The evening times., 1897-12-27
THEY DIED HAND IN HAND.
McDermott Brothers Expired Sid


NcDermott Brothers Expired Side
by Side In Hospital.
New York, Dec. 27.-The AcDermott
brothers. fruit hucksters. familiar figures
on the west side, where for nearly five
years they have driven about together
in rain and sunshine. husSiIy proc,ailil.ng
their wares. are lying side by side in the
morguc. Tho most curious thing about
the Mel ermotts was their resemblance in
figure aud habits and their great affecti "a
for each other. 10Th were in the sixties,
both were white and grizzled. Both Were
wtdowers.
When they were taken To Pellev lie Ecs-
pitai, on the night Of December "a, ami i'r
Jones czamin ell them, hc found th:ir e''pd-
tlon exactl. the stme. Their respiratioaAnd
temperature were identical. They both died
vest erday morning in adjoining cots.
Neighbors iiaNl discovered the two DID daien
half frozen and stppefi ed will, drink In their
little shop. Theirfeet and hands were;rozen
when Presbyterian Hospital ambulance
took them to Bellevue.
Michael McDcrnIott was sixty-two Years
old and Terence Brady was sixty. Terence
real name Was. Sphn McDerniott, but for
peculiar reasons he had changedIt. The two
old men were 81 frozen and SO sodd"n With
drink that ttfey WIRE capable of exDr .ssing
only ons thing affection for each ether.
The two nen: were assigned TO the sane
ward, and they plead I'd to be placed IN ad-
1oinin. cots. They seemeL in good spirits,
and, externally at least, there were no In
dications OF their speedy end.
In the reception room, when B.ilccue's
historian asked Michael for the name of
his nearest friend Mike smiled and said:
..Terys the best rrien,I1 have on earth"
When The historian turned to Terence he
responded:
Mike Is, God bless him.
Both men gradually sank into a coma on
Christmas Day. but even as they were laps
ing into Inconsistencies they remembered
each others presence. Now AMI then oEe
would raise ris head TO regard his bro: he-.
would .dise Ills hea d to regard his bro.hsr.
f"Cheer up. Mike!" Terry would say.
We'll come out atop o the heap yet,
Terry" would be the response.
As their senses were facing away .he old
men groped about with their hands. The
nurse did npi know what to make OF their
actions. At last he understood. They
wanted t6 clssp hands, AMI he placed one
In tina. OF the other. FROM tha. rnornen:
on the two Old comrades We're quiet and
composed.
Michsel died shortly before O'Clock
yesterday morning without regoining con-
sctousuess, but seeming instinctively to
divine his brothers. end. Terence expired
three hours later.
Mrs. Kearney, 4 friend OF TIE inseparable
brothers. who lives in Greenpoint, lied at
the nioIgue yesterday and said she W )'ihl
attend to their burial IL their relatives did
not turn up. John has children in tie ci.y.
Mrs. Eeancy said that from boyhood the
warnest friendship had existed between
the brothers. Even when they were mar
ried they lived together. and their business
partnership dated back twenty years.
John McDernott changed his named to
that of Terence Brady. khe said, for the pnr-
pose OF obtaining mckster's license.
CuricusIy enough the license in Join s pcs
session. showed that it had been granted free
of expense to Terence Brady in coDsidera-
tion Of his being veteran Of the .iril war.
The two brothers, the neighbors say.
saved tidy sum OF money, wbichisGerosit-
in a savings bank.