Grand Rapids morning telegram., 1885-01-10
CAPT. PHELAN KILLED.
A BLOODY AFFRAY IN NEW YORK.
The Famous lrishman Stabbed al
O'Oonovan Rossa's Office An
Ante-Mortem Statement.

4 ntted frtsiHtda. In few seconds after
ward man covered with blood. tottered
down stairs 10 the hallway, and sank on the
walk In stream. Most intense excitement at
front stOOp while his blood covered the side
once took place and crowds focked TO the
scene. Several officers rushed up, and,
seeing a few men making toward Chambers
street, City Hall place, followed them. One
of them, a tall man. was captured and
brought back TO where the dying man was
lying. is this the man who
stabbed your" asked the officer. "Yes,
that's the man, said the bleeding man, but
by Heavens ii l am going to die/ III die
game and there will be two of u.s. With
that, and before the bystanders could real
ize his intentions, he drew a revolver and
fired two shots In rapid succession at the
man standing before him. One of the balls
took effect In the thigh of his woEld-be-
murderer. This still further increased the
excitement, and the neighborhood became
wild with all sorts of rumors. The man
who was stabbed proved TO be
Captain Thomas u. Phelan, of Kansas
City, aged forty-nine His assailant who
he says stabbed him, gave the name of Rich
ard Short, sol Tenth avenue. An ambulance
was summoned and Phelan was taken to the
dition. He is stabbed in the neck and
breast and other places. There were rumors
that he gave away some of the secrets of the
tenian Organization. printer named
Smldt, who has composing room on the
same floor, next to Rossa's Office said: 81
was standing at my work when | sud-
denly heard noise in Rossa's
office like the upsetting of tables,
followed by loud and angry words and
curses. This continued for some seconds
when something heavy was thrown against
the wall, I man cried out something that
sounded like Help but | am not sure
whether that was the word or not Then the
door was banged open and four men ran
down stairs, each trying to push the other
out of his way Blood was trickling down
the face of the last man. They were
halfway down the stairs when the
man with blood trickling down his
face got the lead of the Others
then ran to and opened the window to our
Office, which looks out on Chambers street
Then L saw man with blood on his face on
the sidewalk put his hand to his pocket, pull
out iLrevolyer and fire at one of the men.
he must have been shot because he pulled
up his coat, placed his hand to his back and
stumbled forward as If he was going to fall.
policeman on the corner caught him by
the shoulder and arrested him. Ibid you
see O'DOnovan Rossa among the four men?"
Il can't say that did" ''Was Joyce one of
themW II don't know him." do you
think you could tell the other two men if you
saw them! NO" Moses Price, of 73
Bayard street, was standing on the sidewalk
and telling some of the crowd how the shoot
ing occurred. A policeman near by heard the
remarks and took Price to the station to hold
him as witness. The police claim to have
letter from Rosa to the wounded man,
telling him to come on to New York to his
Office, that he had important business for
him to attend to. Phelan was asked if he
wanted a minister or priest. "No," he replied
II don't want any body, don't believe in any
eligion am follower of Ingersoll." The
ews of the stabbing and shooting spread
rapidly, and inquiries were made on all sides
as 10 who Phelan and Short were. Phelan
appeared to be known to many men as iden
titled with the Irish revolutionary move
ments. Rossa was condemned by number
of his compatriots for giving publication in
his paper this week to an interview printed
in the Kansas City Journal purport-
ed TO be had with Phelan, giving
a detailed account of the operations
of dynamiters in England. Threats were
made against Rossa's Life, and it was said
his immediate friends had determined TO
form body guard to protect him. Short
was said to have come to this country in 1882
aad shot atJim McDermott in Captain Ryan's
bar-room In Chambers street. He is said to
be native of Cork. He was one of the
principal leaders of the movement directed
by O'Donovan Rosa. The long interview in
the Kansas City Journal, published
by Phesan lately, said that in
June, 1855, Captain Phelan started
on voyage to Ireland. His absence was
made notable by the fact that during his So
iourn in Ireland Carey, the informer. alias
Powers was shot by Patrick O'Donnell
The description given by ODonnell tailed
almost identically with that of Capt. Phelan.
and for several days it was believed here that
@ Donnell was an alias for Phelan and that
the Captain himself had been selected to kill
carey. Capt. Phelan returned safe. but
narrowly escaped being transported for life.
In an interview he gave an account of an
attempt TO blow up the steamer Queen" at
her Liverpool dock, also of an attempt To
blow up the Caledonian railway station at
6iasg0w and mentioned the names of the
men engaged IN these schemes. He
also gave away the manner in
which the mechanical forces were used
Phelan was one of the originators of the
skIrmishing fund and was at one time sus-
pected of being the famous number one"
mentioned by the inforner Carey in his evi-
dence. He has been an Irish Nationalist all
his life and has always been prominent in
Irish revolutionary matters. Short is said to
be one Of the lrIshmen driven 20 America by
the treachery of James McDermOtt. of Brook
lyn. who u now believed - be in the pay of
the British government a. n SPY.
Phelan made an anfe-rtorfem statement
before the coroner Tie said he arrived in
this city at noon to-day IN response 10
letter from John I. keaFney. ta2 West
Twenty ninth street. met kearncy. and
went with him 10 Rossas Office: Rossa was
not in. man named Rocky Moun-
tain, OBrien came in and shook
hands with them. o'Rrisn then lelt
man, whose name he thought was BARKER
came IN and commenced sfahhing him
kearuey and tvo men. whom he did not
know. we're present fhelan was terribly
cat and cannot live. upopovau Ro,ssa was
seen tos night and disciairns anv knowleffrn
~ the affair and seemed surprised