Omaha daily bee., 1884-09-08
MIDNIGHT MELEES.
Two StabbiIg ARRAYS in This City in
One Night.
Mike Murphy Seriously, if Not Fatal.
ly Nounded-Tom O'Brien Cut
i'm the Arm,

Early Saturday evening a stranger en-
tered Sam Beatty's saloon on Twelfth
between Douglas and Farnam and asked
the proprietor to keep his pistol for him
until called for, at the same time pass
Ing 1t over the counter. Shortly after
II o'clock the same night the stranger
re.appeared and asked Beatty for his re.
volver saying he was then ready to 90
home. While he was putting the pistol
in his pocket Larry Casey, an unsavory
character well known to the police of
the city, Mike Sullivan and a man nam.
ed Todd entered the saloon, which at the
time was nearly filled with men. Casey
seeing the man pocketing his revolver
said, 81 can make a gun play as quick
as anybody" in a very in
sulting and defiant manner.
In a moment a general fight, caused
by this remark, took place between the
party headed by Casey and a party of
seven or eight strangers who happened at
that time to be in the front of the saloon.
Casey was knocked down, kicked and
terribly beaten in theE melee, his face be-
ing pounded almost beyond recognition
by his friends. Todd and Murphy, see
ing the same fate awaited them, started
for the front door, but knocking over the
screen against it, were unable to make
their exit. They then tried the side en-
trance. Todd gained the street all right,
but Murphy ran directly into the same
crowd on the outside, and after being
beaten and kicked by them, was given a
stab in the abdomen by a pocket. knife,
making a deep and probably fatal
wound. Murphy broke away from his
antagonists and ran down Douglas street
to the United States hotel, where he sank
down from exhaustion. Here he was
found by a stranger, who called the police,
The wounded man was taken to the city
Jail, where his wound was dressed by
Doctors Crowell and Ayers. He was.
later in the night, removed to st. Joseph's
hospital, where he now lies. Yesterday
evening he was feeling quite comfortfort-
able and was able to converse freely. He
denies having completely in the fight, but
says it was started by Casey, who at
tempted to carry it through alone. The
physicians think it highly improbable
that he will recover as it is thought III
Aamstion will ensue.
Murphy is a young Irishman who has
been in this country only four years.
He has been at work until a few davs ago
for a man named Elmore beyond the
lead works, since which time he has been
doing nothing,
. Casey was taken by the police to the
city Jail, but was released yesterday
morning. 1t appears hat he was con-
siderably intoxicated Saturday night and
was taken part way home shortly before
the fight by a policeman.
Beatty, the proprietor of the saloon,
was also arrested for completely in the
crime, it being thought at the time that
he handed the pistol to the stranger to
use, but on making his statement Of how
it happened was also released.
The fight had no sooner ended than
all the combatants with the exception Of
Casey fled in different directions and wee
lost In the darkness. One of them, how
ever, was pursued down Eleventh past
the Elkhorn house where he was caught
but escaped from his captor by leaving
half of his alpaca coat behind.
m Murphy says he never saw these men
before but could identify the one who
stabbed him.
A SECOND ARRAY.
Shortly after eleven o'clock Saturday
night a man with his right arm all cover
ed with blood entered DR.. Swetnam's
office and said he had come for surgical
aid. Upon examination it was found he
had been stabbed through the tleshy part
of the arm by a sharp knife. The man,
whose name is Tom O'Brien, and is an
an employee of Pat Gibbon, said he was
in the saloon on the southwest corner of
Twelfth and Douglas, when he was set
upon by three or four roughs who, be-
sides beating him, had stabbed him as
before stated. His wound upon examin'
alton, was found to be in no wise dan
gerous: The nerves, however, leading to
the two last fingers were severed, which
viii cause him to lose their use.