The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-12-06
THE DEATH OF A Tough.
Policemen and Doctors Tell
the Story of Cost1gan'S
Last Hours.

san. it is claimed, In self defence. The
same motley rhrong filed Cooper Hall
where the inquest was being held.
The first witness was Policeman Will
lam Dawson. or the First precinct. He
testified as follows:-"i live at No. 1876
Grand street. / did not know the de-
ceased. About nine O'Clock on Monday
night was summoned with the patrol
wagon to the scene of the fgnt. Police
man Braumwould and Pendergrast were
also there. We heard that somebody
was cut and we tried TO find
who did the cutting. While |
was standing on Colgate street a
woman asked me to go and see her son-in
law. who was cut. She took me to the
house where Richardson lived. / asked
her If this was the man that was cut. She
said yes and showed me wound on the
right thumb. In the meantime Police
man Braumwold came in the house
where was. He asked the young man
II his name was Richardson. He said it
was, and Richardson Was put under ar
rest. Richardson said he cut somebody,
but he did not know who. He was viii
ing to go TO the station house. He also
told me that he and his wife were going
along with a friend when the gang on the
corner of Second and Colgate streets In
suited them. l also saw bag Of sugar
which he said was knocked out of his hand
in the fight. He said that after he went
in the house some OF the gang went mp
and fired stones into the window. He
also said that there were four or five of
the gang who jumped on him. Policeman
Pendergrast made the arrest He said
that he had done the stabbing to save
himself and that the knife did not bel long
oata fu "a "A
OF the house without being insuited by
the gang"
POLICEMAN PENDERGEAsT's STORY.
Policeman Hugh Pendergrast, of No.
119 Bright street. and attached to the
First precinct. testified rs tolIows;-"On
the evening Of November "a / was stand
ing on the corner of Monmouth and
patrol wagon rattling up Second
street. 1t was on my post, and / ran up
after 1t. When / got to the corner OF
Colgate and Second streets, heard that
there was somebody cut with a knife. l
heard his name was Costigan. l went
over TO what they call the village and
met Costigan's father. He said he heard
his Bon was cut, and that he had gone to
a drug store. | started down the street
aud met Policemen Braumwold and
Dawson. As soon as / heard that Rich
ardson had done the cutting and that he
lived at the corner of Third street, went
there and arrested him. He was booked
as my prisoner. because it is a courtesy TO
have the prisoner booked to the man
on post. | went to Costigan's
house the next day. He was lying on a
sofa. asked him how he felt. He said
pretty bad. / asked him If he would be
able to appear in court. A note from DIR.
Mclaughlin stated that Costigan would
be unable 10 appear. On Saturday morn
ing Judge Stilsing paroled the prisoner.
About an nonr afterward Richardson
was arrested again. Ia arrestinQ Richard
son the first time he acknowledged stab
bing Costigan. but said he had done it in
self defense. He said the gang had in
suited him and his wife. The knife he
said he had lost in the struggle"
Policeman Harrison White was the
next witness. He testified:-'-I knew the
deceased. At one O'Clock last Saturday
morning Sergeant Snow and myself took
Richardson from the station house for
the purpose of having him identified by
Costigan- While going up Wayne atreet
Sergeant Snow asked Richardson how he
came to do the stabbing He said he was
assaulted by a crowd at the icorner OF
Second and Colgate streets. He fought
them until he was cut on the thumb. He
said that then he took his knife out of
his pocket and stabbed somebody, he did
not know who at the time. When we
err He said:-'You are almost too late,
boys; the lad is unconscious We
went upstairs. We found Costigan
lying on his left side with his face tow
ards the wall. The sergeant tried TO get
him to recognize someone in the room.
All he did was 20 moan and rub his hand
across his forehead He appeared TO be
In great agony. He did not know any
body At last the sergeant said, John
ME, if you recognize Frank Richardson
raise YOUR hand Cosugan moved his
head and pointed his finger at Richard
son at the foot of the bed. We then took
Richardson back TO the station house"
THE DOCTOR DESCRIBES THE WOUND.
Dr. Thomas j. Mclaughlin, of No. 55SJz
Jersey avenue, testified;-"I knew de-
ceased. He came into my Office on Mon
day night, November "a. and asked me TO
dress his wound. examined 1t and found
that il had bled freely. Ii did not strike
me as being a fatal or severe wound. IL
was located on the lower end of the mas
told process and extended backward an
inch and quarter from pasterior edge Of
the large muscle transverse TO the axis
of the neck / dressed the wound. His
father urged me TO see him next morn
ing, did and the next day found it had
swelled l redressed it. On the next day
l learned that the patient had chill. /
took out the stitches that l
had found in the wound as l
found it more swelled than on the
previous morning. On doing so such a
large quantity of matter flowed that /
was convinced that the kuite had pene-
trated the brain or spinal cord. / re-
dressed the wound and treated for in
fammation of the brain. On Thursday
the wound was less swelled. but contIn-
ued to discharge freely. The neck be-.
came stiff and the patient was at times
delirious On Friday did not see him,
but DIR. Smith did. / called to see him
on Saturday morning. He was semi
conscious and his left arm was par
alyzed. We decided to hold consulta-
tion for an operation. We agreed
that it was advisable to open the wound
and let it drain freely in the hope that it
might relieve the brain. We did so and
il was then learned of the very serious
nature Of the wound. On introducing
my finger il passed along the track OF the
wound, which was inward, backward and
downward, and the Tip of the finger en-
tered between the first spine and the base
of the skull, showing that the membrane
surrounding the cord had been cut. We
were convinced that the case was almost
hopeless. We dressed tie wound, put in
a drainage tube and gave directions about
treatment and left. l did not see the pa
tient again. He died that night
DR. Matthew ]. Smith, of No. S2S First
street. testified that he was called TO Cos
tigan's house on Friday morning. He
advised that spiritual adviser be sent
for Immediately At tnis point the in-
quest was adjourned until next Friday
night.
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