Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1893-10-31
THE DAY Of CRANKS.
Revived. by the Example
Set by Prendergast.
A MADMAN RUNS AMUCK.
Edwin Gould Receives a Visitor Who
Coolly Demands $4,000.

NEW YORK, Oct. 3l.-.An excited work
man rushed from the new building Of the
Postal Telegraph company at Broadway
and Murray streets, at 4:l0 o'clock yester-
fay afternoon, and called out that a muir
ferrous crank, who was at large on the
ground floor of the building, shot the
,lerk of the " works and threatened murder
oy the wholesale.
Officers MulroonAy and Giblin hastened
TO the spot, Inside the building lay Su-
perintrndent Frederick l.. Matthias, who
had charge of the construction for the
prchitects He was bleeding profusely
rom bullet wound in the abdomen.
Hes killed me-" was all that the
Gowd could hear. In an instant the base
.nent of the building out Of which the
man had been carried was filled with a
surging crowd. B.h nd a p lie OF cornice
was a man whD ha attempted murder.
The crowd then made a dash for the mar
row exits, and there was the w Hest
scene If Confusion. A pistol shot from
behind the p lie Of cornice d not help TO
keep the crowd from going too fast. Men
hit esch other with the fury of fear in
ther hearts, and half dozen were
trampled down.
News had reached the police station that
madman was loose in the new postal
bu lding, aud the police were Immediately
sent To the scene. They cleared the
place aid marched into the basement
Behind the pile OF cornice in the uorth-
east corner lay the man who had at
tempted to murder Superintendent Mat
thiss The police learned that he had
fired only two shots from his revolver aud
that he had four more to shoot, SO that
they sdvanced cautiously.
They took up poSit ons behind piles of
cornice, which had been rapidly thrown
up MS breastworks. To scare the man out
the police opened fire and about 20 shots
In all were fired. The man did not come
out at the fir,t volley, but when a police
man got up on top Of the pile, while the
others were avert ng the mans attention,
ard pointed pistol ut him, already
cooked, aud told him that unless he came
out in three minutes he would be "A dead
man, the man threw up his hands.
The policeman took out his watch and
called out at toe end of one minute, then
at the second minute. Then there was an
ominous clicking rs every policeman in
the crowd cock, d his revolver. A moment
]
came rolling down. Thr was report If
q p 81 oil aud the crowd criet out that the
policeman had been shot.
Ciubb-d Into Submission.
This proved untrue, as the policeman
Jumped up Immediately Then the cry
went up that the man had co ne from be-
hind the pile OF cornices. Policeman Gill
leSpie made u rush at the man b. fore he
got 10 the exit to ihway ald hit him
crack over & e head with his stick The
man, shri, king and crying, striking out
right and left with his fis $, was felled to
the ground, and MALI "A dozen pol cemen
fell on top OF MIN. IL required three min
utes' steady c ubbng TO subdue him.
Then ensued aN' ther wild rush, and the
crowd tri d to get at the man to lyuch
him. TIE policemen had the greatest
difficulty getting the man through the
crowd 10 the -tltion house.
The man had been l.aflng around the
building all day. He had been hiding be-
hind piles of bricks and saying that the
policemen and The superintrnd mt were
after him try ng To murder him for steal
ing $500 Al $3.50 o'clock he came from be-
hind pile, and s'eppea up To the super
iuten lent aud drlib' rately fired two shots
lhuO MS sttlfC l. lutn, NaNllR his UNI
hrrlla and calling 70 the men to keen
back, he took uSe b"hind a pile Of
bricks,
Al the station the prisoner said his
name was Thomas Bradley tnat he was
81 years old, nd that he was born in Ire
land He said that he had no occupation
and no home. He was starving when lie
went to ask for work ut the Postal T.le-
graph building yesterday. Work had
been refused him, he said. He was in
despair
He asked Superintendent Matthias for
work again yesterday afternoon and was
roughly ordered away. Then he said he
tried to protest, and Superintendent Mat
thias had drawn a revolver aud shot at
him. Then he drew his own pistol and
shot at his sssnilant. Superintendent Mat
thias' death is said to be certain.