The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-04-12
MURDER WITH NITRIC ACID.
IAUNCELOT CORMiCk FOGiRTr's VERY
ODD IND EIENDISH CRIME
Duaauring his wife by Dsstroying an Eye
Then Kiiiinx Her by Pouring Aqua
FortI. into her Enrs-rhen Suicide-Thc
Mottxe ,s Indicated nv Family Trouble.

FortI. into her Enrs-'Then suicide-Thc |
Motive ns Indicated by Family Trouble.
Willie Fogarty, Is years old, living at $50 |
West Forty second street was awakened Few
minutes before o'clock yesterday morning by
his mothers screams. The Fogarty family oc-
cupicd the ground story OF large tenement.
The front room was used n grocery. Back
OF this Is Wiliio's bedroom. which opens into
second bedroom usually occupied by his father
md mother: and back OF the second bedroom II
the kitchen The doors are all in line. SO That
when they are open person standing ~ inc
front door can look through into the kitchen'
The boy sIrang from his bed anu saw ms
mother lying on the noor, her teet IN tho
kitchen, and her head in tho bedroom adloin-
ing His father stood in the kitchen. His little |
brother James aged 10. and his sister Ellen.
ngod 10. were sitting up in the bed in which
their mother had been sleeping. He told his
brother to look out for his mother and then.
after hastily dressing himself. ran out into the
street for aid. In Eighth avenue. between
Fortich and Forty first streets. he found officer
John Buckley whom he asked to come homo
with him. because, he said. he was afraid his
father was going TO iniure his mother.
why do you think so ?" asked the officer.
Because | saw blood on her breast and |
think that he has stabbed her"
Buckley. who had at first directed him TO find
the officer on the Forty second street post. hur
ried with him to the house. He found boxes Of
goods piled up higher than the counter in the
narrow passage through the grocery. He
climbed over these and went through the two
bedrooms into the kitchen. He saw the two
children sitting up in the bed The mother was
lying in the doorway. kerosene lamp was
burning dmly on the table in the
kitchen. BY its light he saw tho body OF
the husband lying motonless on the floor. face
down He partly turned him over, and saw that
his throat was cut and that he was dead. On
the table lay a bookbinders knife. covered with
blood. Its blade was three or four inches long.
about half an inch broad near the handle. and
slopng uniformly to the point He knew il was
n new knife. because 1t had never been ground.
The woman was in her night dress. The man
was dressed. but without his coat. His right
shirt sleeve was drawn back hard on his arm.
with the aid OF the lamp the officer discovered
black stain on the bolster which had been used
by the woman. and that the white case and the
ticking had been eaten away by some corrosive
substance so that the feathers protruded. He
took the children to the Thirty seventh street
police station. They subsequently went to the
house Of friend. Mrs Richard Long. at sl7
Tenth avenue.
Anore careful examination was made in the
afternoon by Coroner Flanagan. On the man.
tel were found gill bottle one-quarter full OF
Of laudanum and the other containing only n
few drops Beside the laudanum bottle stood
another bottle IA trihe smaller. 1t contained
few drops OF transparent liquid that had n
slight tint Of yellow. A drop Of 1t put on white
pocket handkerchief turned it black instantly
and destroyed the texture Deputy Coroner
Miller judged from inspection that it was
nitric acid. He carefully examined the
woman. but could find no wound on
her except small one on the back
Of her neck. This he was certain. could not
have produced death. She had bled freely from
tie nose and mouth. He observed that the flesh
about the right eye was blackened. but that II
was not swollen. The left eye was bright
hazel but the right eye was a dull white Dep
uty Coroner Miller expressed the opinion. based
on appearance. that the eye had been blind for
q long time. II was subsequently learned. how
ever. that the sight was perfect on the pre-
Miller that the inside OF the right ear as far in
ward could be seen. WAS blackened. The
blood having been washed from the lace and
neck n black stain was found to cover the right
side of the neck from the ear down 10 the back
oi the shoulder. and thence down the back there
was black streak. Dr. Miller would not give
IN opinion as to the cause OF death. but had the
l,iy sent to the Morgue for examination.
Two tracks of small bare feet In the blood
near whore the woman fell showed that she hai
stood up after going from her he'd ,,f. her head head
lrc;ured that some of the blood found beneath
l.r mock and body was the hpshanFs. ,.,-
found two letters. One was addressed to Nj. w.
Justin. 4G Greenwich street, tea merchant
aud was rs follows:
NV Je.rS F'e-si nsye &C aseSpsd @ soaas Ps,i,ien in
c., YOUR osiiion Many thanks from
A Abrokenheared man.
The other letter was marked. . For publca-
ton II contained In substance the following
Judge Dunv aud Tom Cushing ought he tricd for mur
r. l.
] Many csre,' ,ns nv viii de x wS eYs 9 mean SsT sI
4, pe srsI1s .snre wnnm for a u and i vii La nj
tip' long as hc lives am crazy but am perie uy
Onlcer Buckley also iui. I'D chair in Wir.Iam's
r,,ui with Us back newly broken OIL. pencil
VA, qnd in Fogarty,s pocket. two br his side M
on Tho i9or, one 9n Williams pe1 one one on me nc
clp' X m the kitchen had stopped with the min.
u'' hn"d on r. and the hour hand between !
J.mc-, tho ls-year old boy says that he does
not know how lie was awakened; William told
INK on tUr floor. He looked around the door
' it'lG ine 1ed and saw his father @ tlna standing e
hwak. Du' he couldn't. His throat gurgled
Inc ry heard his mother scream after he woke
ms mule ,tcr until the police officer came. He
aided nat his father frequently abused his
q 'tler. ana frequently srnt out Tor lager beer.
T. laih"r calnr home that night at o'clock
II" Hul not been drinking more than usual. ~
NaI i"Ndy5 down on his brother Willie. he
with her that night. but would sleep on tht
SOFA in the kitchen.
lhe ar rltrd theory Of the murder and sui
cliH - 'Aht FOgarty. alter waiting until his wife
W. a .c"p. attempted to put his design OF dis
H-uriug her INTO execution. He poured the
h'd into ler eye. This awakened her with
pun ana then, rejecting on the danger Of his
posiuDn % she lived, he heli her down while he
poured nearly all the remaining contents Of :he
hue into her ear. She struggled Ia her feet
II" then sttbbei her with the KNIFE IN the back
ol lne mock. II is pretty certain that she fel
and d ~ Immediately after leaving the bed. be
clse Ira ks Of bare feet were lound in any
OtNer pant 0f the room. What kll!ed her vii
~ Idbiy be- discovered to-day.
las nr. an authority on polsons. says:
t''aintl arn.oauOn OF mtrIo ac.d has been Grim
" i 'fu-r OF daath ON several occasions Ia one cas-
90 HU unurtd into thr ear Oi person Mhe slee 4
tI o. ri io tit s0N deslri' non ul NE. lhe~e ar
".n.N lA~s Oi pOl~n ins but more nearly Apron
4 Too i'i sih from wounilng or mechanical violence
The 81 rapidly fatal case on record OF pois
tnlus ly nitric acid taken INTO the stomach
VI, "u' IN which the patient dlrd in one hou
tml fure quarters. From the known iHNs II
|? - 'usr it is probable that she dice
~ ~ plnutrs.
NINr'N ;rry retirent Yesterday when a re