Morning journal and courier., 1881-06-21
Killed by Furious Horse.

Two Grooms AssafEesl With Hooss and
 Teeth by the Beast-A Pefted Kentucky
 Geldfng Turns Sudd enIy and Frenzied-
 ly Upon His Human Frfends-one yfc-
 tim Dead md the Other Dying.
 From the New York Sum-
 Mir. Thomas F. Ryan of 236 West Fiftv fifth street, bought handsome six year. old sorrel gelding of Mir, Bailey, the horse dealer. about six weeks ago, and soon after placed him in the private stables of Joseph Mer klen's Central Park Riding Academy, in Seventh avenue and Fifty eighth street The beast came from Kentucky, and Mir Ryan bought him for $7OO for his personal use as a riding horse. He was always gentle and kind. and MT. Ryans wife and children were in the habit of visiting him in his stall to pet and feed him apples and sugar. The spirited animal acknowledged their attentions erate- fully by rubbing his nose the shoulders of his friends. Mir. Ryan rode him every day in the Park, and found him uniformly docile, while his groom. James Murray. who lived in Mr. Ryan's house. was devotedly attached to the horse as to pet.
 The horse formerly had stall in part of the stable fronting on Seventh avenue but on Friday he was moved to another stall just back of the ring of the riding academy This, Hr. Ryan says was contrary to his orders. and was done during the absence of his own groom and by direction of one of the riding masters of the academy. Richard Johnson, c0lored groom who has been in MT. Merk- lens employ for two years, entered this stall about o'clock on Saturday evening to feed him, or for some other reason unknown. A terrible kicking was heard by the other grooms in the stable. They ran to the stall to find Johnson lying unconscious on the floor, the sides of the stall torn and covered with blood. and the horse with glaring eyes and frightened look, jumping upon the body and paving with his fore feet The mans | .sl. II E teeth. As the grooms approached the furi- ous animal crouched in terror in the corner E of his stall, and glared upon the disfgured body at his feet. Johnson was removed to Roosevelt Hospital, and at midnight died of a compound compressed fracture of the skull
 The horse had been newly shod on Satur- day morning. and during that operation had been perfectly tractable.
 Johnson leaves a young widow and two children at Al West Thirtieth street. Mr. Ryan, when he heard of the tragedy yester- day, said he would pay all the expenses of the funeral, and started with 1925 subscrip- tion for the benefit of the widow This was added to by MT. Merklen's customers, and amounted to nearly $1OO last night
 After Saturday nights tragedy the horse was fed and watered over the head of the ad- joining stall, and MT. Merklen directed that no one should enter the stall. Mir. Ryan's own groom, James Murray, went to the sta ble to care for the horse in the morning and to take him to Long Branch, whither Mr. Ryan had sent his family, and intended to follow with his saddle horse. Murray was warned against entering the stall, and was told of Johnson's fate He would not heed at all the intimation that the horse was vi- cious. and started for the stall, followed by group of stablemen at safe dis tance. Murray entered the stall with nnk rof,la AL. horses head. In an instant, and without any warning, the frenzied animal struck him down with kick from his hind foot, and then, with frightful energy, jumped upon the prostrate man and with his fore feet trampled his head. The stablemen at hand, who had feared such an attack, quickly dfew Murray out of the stall the frantic horse meantime kicking and jumping upon the man with his fore feet. Murray was taken to Roosevelt Hospital, where he was found to have compound fracture of the skull, almost certain to result in death = The horse was secured by moose passed over his head from the next stall, and bound by ropss held on opposite sides of Him Mr. Ryan was sent for, and he summoned Dr. House, the veterinary surgeon. The horse, firmly secured, was backed out of his stall and led into the street, and Dr. House led him behind his wagon to private stable in F1ftteth street. Since he has been there he nas been quleG, put ms eyes stare wildly and he appears to be much excited.
 Mir. Ryan said that the cause of the sudden frenzy which had seized his horse was mys- tery to him and the horsemen who knew the circumstances. The animal, so far as he knew, had never before shown the least dis position to viciousness. He had asked Dr. House to determine the trouble, even if it should prove necessary to kill the horse for post.mortem examination of his brain The MOrrQu ha co;5 hol from MT. Erastus Corning with a letter. and was thoroughly trustworthy and capable.
 Dr. House said last evening that the horse was stni too much excited to be properly sx- amined. He thought that an abscess mioht have formed over the brain to produce fhe sudden wlldness and frenzy by which the animal had been overcome The only preyi. ous int'mation of any distemper in the horse was pp Saturday morning. when he caught the tropsers leg of one of the attendant Er0omS between his teeth and tore 1t down neszy Inc whole length.