The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1889-11-10
RELICS OF MANY CRIMES
Queer Weapons, with His
tories, in the ProSecu-
tors Cabinet.
THEY RECALL HORRID DEEDS.
There's Many An Awful Warning in
This Strange Collection.

Many times have visited the office of
Prosecutor Winfield and gazed on his
museum Of criminal curiositfes collected
by him and other Prosecutors. They are
many, and all have a history. Not a
bogus jimmy or crushed skull in the
cabinet, and every pistol or knife, club or
gun there has done its work, and effect
lively too.
CHANGING at them yesterday with more
than ordinary interest, | enquired of De-
tective Stanton if there was any par
ticular history connected with piece of
silk and some weapons hanging together.
and he replied:,"About ten years ago
'BigMike' Shanahan, Bill Scanlon, Shee-
han, Fernell Cassidy and two others
were arrested as river pirates.
In one or their depredations they broke
into the Bremen dock store house and
stole $1,000 worth of silk. They were
CAPTURED after a desperate fight by De-
tectives Stanton and Foley, and after a
hard legal struggle were convicted. Each
was sentenced to term of ten years at
State Prison.
"They were defended by ex-Judge Nc
Dermott and Congressman McAdoo and
prosecuted by Chancellor McGill.n
What story is attached to this bar of
steelp" / asked, pointing it out in the
case.
1T sent Patrick O'Hern to State Prison
for manslaughter, he answered, adding,
you see this O'Hern and fellow la
borer, while at work at the steel works,
quarelled and fought In the fight
O'Hern hit his antagonist on the head
with the bar and he died several weeks
after.
1.-THE culprit fled to Ireland, and traced
him there and caused his arrest. He got
two and one-half years at State Prison
and died while there"
A A
THAT odd-looking watch there in the
cabinet, suppose, has caused some one
trouble" | commented, pointing out an
old-fashioned railroad watch.
"You are right there" said Mr. Stanton
'That watch is said to be responsible for
the deaths of number of emigrants. 1t
was worn by telegraph operator about
fourteen years ago while he was ON
duty at the west end of the Erie railroad
tunnel.
"He failed to give the proper signal of
danger and collision followed. You see
the watch is stopped at eleven O'Clock
and the telegraph operator produced it
in evidence to prove that he was not to
blame, but the engineer of one of the
trains and Others proved that the watch
had been stopped too soon, and that it
had been done purposely to cover negli-
gence.
'tThe operator got ten years. He is
out now and living respectable life, and
for that reason don't want to mention
his namen
While we are on time, tell me, 2 said,
what the face Of that old clock in there
has DONE"
Nothing but commit an infanticide,n
was the calm response.
"How?'
zone night a drunken man named
Reilly went to his home and quarrelled
with his wife. He became enraged at
some remark of hers and while she held
the babe in her arms he seized the clock
from the Inantel and threw it at her.
sit struck the child instead and killed
it. When / arrested him and he was
tried it was clearly shown that he did not
intend to injure the babe and he was con-
victed Of manslaughter He served
term of eight years at State Prison.
'Those brass finger rings" said I,
pointing to number of them in the case,
shave they history"
"They sent negro to State Prison for
five years. His name was White. He
was a swindler. He would take num-
Der of rings, polish them up and have
initial letters engraved on them
"Then he would go to houses and say he
was destitute, and wanted to return to
Virginia, and ask for loan on the ring.
Seeing the initial letters on 1t the women
usually believed his story and advanced
him money. He was the best colored
swindler ever arrested"
POOR NINA MULLER's SKULL.
''Whose skull is that which has the
frontal bone crushed imp next asked.
why that is Nina Muller's. who was
killed by Martin Kankowski back of
Weehawken a number of years ago He
was hanged for it. These gloves you see
here were the ones he wore to keep the
blood from his hands when he crushed
the skull of the unfortunate woman with
q large stone.
"There is positive proof now that Kans-
koWski was married to the woman two
hours before he killed her, and that they
had lived as man and wife on Second av-
enue, New York, for several weeks be-
fore the tragedy.
"He was there known as Keller. He had
at the time a wife and three children,
| who lived at West Forty-ffth street. You
will remember he took the girl to lonely
place on the hill and killed her.
"He was captured within forty-eight
hours after the deed was committed, by
the aid of u reporter, who worked on the
case with me- He was only six months
and one day in this country when exc
cuted IL is said that he killed man in
Alaska before he came here. While
Nina Muller lay dead at the Morgue
Kankowski called to see her twice"
| A DEATH AND A TEMPERANCE LECTURE.
'"rhat is peculiar candlestick, +" said /,
| pointing out leather strop with tin
recepllcle III ~ tOr tne purpose VI HolulnR
| a candle.
st is and it caused a death and tenn
| perance lecture. One Scharnagle. who
was employed in the brewery of Kohler
| & Kamena over dozen years ago, quar-
relied with Hans Stable. fellow work
man.
while the latter was asleep Scharnagle
placed a quantity of kerosene oil on his
Clothes and then put this lamp where,
after burning a certain time, it would set
| fire to the clothes His calculations were
| correct and the man was burned to death.
| "At his trial expert testimony on beer
| was given. and number of witness testi-
| fed that fifty glasses day was but ordin-
airy drinking, and in fact that the EN-
ployes drank beer at the brewery as
! freely as the farmer at the well, and were
no more intoxicated. The accused man
| got off with ten years at State Prison."
| AN OLD MUSKET.
| 81 pointed out II musket of ancient
pattern and asked its history.
at belonged to Christion Schroeder, of
1 Union Hill. He was q wealthy man and
| lived with his wife in one of his houses,
part OF which he rented. He quarrelled
one night, several years ago, with q
tenant and killed him with the musket.
1.-The tenants name was PAIL.
| Schroeder was convicted Of murder In
| the second degree and sentenced to a
| term of eighteen years atiState Prison.
| When sentenced he was tfty-eight years