The Jersey City news., 1891-02-27
THB COOKS REVOLVER.
Second Mate Tracy Shot
Like a Dog" on the Deck
of His Schooner.
WILD PURSUIT OF THE MURDERER.
Captain Kelly Scores His First Big
Capture-A Brutal Beat
ing First.

VI. w. Tracey. the second mate OF the
schooner Annie F. Conlon, lying at Pier
4 of the d. I. and W. Railway is at the
City Hospital In a precarious condition
from pistol shot wound behind the
right ear
Joseph Brien an old man, the cook on
the same vessel. is locked up ut the
Second Precinct Police Station, and may
have to answer charge OF murder.
Shortly noon today an excited fellow
dressed in sailors clothes rushed into the
Hoboken Police Headquarter and said
that man had been shot on one of the
boats on the other side of the canal. Ser
geant Tanning sent Detective DAWN and
Policeman Welsh to investigate. When
the police arrived in the yards there was
great crowd gathered there. The officers
pushed their way through and boarded
the schooner on which it was said the
murder occurred
There, on the floor of the cabin, lay
Tracey. He was gasping for breath and
there WAS an ugly hole back of his right
ear, from which the blood oozed.
SHOT LIKE A DOG.
The policeman asked Tracey who did
it. He raised himself on Que arm, and
gasped:-
Joe Brien, the cook. He shot me
down like a dog. He Is in hiding some
where on the boat"
Everybody was then ordered off the
schooner. and Detective Sergeant Rath-
fen of the HoboKen police and several
Jersey City policemen, who had been
summoned, at once began search.
While the policemenwere busy hunting
beneath the deck the cook jumped out
suddenly aud dashed away like the wind.
The crowd which had been standing
outside of the boat attempted to stop
him but he fiourished his revolver and
they fell back. He had fully one hum
aware that he was making his escape.
WILD CHASE.
Then followed an exciting chase. The
yard is full of coal and freight cars and
these hampered the police considerable
Fully two hundred persons joined in the
chase, but Brien. although he is sixty
years old, managed TO elude them all and
he was fiaally lost to sight
1t looked as il he would escape, when
Detective Harney of the D., l. & W. K.
r. espied him beneath freight car, aud,
pointing revolver at him, ordered MIN
10 surrender. A mocking laugh was all
That answered him, and Harney blazed
away, but he did not hit Brien The
chase was then continued up the yards
until Henderson street was reached.
(tptdlu hoAIJp WnO ACfld VA tH0
shooting. was just going into the yard
when he saw Brien coming towards him.
The Captain hid himself until Brien was
within few feet of him, when he
pounced upon him and quicker than a
fash had the bracelets on his wrists.
Brien struggled aercely but he was
subdued and brought to the Second pre-
cinct station house, where he was booked
as Joseph Brien, sixty years old, a cook,
of 178 South street, New York.
Tracey, the wounded man. was brought
to the police station III the patrol wagon.
He was CHASTITY white but was still
conscious. Brien was brought face
TO face with him and Tracey
positively identified him as the man who
shot him. The wounded man was then
taken to the City Hospital, where Captain
Kelly went 10 take his anti mortem state
ment. Besides Brien there are four
others locked up at the Second Precinct
Station. They were On the schooner at
the time of the shooting and are held as
witnesses.
HOW IT HAPPENED.
From the stories OF the witnesses 1t ap-
pears that Tracey and the cook had a
quarrel about some money. Tracey
Knocked the cook down and beat him
severely. After the cook got up he swore
vengeance. and the next thing that was
heard was a shot and Tracey bell
They saw the cook with the smoking
revolver in his hand. They were too
frightened TO attempt TO capture him as
he flourished it about his head and
threatened 10 shoot anybody that inter-
fered with him. Brien says that the
shooting twas accidental He says that
after the quarrel with the second
mate he was about to leave the schooner
and was packing up his clothes: that in
doing this, the revolver. which was in the
pocket of the pants, exploded and the bull
let struck Tracey.
The weapon with which the shooting
was done is at the Second precinct police
station. IL Is a Smith & Messon seven
shooter, only one barrel OF which was dis
charged.