The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-09-13
A FIGHT UN THE LOFTY ROOF
TWO MONTHS BEFORE QUTLI's CORPSE
" WAS FOUND DOWN THE AIR SHAFT.

All Thought He Had Died ny Accident. Hut
Now the hoy who Knocked Him OF Has
Bcea Arrested ana Has Confessed.
Thomas Fahey and George Lerch. who live
at II Morris street. were playing ball on tho
root Of the fivc-story bonded warehouse at SO
Washington street on the afternoon OF April
10 last. The ball rolled away from them and
fell down the air shaft between the warehouse
and the tenement at 80 Washington street.
1t is a dark hole. into which the suns rays fall
FOR only n little time once every day.
The boys looked for their plaything at the
bottom Of the pit. When they had accustomed
their eyes TO the darkness they could distin-
guish the form OF a human body far below
them. 1t lay upon its back. with the legs close
together, the left arm at the side and the right
arm folded across the breast. The boys had a
hook and line. and they attempted by means
OF 1t to pull up tho body. but the string was
not strong enough.
After this Lerch and Iahoy went to tho
Church street station and told Capt. Slevin
what they had seen. Policeman Cornell was
sent around to Investigate. and after much
difficulty. for the iron shutters OF the ware
house had to be forced open on the ground
floor. the body was taken out into the street
and thence to the station house.
1t proved to be the corpse Of n boy OF Is. and
he had been dead for n long while. Inquiry
among the neiglibors soon elected the infor-
nation that Harry Quill Of 45 Washington
street had disappeared on the afternoon OF
FeD. 10. and when Mrs. Quill saw the body she
identified It AZ that Of her missing son. The
police OF tho boys disappearance was that
Harry Ind talked Of ,eniis!ing on the school
ship st. ;, MARI , lily, wh t;,n, sailed anS hwHy from this hhdiss
Alithe noighbors agreed that the boy Ind
mother wcpt and, said there were many bad
boys in the neighbornood. Tho Coroner's Jury
found a verdict OF accidental death.
When the matter was reported at Police
lIeadauarters. Inspector Steers detailed De-
~tective Sergcants John Mulholland and Arthur
case. They went down into Washington street.
where AIRY, had been n ward. man, for yeara.
ssSn ' i" +, tine t 'nn, ySn oi G 2S.I! h Hak isst seY is
years old. .. aS Washington street, Mckenzie
does not enjoy a very good reputation in the
iine. and Ss sine" Tint { i ras" he Z" has 81 been en- E,eH
no regular occupation, and used to spend his
evenings often in rushing the growler OH the
roof OF the, nciGhboring warehouses with
Cary thought that Mckenzie would bear
watching. and his movements were therefore
noticed that he was being watched and he dis
GGnIslred iot a week or 80; Cary reported Nc,
latIs 4 osde ers,2 hat tf the tn Sos be- s sTrestea and T ths
tPet Wv wv ~ ho
detectives found him at the Polo grounds SELL
ing score cards last saturday afternoon. He
denied any knowledge Of Quilts death when
accused by the officers. hut when brought be-
fore Inspector Steers he broke down and told
the following story:
, Harry quill and I were good friends and
had never had any trouble. went up on the
roof Of the warehouse. Saturday afternoon.
Feb. 10. and found Quill up there. He hud
been drinking Il good deal and was whiting y
boat out Of a pine board with "A sharp knife.
When no saw me. he said:
~ suppose that il | should stick you with
this knite you would drop dead
Il said: You're not man enough to do it
"Then Quill made n rush at me and stabbed
me in the hack OF the neck. ! caught hold OF
him and we wrcstled. and while we were
fighting he cut metwice in 1.-THE left arm. ! fell.
and Quill kicked ne in the face. giving me o
black eye. Then I jumped up and struck him..
the .airshaft. Ho dropped the knife On the
roof / saw him fall, and WAS frightened. l
picked up the knife and ran away. l did not
being arrested"
Mckenzie has a scar on the hack Of the neck
anu two cuts on his left arm. Now that he has
been arrested he appears very rcmursefui. and
no told the doorman Mt Headquarters that he
could SEQ Quilts face on the wall of his cell.
The detectives took Mckenzie to the Jefrer-
son Market Police Court yesterday. where Jus
tice White remanded him for examination.