The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1885-01-16
A DEADLY ASSAULT.


Captain PheFsn, the Noted Fenian, Lured
from His Kansas City Home to New
York, Where He Is Fatally Stabbed
The Alleged Cause for the Deed.
New YORK, Jan. 10.-Captain Thomas
Phelan, Superintendent of the Kansas City
Workhouse and famous as Fenian leader,
was wounded yesterday afternoon in the of
fee of O'Donovan Rosa by man giving
the name of Richard Short. The cowardly
deed was committed with a huge knife,
and Captain Phelan is now dying in Cham
bers Street Hospital from seven deep
wounds. The house surgeon said that
Phelan was the worst cut up
man ever brought to the hospital
The Coroner took the dying mans ante
portem statement. The first known of the
murder was when two men rushed down
the stairs of Rossas Office, located on Cham
bers street, followed by Captain Phelap,
bareheaded and almost covered with blood.
He dropped on the sidewalk in front Of the
building and was lying there when, two
minutes later, an officer cameup with Short
in custody, and asked the PROSTATE man if
the prisoner was his asSailant. Phelan rec
ognized Short instantly, raised himself sud-
denly, and, pulling a pistol, fired point
blank at Short. The ball struck match
box in Shorts pocket and did him no harm.
Phelan fell back exhausted, and was taken
away in an ambulance. Short was lodged
in jail.
When Phelan reached the hospital he
rallied sufficiently to tell this story: Last
Saturday week." he said, there was an i'll
terview with myself published in the Kan
sas City Journal. received letter from
John F. Kearney, of 452 West Twenty-nintb
street, of New York, to come here. tel
egraphed Keaney that | would come and
arrived yesterday. [ called on John Kear-
ney at his place of business. Kear-
ney and l called at O'Donovan
Rossa's Office. Rosa was not in. A man
called Rocky Mountain O'Brien came into
the Office of Rosa. He shook hands with
me and shortly afterward left the place. A
mani think his name is Barker-came in
the Office with large knife in his hand.
He struck at me and tried to stab me
in the chest. / was sitting down
at the time He made several
cuts at me and succeeded in stab
bling me several times. | then ran down
stairs sand he stabbed me several times on
the stairs. He was brought before me as /
lay on the sidewalk. | supposed he was
going to stab me again and | shot at him.
Kearney was present when l was stabbed.
There was also two men in RoSSa'S office
at the time. [ do not know who they
We're"
The accepted theory of the assassination
is that Phelan was lured to New York to
meet his death at the hands of Short be-
cause in the Kansas City interview Phelan
had given in detail an account of the at
tempt to blow up the English steamer
Queen at Liverpool, and also the story of
the attempt to blow up the Glasgow rail
way station. UDonovan Rosa reprinted
the interview in his paper, the United
Irishnlnn, and it caused quite a sensation
among the dynamite fraternity in this city.
Richard Short is known as the ''Avenger.
1t was he who attempted to XIII Jim Nc
Dermott in a saloon in this city in 1882 Tor
the reason that McDermott was supposed to
have betrayed the Irish cause and because
he was alleged to be British spy.
Captain Phelan refused all spiritual adj
vice, declaring that he was a follower of
Bob Ingersoll. In June, 1888, Phelan
went to Ireland on a visit to friends,
and it was during his stay there that
lnformer Carey was killed by O'D0nnell.
For a time Phelan was supposed to be
ODomell, and the English detectives
hunted him down only to find their mis-
take. He was one of the originatorS of the
skrmshing fund. and is supposed to be the
famous No. mentioned by Carey in his
confession. 1t is said that Short was one
of the men driven out of Ireland by Jim
McQermott. Among Captain Phelan's eff
fecfs are a number Of letters from Chicago
Irishmen, Communication ticket between
Chicago and Kansas City, and "a large sum
of money.
Warrants have been issued for O'Dono-
van Rosa, John F. Kearney, "Rocky
Mountain" O'Brien, and other dynamite
leaders. The police are confident that
there was deep-laid plot behind the as
sassinaton, and that a great sensation in
dynamite circles will be unearthed to-day.
John T. Kearney is wanted by the English
police for the Glasgow explosion, and there
is $40, 900 reward offered for him.