The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-03-14

TROY. n. Y. March Ga mayor was
elected in this city today but the record
of the election is spotted with blood and
scenes such as the oldest resident in Troy
has no recollection Of were enacted.
In a darkened room in the family resi-
dence lies the body Of Robert Ross. who
left his home this morning to aid in the
election Of a candidate that the republic
an party had indorsed. In a room in
the same house lies his brother, VIII
lam, perhaps mortally wounded. In
another part of the city lies wounded
notorious rough and ward heeler, Bat
Shea, and still in another part of the
city is John McGough, who received
bullet and is seriously injured.
Among the watchers at the Twelfth
ward, first precinct polling place, was
Robert Ross and his brother William,
both Of them being there in the inter-
est of the republican party. There was
also there a well-known character by the
name of Bat Shea. About 1870 a
gang of at least a. dozen strangers stood
waiting to vote, while men whose names
were on the poll list, both democrats and
republicans, were crowded away. Robert
Ross objected to this and had some
words with BAT Shea.
The story told by the surviving Ross
is that Bat" Shea is the man who
killed Robert Ross. They say that the
trouble began in the polling booth, where
crowd Of repeaters, headed by Jere-
miah Cleary and Shea attempted to vote
When the vote was challenged the men
went outside and Immediately started
an argument with the Rosses. Suddenly
the crowd surged forward and in an in
stant revolvers were drawn and shots
fired. Robert Ross fell to the roadway
and his brother William cried: Il m
shot Then the firing ceased as sud
denly as it had commenced.
Before a surgeon could reach the scene
Robert Ross was dead. William Ross
was shot in the neck just below the base
of the brain and will probably die. John
McGough is dangerously wounded, while
Shea's wound is not considered serious.
John Ross said: Il did not fire plS-
tol. 1t was murder deliberate murder,
and ii was premediated. Only about an
hour and a half before this man Shea
struck my brother William full in the
face l dragged William away and told
him to take the blow and say nothing
the blow would not hurt him. ] did not
think at the time that they would use
their guns.
Mayor Whelan said tonight: "It is
only the natural result of the determina-
ton of the Murphy heelers to carry the
election by fair means or foul. 1t is
a stain on this city
Senator Edward Murphy was busy all
afternoon attending to the delegations
of cuff and collar workers who came to
talk about the Wilson bill, but he found
time to say: ut is a most deplOrable
affair and am greatly grieved at it:
At midnight it was ascertained that
another man was mortally wounded at
the Troy election IN the Thirteenth
ward tragedy. John McGough. one of
the alleged gang of repeaterS who par
ticipated in the bloody riot was found
at his home suffering from the effects
Of a bullet wound in his abdomen. The
bullet had penetrated the kidneys and
the physicians say he cannot recover.
He is insensible now, but before he
became unconscious he stated that he did
not have a revolver and did not DO any
of the shooting He says that he felt
the bullet and started TO go home He
fell by the roadside and was carried home
by friends.
TROY. y. Y. March st is alleged
here tonight that the fracas resulting in
the death of Robert Ross was the out
come of an 4. p. A. feud between him
and Pat Shea, who is a catholic and
who was eXcommunicated from the
catholic church and who only lately be-
came a republican and u member of the
y. p y. il is said that in the caucus
a few weeks ago the dead man, Ross,
had violent words with other members
of his party over the question Of indors-
ing Whelan, who is also a. catholic and
that in a fracas that occurred then ne
was hurt
Shea who was interviewed at the jail
tonight says: Whoever fired that snot
that killed Mr. Ross fred ii from behind,
and probably at me, for 1 was facing
him when he fell. 1 did not shoot. After
several shots We're fired / felt pair IN
my neck and dropped. L had my re-
volver in my hands,
Governor Flower summoned District
Attorney Kelly of Troy before him TO-
day and conferred with him relative to
the prosecutions of the persons concerned
i'm the election crimes committed IN that
city last Tuesday. Governor Flower Sald
he thought the district attorney ought
to associate with him in these prosecu-
tions the ablest lawyers in the city, men
in whose honesty and fairness the people
had perfect confidence.
The district attorney expressed his
willingness to do this, and the governor
thereupon suggested the names OF eX-
Speaker Charles I1. Patterson and Sey-
mour Van Salvoord, both of Troy. These
names were satisfactory TO the district
attorney, and later in the day Messrs.
Patterson and Van Salvoord were tele-
phoned for and held a long conference
with the governor. The understanding
at the close of the conference was that
Messrs. Patterson and Van Salvoord
would confer with their friends in Troy,
and if public sentiment favored their
acting they would accept the commits
sion. Both gentlemen are democrats and
prominent members of the Troy bar.
No funeral in this city. at least in re-
cent years. has been so largely attended
as was that OF Robert Ross, the victim
Of Tuesdays election riot. Factories
were closed and business generally was
suspended. The remains lay in state in
Oal<wood-ave. presbyterian church from
II o'clock until O'Clock. and were
viewed by thousands OF people.
Result of the BaIIoting.