The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-10-31
SAID He WANTED A JOB.
4 Disappointed Man Attempts a De-
liberate Murder.
FIRES Two SHOTS FROM REVOLVER
They Lodged in tho stomach OF Fred
erick Mstthias, superintendent OF
Construction of tho New Postal Tele-
graph BuIiding-Th Arrest
FIRES Two SHOTS FROM REVOLVER

NEW YORK, Oct. 3L-At $3.50 o'clock
yesterday afternoon crazy man fired two
shots from six-barrelled revolver into
the stomach of a man whom he, in his in
Ianity. imagined had done him a wrong.
The man who was shot was Frederick
Matthias. The man who did the shoot
ing is said to be named Thomas Bradley.
Matthias Is superintendent of construc-
tion of the new Postal Telegraph building
at Murray street and Broadway. But
for the fact that 10 policemen of the Broad
way squad with their bodies and batons
defended the prostrate, bleeding. mangled
and shrieking form Of the would-be MUIR
derer, an infuriatei mob of over 1900 men,
armed with sticks, club bs and stones, would
have lynched him. The police had all
they could do to keep back the struggling
crowd, and, As it was, many head was
cracked by the police in their struggles to
get the crazy man away.
The first intimation that the citizens
promenading on Broadway at that hour
had that anything out of the way was go
ing on, was when the ambulance from the
Chambers street hospital dashed up in
front of the Postal Telegraph company's
new building. Five minutes before that
100 excited men had rushed out from the
basement of the building They cried
"Police" and Murder" aud Immediately
there was an immense and excited throng
all around that corner. In short time
doctors appeared from the building with
stretcher. on which was the form of q
man. Blood dropped through hole in
the middle of the stretcher to the street.
The man on the stretcher was crying,
moaning and cursing.
Crowd Became Excited.
"He's killed me-" was all that the
crowd could hear. Ia an instant the base
ment of the. building out of which the
man had been carried was filled with a
surging crowd. Behind pile of cornice
was man who hal attempted murder.
The crowd then made dash for the mar
row exits, and there was the widest
scene of confusion. A pistol shot from
behind the pile Of cornice did not help to
keep the crowd from going too fast. Men
hit each other with the fury of fear in
their hearts, and half O dozen were
trampled down.
News had reached the police station that
mailman was loose in the new postal
building, aud the police were Immediately
sent to the scene. They cleared the
place and marched into the basement.
Behind the pile of cornice in the north
east corner lay the man who had at
tempted to murder Superintendent Mat
thias. The police learned that be had
fired only two shots from his revolver and
that he had four more TO shoot, SO that
they advanced cautiously
They took up positions behind piles of
cornice, which had been rapidly thrown
up as 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 first volley, but when a police
man got up on top Of the pile, while the
others were averting the mans attention.
and pointed pistol at him, already
cooked, and told him that unless he came
out in three minutes he would be- q dead
man, the man threw up his hands.
The policeman took out his watch and
called out at tue end of one minute, then
at the second minute. Then rhere was an
ominous clicking as every policeman in
the crowd cooked his revolver. A moment
later aud the policeman on top of the pile
came rolling down. There was a report Of
a pistol and the crowd cried out that the
policeman had been shot.
The Capture.
This proved untrue, as the policeman
Jumped up Immediately Then the cry
went up that the man had come from be-
hind the pile of cornices. Policeman Gill
lespie made rush at the man before he
got to the exit to Bro oidway aud hit him a
crack over the head with his stick. The
man, shrieking and crying, striking out
right and left with his fiss was felled to
the ground, and half dozen policemen
fell on top Of him. 1t required three min
utes' steady clubbing to subdue him.
Then ensued another wild rush, and the
crowd tried to get at the man to lynch
him. The policemen had the greatest
difficulty in getting the man through the
crowd to the station house.
The man had been loafing arornd the
building all day. lie had been hiding be-
hind piles Of bricks and saying that the
policemen and the su2erintend mt were
after him trying TO murder him for steal
| ing $500 At $3.50 o'clock he came from be-
hind pile, and stepped up to the super
| intendent and deliberately fired two shots
| into his stomach. Then, waving his um-
brella and calling for the men to keep
back he took refuge behind a pile Of
bricks.
At the station the prisoner said his
name was Thomas Bradley; that he was
81 years old. and that he was born in Ire-
land He said that he had no occupation
and no home. He was starving when he
went to ask for work at the Postal Tele-
graph building yesterday. Work had
been refused him, he said. He was in
despair.
lie asked Superintendent Matthias for
work again yesterday afternoon and was
roughly ordered away. Then he said ha
tried TO protest, and Superintendent Mat
thias had drawn n revolver and shot at
him. Then he drew his own pistol and
shot nc his assailant Superintendent Mat
thias' death Is said TO be certain.