New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-11-26
rIIIED WITH HIS CLEAVER
uopR1BLE MURDER OF A BUTCHER.
,oscrp LITTER PLAYS ANIMroRTANT PART
IN A MYSTERY.


IN MYSTERY.
:, front parlor on the second floor OF his
- house Robert Lyons, tell, powcrinhy
n's handsome young fellow, lies murdered win
panr ;ro wound on the right side OF his neck
sss.adlv blow was inflicted with butchers S
le As 10 who welded the cleaver there Is
a'.,sent only one positive estlmony-LVonss
~ rwords. gasped out as he sank down at MS
% .,.r,s feet. A strong chain OF clrcums'antial
,...s amounting almost TO absolute proof
s,u wa. however, TO Michael Sliney, an asl-cart
p'iA as the murderer. and he is now prisoner
" .he Madson-st. station.
~. murdered man was about twenty-elght
'D "a ond FIVE months ago was married. He
.s Nth his young wife at No. SO Marketst
T.rv wears his father, William Lyons, car
i~ an extensive butchers business at NO.
l Chsryv.st OF late years the elder Lyons
10, s1.o,rc an habitual drunkard, and the store
@o ssnogea almost entirely by Robert, another
I.roes being employed in the city. Chel
80 Pobert's chosen companions both oeiorc
s"0's ,n.s his marriage was Michael Sliney'
a'l.' ssD a,ove wagon for his father Thomas, VINO
SIM oo.l and ash business at No 14l Cherryst'
i11 -. oncosite Lyons's shop. Sliney was accus-
=. .unnlv the LYONS family with COAL and
:, ,b;s fact arises the only discoverable motive
oa' -. mnrder. On the last load of coal de-
m..,.a many weeks ago, there has Been OWING
sur, Of So5. The Slineys, father and son,
~. made repeated attempts TO collect the money
49,, s;led. Every time they called at Lyons
49,. and demanded money there would be nerce
s;snute but generally promises to pay, followed
~ drink. patched up temporary peace
v.,tsrdav afternoon Michael Sliney entered
-. store Robert Lyons at that moment stood
- mtcher's block near the door, chopping some
"a, In the rear of the store was FRANK A.
u,onsister. boy employed by Lyons. waht
.s., eos. and want it quick, see" said Shney 10
I'm. Il have not got the money now, re-
.,;.a Irons. Il will pay you just as soon as
=, cooa and ready" According to Hronsisters
s..smsnt there were more angry words between
~. ,ro men. and then they left the store. ana
,,.r. p,yt door to a liquor shop kept by man
named Hnchey. They were away about hfteen
,;,u,es and then returned. Lying on the Diock
,r tho door was a dirty envelope which
NJ one had noticed before Lyons took up the
.,velone opened it and found inside slip OF
oaner on which were the words, Come TO the
vpstrv AT once-Rev. John b. Kane" Mr.. Kane
ia uastor of ST. Jamess Roman Catholic Church, IN
Oiyerst Giving the note to the boy, Lyons
told him TO run to the veStry with 1t. When the
hey left the store Slincy standing there talk
Ing to LYONS OF what then happened there IS
no living witness except the actual murderer
Scarcely four minutes had passed from the time
that Hronsistcr left the store when old Mrs.
LYONS the dead mans mother, seated in the par
lor at the rear of the store, was stricken into n
PALSY Of terror by the sight of figure covered
with blood which staggered into the room from
the shop At first, in the dim, fading light of the
afternoon she took the form for that OF stranger
Go get DOCTOR" she cried, pushing the man
before her back into the shop. As they reached
the store AiB. Lyons stopped, uttered loud
Shrek, and staggered back against the
wall, for in the light of the gaslet
she had seen the face of her ron.
with the blood streaming from his neck, Lyons
staggered to the door, and leaning against the
WALL slowly sank to the ground. AS he fell, his
mother rushed over to him and caught him by
the arm. For Gods sake tell me who did this,
she screamed. "Mother, mother, Pm killed, y
gosned Lyons Mike Sliney did it, And
with these words he fell back dead
Mrs. Lyons's shrieks brought rush Of people
into the store, and a hurry message was sent tc
the Madison-st. station, which Is only short dis
tapce away. With, few minutes, Detectives
Caln, Mccarthy and StapletOn were securing th(
precinct in search of Sliney. In the meantime
Hronsister had gone to Father kane's house ant
saw in Oliver-st. the hOusekeeper who declared
that such message had been sent from there
The message was shown 20 Father Kane, who al
once declared that the signature to the message
was forgery The boy went back 10 the store
and there found his master lying murdered on the
floor
From the time that Hronsister left him in
Lyonss shop, nothing seen or heard of Sliney
until o'clock, when he suddenly appeared. per
ectly cool and sef-possesscd in the parlOr OF his
fathers home. There he told by his mother
that LYONS had been murdered, and that the
police were securing the neighbOrhOOd for him
You must be ioollng me-" said Sliney. and walked
ont Detectives Stapleton and Mccarthy stood
at the corner of Cherry and Pike sts. when Sliney
came up TO them, and said. am told that the
police are looking for me account Of LyonS's
murder. Well. here am. i know nothing about It,
give myself up lie was taken to Madison st sta
Eon and there found his father and William Lyons
Inc latter had been seen in the street stupid with
drnk and arrested as witness. In reply 10 the
sergeant Sliney said that he had left the store a
lew minutes later than llrOnsister and had
parted good friends with Lyons.
The weapon with which the murder was com
mted was ordinary butchers .ceaver, and
was found, covered with blood, lying by the side
OF The block To Judge by the course of tho
wonnd, II was evident that the murderer had
suuck upward. The hIade of the cleavcr had
entered the brain. What William Lyons was
going just before and after nothing is definitely
snown, and he was either unable or unwilling
"gNe any account of his proceedings.