The New York herald., 1879-03-11
A ROBBERS FATE.

MR.. RICHARDS DESCRIBES THE SHOOTING BEFORE
CoRoNER's JURY AND Is FULLY ExoNER-
ATGD-THE PRISONER DEFENDS HIMsELF-His
CAREER.
Mr.. John p. N. Richards Of No. sos East Eighty
sixth street who shot and killed burglar found
prowling his promises on Sunday evening.
arraigned before Coroners jury yesterday. The
other burglar who escaped the fate OF his compan.
ion, securely handcutfed. He was close shaven
and dressed like a mechanic. His face is not devoid
of intelligence and he expresses himself easily and
clearly. He described himself q bricklsyer BY
trade but said he had not worked the business for
the last seven months.
RICHARDS ACCOUNT.
It needed but glance at Mr.. Richards to soc that
he was man whom it would not be safe to trAs
with When giving his testimony to the jury he
spoke with perfect calmness, only once betrayrng
any animation OF speech. II didn't wait to parley
with the men,. he said. 81 knew they burglars.
and consequently desperate men. found myself
sandwiched between the two and expected that they
were armed. but was determined to defend my
property and my life at all hazards" He next
lntod minutey the discovery of the thieves In the
reception room of his house: how they had forced
open closet at the foot of the stairs and taken there
from quantity OF clothing. which they had already
packed to take away. zone of the men," he con-
tinued. 'brushed past to the of the house.
knew he could not escape that way, the
window barred his progress. also know that whom
he found his escapecut off he would turn and nsht.
The other burglar had fed into the front parlor ana
concealed himself behind the blinds. thus
placed in . dangerous position and discharged my
revolver three times at the man who trying to
effect an escape by the back window. do not know
whether any of these shots took cfcct. He then
faced me in nienaeing way and / fired the fourth
times the ball found lodement in his breast aud ho
fell to the floor. next proceeded to attcnd to his
companion, whom leNpected every moment would
attack me from behind. He was lodging beneath ths
| curtains He threw up his hands and implored me
not to shoot. Finding that he did not contemplate
making any resistance did not fire. The officers
arrived and told them of what had happened"
DAR0oN's DErEScE.
Denis Dargon. the surviving burglar. sworn in
his behalf He s2!d that nc and Casey and man
named sullivan had been drinking all day sunday.
They started thor dcbauch down town early in
the morning When asked to explain how he had
spent the day up to the time or being found in Mr..
Richards house he said that he too drunk to
member. His memory was clear, however.
! point-nainely. that when he and Casey trav-
Cling along Eightysixth street the latter q door
! open and 30 informed Daryon. They entered the
drunken freak and while there were surprised in the
manner aforesaid When asked il he intoxicated
when arrested he replied in the negative The shoot
| ing he said and his immediate danger had
bered him. He denied that sullivan vas an accom-.
plicc having left Casey and himself some time pre-.
RICHARDS DISCHARGED.
When the prisoner retired from the witness stand
Captain Robbins displayed bunch of latchkeya
which had been found. Mr. Richards said. in the
parlor near the window where Dargon had sought
refuge from his captor's revolver. Dsryon, how.
ever denied all knowledge OF the ownership OF tha
keys. The pistol was next put in evidence Itpa
Smith Wesson, Iussian model. forty two calibre.
The jury briefly dolibcratcd aud returned with q
verdict of Justihablc homicide. Mr.. Richards was
promptly discharged and exoncratcd from all legal
res sponsibty in the
A DIsoRuASIzEp GANG.
Dargon and Casey belonged to gang of sneak
thieves ia the Twcnty-cghth and Twenty third pre-
cincts and made themselves a terror to the inhab-
itants of Yorkvlle aud OF constant solici.
tuGc to the police. kilcy, of tho gang, pleaded
guilty and got six months in the Ienitentiary for
attempting burglary in liquor saloon at Eighty
his time. Another member s under 81 200 bail on
charge of robbery, and caught agnin last week
In the act OF breakng into prAyato pYfllipg Mr..
sshYidd y yho gyside in East scvsfy fourth street.
hal his housr entered by burglars, last January For
tins offence Casey, the dead burlla arrested and
held in default of $1,000 bail. nj.
Dargon has served two terms in State Prison He
is described. in detective psrlance, being 'tha
hicst in the business. He resides at No. 1884
Third avenue lie arrested some months ago
by Detective Tucker for committing sneak theft In
O doctors house in tAc Nineteenth precinct He was
subsequently captured by Detective Cornish while
carry ing away personal effects from house in East
seventy ioIrth street. For this olonco no has been
held im 81 100 bail.
casey was young man OF good appearance ana
intelligent address, lie received good education
the public schools. His father aud mother arc re-
spectacle. industrious people. and by years OF in
dstry have succeeded in accunulating considerable
property. Thay own the house in which they reside
I'm Ninctythird street. between second ana Third
avenues, together with several vacant lots adjoining
Ehrct's brewery. The father keeps grocery store,
In partnership will, an cl,icr ron IN Eighty FIRST
street. First aycnuc while another brother Ia
nembor OF the police forco.
Daryon was rcinanicd TO tho Tombs to await trial
ON the indictment pending against him.
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