New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-06-01
4 DRUG CLERK MURDERED
WORK OF AN UNKNOWN ASSASSIN


ro,,o clerk i'm the employ OF
John .. 'sa.s oa. druggist at No. 100 Hudsonst.,
Henry D oiA ,ors yesterday morning a little after
'.s, ven when he approached the place ne saw wv
n,v man standing IN front OF the door ono ,oa VI
,d 70 him "The doors open, but thero isu ,ont
g., the store" To his surprise sauer founa 'ha' ,no ~
a.. was standing wide open, sput 'na' 'u'
uoo' 80 hack mart OF the store ieao'
a'o' ,.a CLAIMING room of Richard ID. Hahos'
,o. an the store at night, was closed anu tne 90"
.as ,urned ON at full head Sauer followed oy 'no Nv"
voung men, who were strangers W iin' w w ., ,vore
and the clerk proceeded to the back room W ""A
mn Hands, who he supposed had oVersiep' ~, ~ .xc,o
AS he opened the door he started oacA mi'l - hor
-, =, the sigbt which met his eyes. HANDS was nan
a.,,na half living I'm an armchair, witha gapihs "0u
over his right eye. His throat had peen ouV naoS
from ear 70 ear and his head was hanging o'oi w s.
of the chair. The floor for space oi WV uauod
.aoh side of the chair was coNoioU
on 1900 n,ood which had evidently flowed from
W. Ian n the throat The unfortunate man was iui'
ssd ana as his cot bed had not been ds'"rpsu' t.
,ssred as II he had been killed before retiring INC h"'
before. .,, souar ran back
stopptpg only to note these things eauer 20" ~ ,n
,, the store and induced the two young men W ~ ~
iA'. :. .,o ,,av After doing so they insisted on
,,rc 49, tha place at once and declined TO give tioii
-. A,ter some persuasion one OF them consehteu W
eo 70 the wife Of the dead man at NO ~ Noi a,n
and inform her OF her husoanu9 rn,,s1,,
sauer In the meantime called IN o,noei ne
Comv and Drs. Messenger, Oh No
W,, =. a,a Dr Robinson, OF No. AZ North Moore's''
.nt for officer Colby reported .he matter ~ 'no
Iaonard street Police Station and an ampuai'oo woe
.eut 70 Chambers Street Hospital ~hen tne
arrived the accompanying surgeon found th"' 'iio na
was dead. and the body cold ana rle'u no asnt to
set down as suicide, and word to that enect was e
., Coroners Office Mr. Crawford was also sent iot'
hut II was after 10 o'clock before no arrNeu ho"i
home No ga West One-hundred-anat"en''so'0 80,
ar He found DR.. Messenger ON paha' anu Vos.'"V.
made as careful an examination as was poss'pe
the arrival of the coroner Ihey oouio uu" "o -
With which the deed could possibly nave ooen
49,. .na casnal examination showed that the wounds
80. a, such a character that Hands could not nave IN
Aicted them himself. reporter present SUI. p ~
70 Coroner Martin and to Deputy Coroner 'ehNu' -
forming them that the case was one OF muruei anu
of suicide and urging their immediate presence n
after3 D. m Deputy Coroner jenkins came ana an exam
,,a,,on ~ the body was made IL was discoVeteu .'
tho back of the mans skull had been mashed 10 Jes
There were four hafincised halflaceratea "ounu' ~
the back of the head ranging iro'n o"V
ouehalf inches to three hehes III 0"s
They had penetrated through the skuii anu
the brain had been lacerated. There was aiso ou o
a., ,gnt eve and the skull was also fractured there'
rha ,hroat had been cut clean across, just apo'e INC
thyroid cartilage, and the head almost se'ereu ~ w
body ALI the blood In the unfortunate man hau
out from the wound In the throat searcn vi tne io
o""AN
Sn,v coroner and Detectives Edward Handy and
Dnnn of the Fifth Precinct but nothing cond pe Iouno
that threw any light on the murder, except Sumo 49,
stains on the door and about the sink, showing 'n
the murderer after committing the deed had gone 10 'o
sinr and washed his hands. In a corner OF the
room was found heavy iron pestle on when were ap
r,reutlv some blood stains II was at first supposed
that tbis was the weapon which had been used put
when the wounds Lad been more careful'y e'al'"eu "
was concluded that they had been inflicted WIN SUM
hatah n a
,,ar The poa,tion of the body and the presence OF
TOO or thrre half-smoked cigarettes on the moor III
deatcd that Hands was dozng In the char a' io ~ .
the murderer entered tho room' laKhs P
behipd his yictim he had evidently s'rucA III"
s,a,shtne blow ON the back OF the head AS the
head sank forward three other blows had Deen stuv'
~ Co. % make assurance douby sure" the
murderer had completed his work by pulhng 'ne nea
back and with single powerful sweep oi sn'P A,o
fnaicting the wound the throat Ihe murue,ei 'N0
walked over to the SINK washed his hahGs paSseu o"I
his victim and went the store. When MI Cra"loiu
- ,hs cash drawer which has combination
rglocs he discovered that the cash taken In on inc
nreyious day, some $40, had disappeared MAXINE ~
apparent that the murderer on his way OUT Ia" '
the money and then opencd tue hoh' "''' W
taking his weapons with him. . IT.
Hands was an Engishman about iory years oi' '
70 this country about eleven years ago. having peeh
an upde r graduate in Apothccaries HAM, Lonuo" %
first went to Danville Va, but was not suo0oss'" W
abont ten years ago came to New-forK ana was o"i'
lvad nv Mr. Crawford He held the position Tor three
wears and then returned TO England Abopt three years
ago he wrote Mr. Crawford that he wouid IKE 10 ooo
,ack 10 New York money sent to him 10 pay MS
own and mis- family's voyage to Ncw-fork' ""iie =.
England he had married and had two chldreh one Vi
whom is now ye years old and the other three ne "
made head clerk IA Mr. Crawfords establishment anu
had always performed his duties IaItnluhy
On January 10 of this year. George Angemitr, the
night clerk who had been In the store iof fo years.
was ed and Mr.. Crawford asked Hahua toSeP
I'm the store Every night his wife, VINO hVed drecuS
across the street, would come In 10 see hil anu .oJ
would have light supper. Handss domestic reIauohs
rera NJ the happest and he passonately fond oi
his wife aud children On Saturday Mr.. Crawford In
sisted that should take half day OH ana sec INC
parade He took oldest OF his children ana ala not
return until the afternoon About o'clock Mr. Craw-
ford left the store in his charge ana went
home At night Hands's wife came In as
us,aI and staid until IL o'clock, when
she left him waiting on woman VINO hah come
in TO make purchase. James Harvey, grocers cierA
emnoyed by j. Etzel Il Brother, at No llS Hnaso-st'
called In 10 see Hands at o'clock He left him about
1i.30 Officer William Mulhoiland, OF the fHth rfe-
c,ust saw the murdered standing in front OF the
store as he passed Immediately after going on auty NJ
midnight and he seen In the store Dy ocer faleA
'Rely of the FftL Precinct, at l22o O'CLOCK 30 Tar
as is known he was not seen aIlVe again
nv ANYBODY except his murderer Ohcer Null
hana tried the door OF several times between
10 o'clock and o'clock and found 1t all right lie
passed the place last time at 5:4O a. H. oncer Ci
ford who had the post from a. m TO a. n trca the
door at t:20 and IL still locked John Ham, the en-
pueer for James Pyle. the soap manufacturer went
as IL mis- usual custom. to get glass OF viehy at m
but found the place shut up. The next man VINO tried
the door was saner who found the door wide open.
. Coroner Martin reached the scene Oh 'he huioer
o,.ut A n m and at impanelled jury
and proceeded to make investigation George Carr,
OF No 43 North Moore-st, informed the coroner that
rn,ne man named Rrincker emploYed by B. Helns, O