New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-06-20
SAW "BAT" SHEA KILL ROSS
AN EYEWITNESS DESCRIBES THE TROY
ELECTION MURDER.

| ARMED RuFFIANs ABOUT THE BALLOT BOX
TESTIMONY OF A WATCHER WHO WAS
THROWN OUT AND BEATEN.
Troy ~ Y. June l9.-When court opened this
morning in the Bat Shea murder trial Reeves
Smith. the engineer who prepared the maps. re-
sumed the stand. The next witness was Charles
Piper. a photographer, who identified two photo
graphs of the
Samuel Taylor was next called to the stand. He
testified, in part, follows:
was present at the polling place of the Third Dis
trict of the Thirteenth Ward as watcher FOR the
Wes ry AND saw shea az tes pGhS
Ceary In front Of the house next north OF
STAYED there about fifteen minutes About 10 O'Clock
/ saw Shea. McGough. Cleary and owen Judge
standing together near the same place / went
Cairns was voting. / came of the poling-place
William Ross started to say something and Shea
struck over Judges shoulder. landing on William am
Rosss mouth Williams mouth was bleeding, put
John Ross took William away telling him not 10
have trouble have lived IN the ID district strict s about
seven years. On Election Day noticed that Shea
had on green necke n9tGed n0snh hst tSy
were not sober.
The next witness was William Armstrong. who
testified that soon after II o'clock on Election
Day he went the Third District polls to vote.
While he was in the booth he heard the firing but
when he came out. he thought. II had ceased
There was stir in the court when the name OF
Ellis D. Hayne: was called. He said:
saw Shea at the polls on Election Day, between
I and a. m. McGough and Cleary were standing
McGoggh near the polls again Near r il Nth foS him
and there we're a number of others present
The next | saw Of Shea was about y O'Clock
Shea. McGough, Cleary and short man man nam zee
Kepfe were approaching the polls Five or SIX
% b in oi o ofse haTeg come
from a northwesterly direction The strangers
went into the .polng-place, and Shea, McGo Snor
myself and went into the hallway. Shea Nc
Cough and Cleary were in there and the strangers
have to get out | told him II he and ms cr4wd
Gu s5 9 en cS8s nS by R u ana they
all pushed out. Shea and Cleary nad some
told lin would not. Cleary struck me IN Inc inc
head. and they all pushed me Wnen GOT OUT
int in the Jaw and finally fell While was on the
ground | was kicked twice; When Shea struck
saw 9 took shea TO BE Struck e %
time outside Of the doorway drew a stove mount.
draw sII bs until after Shea struck me was hit
in the jaw after ! had drawn the wrench IL was Vas
time that Cleary struck me outside. that saw
something shining in McGoughs hahu' WHO"
Osborn G. L'rrlng was an eyewitness OF the shoot
ing He testified to the scuffe between Hayner and
shea and his gang and that the nrlng began after
ward He continued
Ts1w McG 1ugh raise his arm and fire. and William
Ross fall william Ross and man were in COMBAT
! don't know who the man was McGough was
abJu, four feet behind William Ross. When Nc
Cough shot william Ross the latter fell In heap
\ man started 70 run after McGough; he was about
eight feet away az the time. McGough ran after
shooting William Ross. The man pursuing Mc,iougn
was Robert Ross. ! saw shea running IN CIRCUIT
ous route and toward McGough and Rober; Ross;
he ran b. them AMI then turned and looked back.
lie then went back TO within two feet OF Robert
Ross and McCiough stopped down. pointed his pistol
downward direct toward Ross and fred Ross never
raised his hand again. Shea then ran by me toward
pOuw-st Shea had the revolver in his hand as ne
passed by me. | said he passed You cur 70
shoot A man like that, After Shea passed me |
went 10 Robert Ross. John Ross was there before
me He put his hand under his head and then tried
10 stanch the blood with handkerchief | heard
him say. MY God. he's dead When ] reached
there saw he dead his hands were limp; there
was nothing In them. There no one pursuing
shea when he came over and shot Ross
The court here adjourned until 10 o'clock to-mor-
morning