The New York herald., 1878-08-14
DASHED TO DEATH.

TWO STONE MAsoNs STRUGGLE ON THE EDGE
INSTANTLY KLLED-wAs 1T MURDER on
ACCIDENT?
A dozen laborors had just begun their daily work at
quarter past seven O'Clock yesterday morning the
new Riverside drive at tho foot Of West I13.h
Heavy carts laden with fragments OF blasted rocks
we're being ned and driven away. Some Of the
worxusn engaged In digging others in snoveiiDg
and few In orIns holes In tho massive stones pre-
pasatory placing therein tho charges Of powder
nitro-glycsrlne that 10 blow them hundreds
Of pieces. The one OF busy industry. Soon
however. there occurred event that changed tho
psacoful aspect and shocked all who behsld IT, Two
OF tho laborers to assume threatening att
sudes; some hard words were spoken; a momcntary
struggle took place and the lockers horrlod
q. ssoing Of the fall backward the para.
pct on which they stood, turn somcrsault In the
and strike With q duil thud upon the sharp rocks
shirty feet below. They hurried TO the spot. rhe
ground Tor q yard around was red with blood. The
man was dead. His skull Was split open.
From the parapet above the oiher looked down upon
his vicum and snuddered at the sight Then no
,sSopsa % ox %orsmsn ri viii sn0 give myso uo 70
the poce," and followed up tho words by proceed
ing toward the station house IN tho meantime tue
excited workmcn had returned from the side OF tho
manglsd victim aud piven the alarm 1t soon brought
a policeman 70 tho spet and the man was placed In
custody.
THx FATAL QUARREL.
The namo Of the deceased was Michael CurIey and
that Of the prisoner John n. Omen. Both wero en-
ploysd rs stone masons by N. d. Decker Co., tho
contractors under the Department OF Pubic works.
from the statements OF tnsIr fellow workmon ap.
pcared that the quarrel was In relation to stone
when sacn claimed as belonging 10 his portion Of
the worx. II seems that the stone nasons mad been
Ia habit Of selecting the particular stones on which
they intonded to work On making the selection the
mason invariably placed some mark upon u 10 DIS
uneuish u IRON others selected by his fellow work.
mi ftor bcu n vol ms
ipg Curlsy came up TO whore O'Nsii stood near
large stone, and, placing his hand upon the latter.
said sThis belongs 70 ms.n V'Neil replied, s.No Il
don't; RS my stone. marked u last night"
rscurisy reiterated his assertion, following u mp with
an expression oil ds,ermnstion to have IL 0'Nsl
ealing tns other hard namsa Curlcy, some Of ihe
Witnesses say, made gesture a. II TO strike his au-
tagvnst. wnereupon the other seized crowbar tnat
was nearby ana Aaid:-"lf you touch me I'll drive
DASHED TO DEATH.
Al tho time Of Its utterancc 0'Neil stood upon the
front Of him The words were scarcely spoxon when
CurIsy rushed toward nim anu tho men clutch cd.
The next the woi kmen saw was CurIsy falling over
pushed by bis antagonist or whether his ia was
An accident cannot be determined until alter the Judi
cal examination OF the witnesses.
The iADorors who were near By at the time or the
occurrence we're Oven Riley, Michael Never and
Nicholas Ronig.
The deceased forty years of age and resided on
1OOlh street. near Eighth avenue. The body was
taken soon after tho tragedy the Chambc Street
Hospital, where Deputy Coroner Goldschmidt made a
postnor ortem sxaminatio At the same time Cor
oasr kl'nser took The names Of the Witnessed After
tne usual forms had bscn complied with BODY was
removed 70 the late residence Of tho deceased As
vile remains OF her husband borne IN the
dsor shs threw nsfssif moon them ana shsskAA uia'