Roosevelt street; saw tnat Mcbride and his
pr soner had passed. and stroed through that neigh
who nigh. be following them; near Oak street mot
Ocer Fincksn, who called to me and said 'Thcrs 10
"a joined h,m and found . man yips on his lace in
the alley of No. 81 Roosevelt street When carried
oui house anS he there marks Of
violence there not . scratch upon him except .
slight cut upon the nose which he could cave received
oficer Finoken being questioned sad:-"hy
post on Roosevelt street. Wpen ! camo on l
warned TO look out for trouble. Soon | met several
members OF picnic party, who said that bricks bad
pcctcd trouble. mad not gone before dIscov-
cred that the rough element OF the eshborhood we're
stoning tho officer on duty on his post. As passed
along Roosevelt street brick was aung at me from
roof top ! could not locate the house, and wen,
along ns far as No. II, where another was thrown. l
stopped here and still another came flying IRON the
roof top breaking In the street so close that one OF tbs
fragments struck ma Al the same moment noticed
man the roof, leaning over aud about 70 throw
again. I drew my revolver at this and nred
two shots At the roof on which the man retlrcd The
Acting Captain with Detectives Carr and Kcarns then
appeared and went through the house but could not
hnd any assaiIanL l Ioitersd about the place, and
soon noticed Jonn Thompson, who is notorious Tor
stoping policemen sinking out OF No l6 chased hm
escape / raped for assistaucs, and ofncer John
son caught him. On the way to the station house We
2, Roosevelt street arrested him. Both have been
court and have been put under bonds was then
going down u my beat when heard the shrieks ot
| woman, whom found TO DO prisoner OF Unicer No
| Bride. crowd had followed her aud . number
people had congrcgated 10 front oil No Batavia
street Roundsman slauson and went to drive then
away.
IfxrHAN's PART
They all scampcred of, and noticed that Linehau,
who among them, fell ash barrel 10 front
ofNn 10 Roosevelt street. aud then, think, made OIL
! more Of hun tnsn. Sauson and soou parted
ana was going through Roosevelt street not mtuv
minutes later when noticed a man sprawIng IN
alley way upon hts lace. called 0nlcer snarooro, aud
together we brought him 10 The station house He
seemed scnseess and dying, but from what cause I
did not know. That Linchan
Ronndsman Slauson confirmed the statement OF the
other two officers and the sergeant the desk agreed
with nli three as 10 what had come under his notice
He says that Linohaa bad marks OF vio-
ience on him except . scratch the noso