The evening world., 1890-08-09
HIS ACCUSER Is DEAD.
LIVERPOOL JACK" MAY Be
CHARGED WITH HOMICIDE,
CORONER MESSENGER PERFORMS DETEC-
TIVE WORK.

to Wards island to He Identins d,
hut Reilly Was Cold in Death-TL, e
Autopsy VIII BE Performed To-Day
and mn Inquest VIII Follow.
What may prove to be murder was dis
covered late Thursday night by Coroner
Michael J. II. Messemer. He unearthed the
evidences Of the brutal crime by procuring
from dying man valuable ante-mortem
statement. 4 few hours later the man died.
SO promptly did Coroner MESSENGER ace the
necessitv for quick action. that, hardly had
the breath left the body of the victim before
the man he had charged with assaulting
him was lodged safely behind the prison
bars.
The story of the assault given in the ante
mortem statement, was told exclusively in
yesterdays WORLD, and at 3.3O yesterday
morning the man died.
The dead man was William Reilly, long
shoremOn, and the man who is charged with
his murder is John Fitzpatrick. more widely
known as Liverpool Jack"
At about half-pRst nine o'clock Thursday
night William Brooks, q brother-in-law Of
Reilly, accompanied by ex-Alderman
Patrick Mccarthy. drove hurriedly to the
residence Of Coroner Messemer, at No. 1bO
Second avenue. The doctor was not
at home, so they waited until he
arrived, half an hour later. Brooks
showed the Coroner telegram from
DIR. Stewart, the Superintendent
of the HOMEOPATHIC Hospital on Wards
Island, announcing that Reilly was dying.
Alderman Mccarthy explained that the
cause of the visit was to ask his influence in
getting them on the island and in the hos
pital. They wanted to get his last will and
see if they could do anything for his comfort.
Coroner MESSENGER promised his influence and
said he would accompany them. The Coro-
ner. with his assistants, Jacob F. Lehman
and Matthew NJ. Hart. started with the two
men for the ferry at One Hundred and Fiji
teenth street. Upon their arrival at the river
front they were told that the ferryman had
made.his last trip, SO they obtained small
boat and rowed across the river to the is
land
On the way over Brooks mentioned to the
Coroner that he believed Reilly had received
his injuries from falling downstairs. The
Coroner then said he would make an ex-
animation. When the party arrived at the
hospital they were admitted by DIR. Mmc-
lachlan, the house surgeon, who permitted
Alderman Mccarthy by the bedside. Brooks
went over to the cot and. touching Reilly on
the shoulder, said: "Hallo. Bill! Do you
know me?"
The mans form was bent and his teeth
were locked tight. but he turned slowly aud
replied
YES. Bill. know you. but 1 guess I'm
done for.
The moor FalIouv o.aoaJ l,at,vaan
word and his articulation was very indis-
tinct. Brooks then asked him il he could
do anything for him or il he wanted any
thing done. Reilly replied in the negative !
and Coroner Messemer began an examina-
ton. He found the mans temperature |
o6H degrees, respiration so and the pulse |
running from 14O to 100. The man was
suffering greatly from lockjaw and as he |
kept rubbing his right thigh almost con-
stantly the Coroner asked him il he had any |
pain there.
Yes, gasped Reilly, Liverpool-Jack
e-kicked-me-there."
The name of Liverpool Jack acted like an
electric shock on Coroner Messemer.
" What is his right name ?" he asked.
John Ftz-pat-rick, slowly came the
reply; then, gasping, 'and he kicked me
ON the fnger-and broke it,"
Tie broken finger had been the cause OF
the lockjaw, and Coroner Messemer at once |
sent for the other men Th9 were waiting
men, and then calling for some paper, tool
the mans ante-mortem statement Thu
only through perseverance, that his state
ment was obtained. He would gasp and |
choke at every word. and had to be allowed |
a rest between questions.
THE ANTE-MoRTEM STATEMENT.
AtVar
civ Gnd COsHfy IF N.1 York a.; -,
Ante -mortem statement Of william Reilly, |
2. How old are your
A. Thirty six years.
Z. william Shhs rs EkeIiig. EkSIii GAms'
I. 10. SSa'7s 7s qS %ssss sG9 atnsst. niSs.
y. What Is your Occupationf
y. Do you 6eiieVs that you are now about to
A. Yes.
Y. Hsye you any hopes OF recovery from the
c eneets Of the injury you have receivsdi
Q; Are You willing to make true statement as
TO how. where and when you came by the in
1Iiss nov received and from which you are no"
A Yss. Certainly, Lvss kicked by Liye.Eo9l
hand. The Eici broie my lldsI 1nger. He also
corner of The Wilmington a an and '01sssri Morris
IAGSR .fs ssss S JACK last ng
5hcA WAS partly Al tue time lie |
kicked me, asked Tor q drink at the bar, !
asked for lager beer. then went TO go out OF
me door when Liverpool Jack and two oth'ns
followed me and threw me out Of the dooT I'D
nnoS % ked me down. and when Iwas down Liv'H-
WILLIAM REILLY,
sworn before me this 9TH day of August. 1890.
n. J. b. MEssEAER. Coroner, |
As Reilly scratched the little cross which I
stood for his nHme on the end OF the docu-
ment the pen dI opped from his hand and he
tell back unconscious. IL was thought that
he WAS dead, but the physicians succeeded in
reyiVinR HIM. He WAS very feeble, however,
aud could do nothing more than Rroan un-
lntelligible replies TO the questions put to
hlm by his brotheT-in-lAW
lhe Jury lost NO time in consulting and
hSsuly drew up the following stAtement,
which was Immediately signed by al;
We, the undersigned Jurors, after being
duly sworn and having heard the stlteme ut
ot Villain Reilly. now suffering from n |
,nrles OF the left hand at the Homeopsthl lc
Hospital on Wards Island, made before
Coroner Michael j. b. Messemer. OF New York
NY and County, at above hospital on Aug. z,
$40, agree that the said William Reilly came
10 his Injuries. consisting OF : broken finger
pm the left hand which caused lockjaW, at the
hands Of Liverpool Jack, otherwise known
-s John Fitzpatrick. in the front part OF the
saloon AZ the southeast corner OF Washing
ION and motifs streets, 9 week ago last Sat-