The San Francisco call., 1895-10-15
A Knife Used With Terrible
Effect by a Waterfront
Robber.
BROUGHT DOWN BY A BULLET
Two Men Who Sought to Inter-
fere Receive Dangerous
Wounds.

MOblOH Jouu py OeSperauO i ON DlduCks
is lying at the point of death at Provi-
dence Hospital, his body covered with
knife wounds. At the same hospital is
John 0'Conpor, alias Conner, suspected
thief, who is dying with bullet from the
officers revolver in his body. At police
headquarters is Banford Bouser, sailor,
with his hands, arms and face horribly
slashed. Daniel McNamara, proprietor of
the Wanderer saloon at the foot of Wash
ington street, is suffering from bullet
wound In his right arm. All received
their wounds this morning at 5 o'clock,
when Officer Corbett attempted to arrest
OConpnor on charge of having robbed
Bouser by ripping open his trouser pockets
and taking therefrom his money-$5 In
silver and S. III gold.
O'Connor is responsible for the wounds of
Corbett and Sailor Bouser, and the police
man is responsible for the wounds of the
suspected thief and those or the saloon
keeper. Oorbett is frightfully cut, having
about dozen wounds. His nose is almost
severed from his face, while his breast,
arms and legs are slashed in CHASTITY man
ner. O'Connor's fatal wound is in the
back, the policeman having shot him as he
was trying to escape. Never was knife
welded, in such short space of time,
with more terrible effect. Corbett's face
and almost every part of his body, even to
his armpits, are tattooed.
Corbett was standing in front of the sa-
loon which is the head resort in this city
for sailors, when o'Connor, who IS a ma
rine fireman, having fred on the steamer
Al-Ki until few weeks ago. came out of the
Brooklyn clearinghouse near by and en-
tered the saloon. A few minutes later
Bouser came down, approached the officer
and said he had just been robbed. He
thought the man who did it had just left
the lodging house. Corbett told him to
accompany him into the saloon. They
went in and Corbett approached O'Connor
who was standing in front of the bar. Then
he turned to Bouser and asked;
els this the man who robbed your
Bouser, who was intoxicated, said he
didn't know to a certainty. O'Connor
exhibited about $50 with the remark:
What would / want with his little
money!"
Corbett told O'Connor he had better ac-
company him to headquarters.
"Well, want to get my clothes benin
the bar" remarked O'Connor, and he made
pretense of SO doing.
He went behind the bar, Corbett follow
ing him, fearing that he intended to escape
by way of little door whi ch could be
reached by passing behind the bar and
into private Office. Once behind the bar
O'Connor produced a revolver. Corbett
saw it in O'Connor's hand and grabbed it.
a struggle followed. O'Connor is heavy,
strong man and fought desperately for the
revolver. 1t was new Colts 41-caliber
and had an extra long barrel. The officer
and O'Connor both had good grip upon it.
Corbett called to McNamara for assist
ance, and Mcnamara rushed between the
two men and got possession of the weapon.
Corbett and O'Connor continued the strug-
gle, the latter all the while making an
effort to break away and escape. Corbett
drew his big navy revolver and fired. The
ball struck Mcnamara in the right arm,
just below the elbow, inficting a bad
wound.
By this time O'Connor had drawn his
knife. He slashed Corbett about the face
and body, and gave Bouser, who seemed to
be trying to assist the officer, half dozen
or more wounds on the wrists and hands.
They worked their way three times about
| the saloon.
O'Connor finally broke away and rushed
to the rear of the saloon, circled table
and then made for the front door. Cor
bett, bleeding from his wounds, started
after him and grabbed him. A second
struggle followed, and the two men fought
like demons. At last they got near the
front door. 1t was open. OConnor, it
seems, used his knife effectively eyery
time he came in contact with Corbett.
OConnor was almost outside the door,
when Corbett, who had managed to keep
his revolver in his hand, raised it and
fired. The bullet caught C'Connor in the
back. He fell face downwards, just out
side the door. Corbett, though weak,
managed to regain his feet.
A half-dozen officers arrived and the
wounded men were removed to police
headquarters and later to the hospital.
Strange to say, the knife which O'Con-
nor used III doing the cutting has not been
found and it is said that the police have
learned that it was thrown into the bav.
A buckhorn-handled knife was found in
one of OConnor's coat pockets, but it was
not the one with which the cutting was
done.
Notwithstanding that McNamara wit
messed the entire trouble, he told the
police that at no stage of the fight did he
see a knife. At times, however, he could
not have been five feet from the struggling
men, and all the while it is evident that
O'Connor was plunging the blade into
Corbett's body.
The police are certain that O'Connor
robbed Bouser, and claim that Men amara
is trying to protect him. They think he
got rid of the knife. Bouser will lose the
use of both hands.
Chief Rogers talked to O'Connor and
tried to find out something from him. He
refused to say word. Chief Rogers told
him that he would likely die and that he
had better make some kind of a state
ment, but he could not be induced to
change his mind.
O'Connor was at one time foreman of
the Gallagher mines at Denver. There he
was known as Jack Corners. 1t was
found that the ball had lodged in his back
bone, a little above the point of the shoul-
der, injuring the spinal cord and causing
paralysis below the point of the injury.
The physicians who examined him say he
will linger week or ten days and then die.
GRANTED IN APPEAL.