The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-10-27
WAYLAID BY AN ASSASSIN.
AID. MORRIS STABBED THREE TIMES Nv
TBE REGION or THE HEART.
. w,.,.,,oy. stranger Pouncinx upon Him
8, ,se Gray or the Morning Making Three
u,,ch Thrust. snd then disappearing
s,,,.,,or, a., q. the Probable Criminal.

s,.euintiou. ~ to the FrohHbie criminal.
Alderman John j. Morris is proprietor OF
=, ,crocery at 50 University place. and his husi-
no.. reouires tina, he shall visit Washington
a,.rLo, for the purchase OF supplies on three
=, ,our mornings Of each week. Those visits
h.va long been uniformly made M very oarly
hour II has been his practice to leave his resi-
dcnee. III West Twenty-lrst street. at or near
5.A. NJ, when intending TO so to the market.
,na tavsthc downtown Metropolitan Elevated
Poil,oad trnin. at tho southwest corner OF
Tven,v.,hird street and sixth avonue. He
.,ar,.d Yesterday mornin and walked leisurely
.nstward, in Twenty-first street, 10 the corner
of sixth avenue. where he met oilcer James
Mccormick. whose post oil duty Is IN the street
- rhich is the Aderman's residence. Ex-
Hanging CHEEKY good morning with him. the
Alderman went on up the avenue. on the west
.ia. and lust beyond Twenty second street.
.ncountered Onicer John Cav. who was
natrolling the Sixth avenue. With him also the
Alderman pleasantly exchanged salutations.
and then continued on his way. the officer going
in an opposite one. trying store doors az he
went along.
uthis time there was barely SUFFICIENT light
NJ enable n person 10 see the ilgure Of n man
across the avenue The street lamps had bcen
,1tingushed. day had not yet dawned. and
the morning was foggy. As Mr. Morris
vas opposite the doorway OF Messrs. Stern
Bros store n man suddenly confronted him
o." flashed before" him. as he subsequently
said-nnd with lightning like rapidity dealt
him three blows In the vicinity OF his heart. As
he did So the Alderman felt a pricking sensa-
lion in his breast. and knew that he was
stabbed Yet he made no outcry nor any at
tempt to detain his woud-be assassin. who.
having dealt him the blows In perfect silence.
vanished as quickly and as mysteriousy as he
had appeared.
Oficer Clinch was. at the moment OF the at
tacs standing at the northeast corner OF Sixth
avenue and Twenty third street. in front OF the
Masonic Temple. and had Mr.. Morris given any
alarm his assailant would. in all probability.
have been captured. But no sound reached the
Uhcer's ears. not even the hasty steps OF per-
eon in flight Mr.. Morris turned and walked
hack down the avenue toward his home. taking
quick, firm steps. stanching as well as he
could the blood by pressing his hand tightly
over his wounds When near the corner Of
Twenty-hrst street he overlook officer Cav
who had met Officer McCormick. and was stand.
ing conversing with him. To them he said
been stabbed" For moment they hestated to
believe him. When | got opposite 70 stern
nddsnS Secre m anu Without
a word. stabbed me three times in the left
breast. Then he disappeared, and | dent
oficer Cav "%s assisted Mr. Morris TO bis home.
while officer Mccormick started OF on run
sitter sixth avenue car which had lus, passed ss
would-s ss assassin had escaped.
While being led TO his house Mr.. Morris said
could only describe him ss a person OF about
his own size, large and hcshy. probably forty
ing a sim Derby hat. and expressed his s.slief
a:, the Assault N have %Ssn Ssn 4
sS1ss 9simsess. %' sap Please SEND 10 bi,eiei
Somebody has tried to take nv WiS, Tha,
nS Sesr sISS aPG sed ' With the
solitary inmate OF the car he had chased. a much
alarmed employee ofthe Rossmore Hotel. who
in no respect answered the description given
by Mr. Norris. and who being declared by that
gentleman not the man was let go.
precinct police station and told OF the, e,atteppt
upon the Alderman's life. Police Surgeon DR..
Dorm was telegraphed for 70 20 At once 70 .he
ams hurried there Meantime Mr.. Morrls's
family physician. pr. Z; 7. Fowler. OF 10 East
Forty-frst street. had been summoned. and
arriving very quickly made an examina:
ton Of the injuries sustained. He found
three eashes-one oyer the region Of the heart.
second an inch below. and third two inches
below the second. but neither seemed deep
enough to penetrate the cavity Of the chest and
there were no indications OF internal hem
Some strange instrument seems TO have Deen
used IN inficting them; possibly stiletto,,
shaped blade-that is. with thick centre and
two keen cutting edges-but the breadth OF the
wounds and their comparative shallowness
seem TO indicate that II siiletto vas ~ used M It
ground down 70 broad sharp end. instead OF
The long. slender point common to such weapons
quarters OF an inch long. nearly l9zenGe
shaped. and the only one yet probsd-that
which being nearest tho heart. seemed most
threatening-was found to be not quite an inch
10 depth. The penetration OF the weapon
the middle wound was stopped by
s she oss oe OF bood n'fe was not very so
great . to be deemed serious. and, since
here was no internal hemorrhage, the ply
nom fever resulting from shock and nervous
sIritement. or from erysipelas. To prevent
nsrvous excitement, which might be danger;
Gus, strict orders were given To exclude all
tisls; In TWO hours he was pacidly sleeping.
Subsequent investigation rendered It almost
certain that the person who attempted the Alder
mans life had laid Ia ambush for him-suppos-
ing there was no mistake in ideHntityEbehlnd a
s,ore and thence pounced out upon him.
me light on the street was, very dim; put
man come around the corner from Twenty
uId street and advanced directly upon the
AaeIman. distance OF thirty feet he would
nave been able 10 do so without attracting his
victims notice That he was not discovered
IurSlnR IN his ambush by Officer Cav in the
nphlned by the theory that he had time to turn
ios corner follow the officer. and glide into his
plalng place in the minute or two intervening
between Gaw's trial Of the iewelry store doors
snd Alderman Morris's reaching tho spot in
xoui oi stern Brothers upper door. where he
xas attacked. The manner OF his escape Is even
more clearly ascertained than the mode Of his
Ma.s Momentarily dazed by the deadly as
saut' Mr. Morris saw nothing OF the assassin
sIet hs blows were doalt, and. as he himself
'AyIessrd II, the man seemed Ia vanish.
xnll Night watchman Levy. on duty in the
,Ns sde lOt downtown train station OF the Me
uoglNtan Elevated Railroad. remembers that
stsnM must have been but very few moments
sI 'eI NE attempted assassination, n man fully
sSssNeflng the description given by Mr. Morris.
SasHel ? the stairs TO the station platform in
i.oA haste as to run against him and almost
nnnok MN down, and almost breath essly de,
nahaed o! him, Is the train gomez No. -
FSpled Levy; il IL Just coming down, now"
,issn a. ne spoke the train rumbled up TO the
hslorm, the man who had addressed him with
,1ne nIre or iour others who were in waiting,
r-pped on hoard. and in an instant more was
? ~, While Mr.. Morris was saying 10 the two
wpWVs oWeers, I've been stabbed" the man
W. W. had sought to take his lie was being hur-
''Il away In security above his head.
,bh'elything that can be learned OF tho facts OF
h&1mutderous XII attempt tends to encourage the
nleI thM II was deliberately and cunninRly
paanhsd by one who we'll knew the habits Of his
vTIGGehhued victim, and had ingeniously pro-
NJ inc measures for his own escape. Mr..
i,yas iasls ana his friends however, profess 10 be-
porson mat the knife was meant for some other