The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-06-01
DEAD UNDER ACROSS
Little Mary Cassidy Crushed
BY a Falling Tomb
stone.
THE ACCIDENT A MYSTERY
None of the Children Who We're
Playing With the Girl Can Tell
How it Happened.
THE ACCIDENT A MYSTERY

Mary Cassidy, four years old, who
lived with her widowed -mother at No..
60 Whyfe avenue, was killed near the
Catholic Cemetery yesterday in a peculiar
manner. With a number of companions
she went to play in the neighborhood of
the cemetery. There an old woman SELL
ing candy attracted their attention
They passed for a while to buy some of
the sweets and then moved on until the
stone yard of Martin Adams, al No. $50
West Side avenue, was reached. This
yard is a favorite pace of recreation for
the children of that vicinity and every
Sunday several are to be seen playing
tag or hide and seek among the un
finished tombsuones. MIR. Adams had
frequently admonished the children to
be careful, as they were in the habit of
clambering over the stones in the most
reckless Yesterday afternoon
he saw some of the little ones playing
about and urged them to be a little
less rash. He also requested the candy
woman to keep an eye on them and see
that no accident occurred. At the time
of Mr.. Adams speaking to the woman
a party of about ten, ranging in age
- live " iLlcCu years, WGTt SuTTOuli1-
ing her purchasing her wares. Strict
attention to business probably drove al
thoughts of the children at play from her
mind
Having procured their candy Mary and
her little friends sought the yard and
seating themselves upon a convenient
stone began to eat their sweets. Then
they began playing tag and in a short
time the little party were romping among
the tombstones laughing and shouting as
they played. Finally one of the party
became "it'' INK Immediately started in
pursuit of Mary. Standing near was a
stone about three feet high cut into the
shape of a cross. Behind this Mary
sought safety. Just what happened after
this no one seems to know, until Martin
Adams, attracted by screams, hurried to
the spot. There he found Mary lying on
her face and pinned to the ground by
the stone. The arms of the cross was
leased the girl and ~telephoned for an
ambulance. She was unconscious and as
Mr.. Adams examined her he found a dark
blue spot upon her forehead. Her
every breath and the action of her heart
weaker.
The ambulance arrived and after an
examination the surgeon turned and in
formed Mr.. Adams that the child was
dead. That gentleman was too shocked
to utter a word and kind hands con-
veyed the little cold body to a carriage
and it was removed to the morgue.
How the stone fell is a mystery. The
manner in which it was made would
seem to indicate that to throw the upper
part from the base the entire stone would
have to be tilted to a very fine angle.
it being constructed so that two bowels
protrude about six inches from the upper
part of the stone and about three inches
from each side. These bowels fit into
two holes cut in the base. so tina to
overthrow the upper portion an angle
sufficient to dislodge the six-inch bowels
would have to be mad The manner in
which this was one remains a mystery,
as Mary's playmates We're all too fright
ened by the serious termination of their
sport to talk. Mr.. Adams fastened to
he Seventh precinct station house and
surrendered himself. He is held on a
charge of manslaughter. The mother
of the child is distracted and kindly
neighbors AVE tried to cheer her, wfth
but little success.