Morning journal and courier., 1884-10-09
DIR. ZINK,s AssAILANT.

Robert Doherty Suspected-The TeII-
 Tale Tracks - Excitement Running
 High In Branford-TaIk Of LyneIlIng
 the CuIprit.
 BRANFoRD, Oct. s.-Never before has the town of Branford known such excitement as exists here now over the cowardly and ter rible assault on Dr. Zink on Tuesday night, an account of which appeared in your col umns yesterday. No other subject is talked
 about. Even politics have for the moment lost their interest. The town is raised to the fever height. Although Dr. Zink had many
 enemies, he is now given universal sympa-
 thy. Threats of lynching the man Doherty,
 who is suspected of the murderous assault,
 have been made during the day, but things
 have calmed down somewhat this evening
 and excited individuals are getting cooler.
 But there is an unusually deep feeling of in
 dignation at the cowardly manner in which
 Dr. Zink's assailant stole into the room where
 he was sleeping with his head leaning on the
 table before him, whereon lay his only par
 tially eaten supper, and dealt him terrible
 blows on the head with an axe. It is cer-
 tainly one of the worst crimes that have ever
 been perpetrated in this State, and there is
 no punishment too severe for the ruffian who
 did it.
 Dr. Zink has remained conscious nearly all
 the time and has made some remarks to his
 affrighted wife and little boy and girl. He
 certainly shows wonderful power and this
 afternoon his physicians have expressed some
 hopes for his recovery When the coach
 man, Dave Beaudet, opened the door and T,, IL d. blood exclaiming, My God! somebody has
 struck me, he was terribly frightened and soon called the neighbors. J. s. Moore, who lives next door, was the first to arrive, though J. Hutchinson, w. T. Robinson, Sheriff Nettleton and Town Clerk Steadman camo immediately. Drs. Gaylord and Ken ny were sent for, and Sheriff Nettleton tele- phoned about one o'clock to Coroner Boil man at New Haven. The doctors examina- ton showed hole in the left occipital bone and two scalp wounds of some leng th. The scalp was badly lacerated. The skull was fractured. A number of pieces of bone were taken out.
 When Coroner BoIlman arrived he with Deputy Sheriff Nettleton carefully examined the premises and found in the sand foot prints of bare feet which pointed towards and from the house. Doherty's house was visited at 4 o'clock and he was taken into GUS tody and brought to Zink's house, where it was found that the impressions made by his bare feet tallied with those in the sand. Tracks were also found leading from Zink's house across the meadows to the railroad track, where from that point in the direc- tion of. Doherty's house are prints of boots into which Doherty's nicely fit. The footprints were found to be 1015 inches in length and were marked by peculiarity, the impress on made by the big toe being ir- 71aI 111ro 151171 +I,af fOO4 Do he15y is lame and cannot take very long steps. All these peculiarities tallied with the footprints in the sand, they being only about twenty inches apart.
 Doherty says he left the saloon he was in at 10:30 o'clock, and went directly home His wife, before leaning of her husbands statement, said it was 1:45 o'clock when he came in. The saloon keeper says he closed up about 10 o'clock. He had two drinks of whiskey there, and told Grand | Juror Van Sands confdentially that l E'Dr Zink would not be driving his span | around three months from now" He also | made similar statement to John Donovan I Edward Flaherty was talking with him 8 few moments after he came out of the saloon, \ when he started for home in an opposite di-
 rection from the doctors house.
 ! Peter Coffee, of Stony Creek, and John l Linsky, of Guilford, were also under sus- picion, but they have accounted for their whereabouts satisfactorily.
 1 Dr. Zink's two dogs were loose and were probably away at the time the assault was l committed. If Doherty committed it he
 could have passed dow the railroad track, passed up through 8 vacant lot and looked
 in the window, sew the doctor sleeping and | improved his opportunity.
 | Doherty is an ill-looking Irishman and
 has been considered by lLany tough cus- toner. He is forty-five years old, has red struggling beard and long matted hair, and drinks heavily at times. He is not a man to
 forget an injury and he thought himself
 much injured by Justice Zink, who fined | him on Friday for assault and drunkenness. l Dr. Gaylord said he was satisfied that the blows were delivered with an axe, and
 search was made for such an implement on I the doctors premises. From the hostler it
 was learned that dull axe usually lay at the back door. It was found and upon it were | two hairs which corresponded in color with l those on the victims head. Blood stains were also found upon the handle. The hostler says he went to bed before the doctor
 returned. He was first awakened by sound
 as if the house was shaking. He jumped ] out of bed and looked out the window, and seeing nothing he returned.