Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-07-14
CLEVELAND As SHERIFF..
How He Cut the Cord Which Dropped
Two AIurderers Into Eternity.

How He Cut the Cord Which Dropped
Two 8Iurderers Into Eternity.
just now, says a Buffalo special
to the Cincinnati TimeS-Stdr, Buffalo is
talking Of many things which befeIl its
model Mayor, the States model Governor,
and whom many thousands of warm
personal friends here hope to vote for as
the nations reform President, Grover
Cleveland. 1t was as Sheriff of Erie
county that the Governor became known
in political or official way, and many
interesting anecdotes are told by
those who remember those years. Dur
ing his term of office as Sheriff the Gov
ernOr swung of two men into eternity.
The first one was the notorious Jack Gaff-
ney, a reckless young Irishman, who kept
a saloon at the corner of jackson and
Washington streets, almost opposite the
Courier Office. Gatfney was seated in a
low dive on Canal street, s'Ted"
Sweeney's." PLAYING cards with n kindred
spirit named Patrick Fahey. The two
quarreled over the stakes and Gafney
shot and killed Fahey in cool blood. He
was sentenced by the general term in De-
cember to hang Feb. following.
During these two months there was the
greatest effort made on the part of the re-
pOrters to find out how the condemned
man spent his time, but the Sheriff turned
a deaf ear to them. and not few times
gave them to understand that they
wanted to know too much. He kept
them out OF the jail entirely after a
while, and they were in sore straits.
The interest in the case was in
tensified to the last by the fact
that Gov. Hoffman respited the condemned
man for week, and the most strenuous
efforts were made to get Communication
of the sentence for the condemned. Mean
while the solid old Sheriff was more
rigid in his discipline than ever, and he
even went so far as TO station an old
Dutchman outside with strict orders to
keep reporters OF the premises. This
outside guard was used to re-
lieye the guard inside of Gaffney's
cell, so that he was well posted
on what was going on inside. One
of the reporters, who now, by the way, is
a city editor Of the city, conceived the
idea Of working the grim German SEN
tinel on the outside. He did not try to do
it all at once, but by a skillful working of
his points he became acquainted with him
as the young man who attended the spir-
itual adviser.
BY degrees he became aware that the
grim sentinel had weakness for beer.
Ii was an easy matter after that. for he
cOntriyed to meet him every night after
he was relieved, and together the two
talked over the events of the day in the
Jail over their beverage. The German
was full of information in just the proper
tion that he was full of beer, and the facts
that filed many a breezy column of his
paper were costing the enterprising
news gatherer very dear. Sheriff
Cleveland was wild. He questioned
every one about the Jail, but could get no
satisfaction. At last his eye fell upon the
sentinel, and he was spotted. 1t was the
night before the execution the two were
seen together. That settled it. for in the
morning that sentinel was gone and in
his place was another. Gaffney swung
on the morning Of Feb. Il, 1872.
Many citizens of the city remember the
execution and the Quickness with which
the Governor disappeared after he had
cut the cord. The second execution per-
formed by the Governor while Sheriff was
five months later.
The murderer was one of the most des-
picable wretches that ever deserved a
shameful death-Patric1 MOrrissey. He
lived with his poor old mother in the vi
cinity of the old "Packet Dock" in the
rear of what was known as the Alhambra
/ Theatre. He was a thoroughly heartless
man, and was was given to frequent and
continued debauches, during which he
suNlcCleU MS NCptuuChb luNtucI W tuS
most shameful cruelty. While on one
of these sprees he sought out his moth
er's hOyel and demanded from her the few
pence she had earned by her
/ own exertiOns to buy bread. She re-
| fused, when he struck her to the
/ floor at the time she was cutting loaf of
/ bread for his supper. AS she struggled to
| her feet she said, 'YOu had better kill
/ your mother and be done with it.D AS she
i 10 4
/ from her hands and with the words, II
/ will Kill you then" buried it in her
/ breast, The horror of the matricide made
/ the people Of the city shuddeT, and the
/ jury by which he was tried lost no time in
/ bringing in a verdict of murder In the
I first degree. MOrrissey was sentenced TO
/ be hanged on the 9Th day of September.
/ The execution took place on the day
named, and the present Governor was the
! eXecutioner.