The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-12-12
KILLED A FLEEING BOY
CUSTODIAN O'CONNoR, OF GREEN
LAWN CEMETERY, DID IT.
Charles Tracy. Sixteen Years old,
with other Lads, Had Been
SnoWbalIinG.


GreenIawn Cemetery, shot one of them yes
terday afternoon and killed him. He was
shooting in the air to brighten the gang of
young fellows, he claims, but because he
was clumsy in handling his revolver a bull
let struck Charles Tracy, sixteen years old.
passed through the heshy part of the left
arm and thence into the heart. The shoot
ing occurred in the old Root foundry, on
Garden street just east of Kentucky avenue.
O'Connor was arrested by Captain Dawson,
Chief Colbert and Patrolman Grubbs and
locked UP at the police station on the charge
of murder. O'Connor is forty-nine years old
and has a wife and eight children. He said
last night that ex-Judge Sullivan had talked
with him about the shooting and had told
him he would engage Attorney John Dun
can to defend him.
Just after noon yesterday OConnor left
his home at No. coo South West street to
go to the cemetery At the corner of West
and Merrill streets he met a crowd of boys,
all sixteen or eighteen years old. They
were throwing snowballs at passersby
O'Connor told Patrolman Grubbs, who, with
Patrolman Warren, runs the beat, that the
boys were causing trouble. O'Connor went
on to the cemetery and met a man who was
searching for a grave. OConnor helped him
and together they found it, They were
standing on the railroad embankment at the
Kentucky-avenue crossing Of Garden street
and Henry Brown, who lives just around the
corner on Garden street, Joined them
While the three were talking the gang of
boys that OConnor had net earlier in the
afternoon climbed upon the roof of the old
foundry, which is across the street from
where the three men were talking. The roof
Of the building commanded the CROSSING
and all who passed on the street came under
hail of snowbals thrown by the boys on
the roof. OConnor watched them for q
time and then called out to them to behave
themselves or they would get into trouble.
They Jeered at him and told him to go to
-, and threw snowballs at him. O'Con-
nor started across the street, calling out:
III get your names and give them to the
superintendent" The boys turned and ran
along the roof and then jumped to the
ground and continued running through the
building. WHICH extends back half a square.
When O'Connor turned into the building he
was out of sight Of the two men to whom
he had been talking, and only one person
claims she saw the shooting. OConnor says
he called to the boys to stop and shot twice
in the air. When he fired the last shot the
boys had turned out of the other end of the
building. Tracy was the last out, and when
he reached the intersection of the alleys
he fell to the ground. O'Connor then turned
the corner and saw the boy on the ground
He ran to him and picked him up and shook
him, thinking he had either hurt himself in
jumping from the roof or was feigning,
A glance at his face showed O'Cpnnor that
the boy was unconscious. Harry Mobley, of
517 West Garden street, was one Of the first
to reach the side of the boy, and he helped
support him. O'Connor without a word
turned away and walked down the alley.
George Blovelt and his wife, of $50 Rose
street, in front of which the boy fell, car
ried him into the house. They and Mobey
said that he was dead when they laid their
hands on him.
MEN CHASED O'CONNOR.
OConnor had walked to Garden street
and turned west. Henry Brown, with whom
he had been talking before he had started
after the boys, was on the other side of
the street O'Connor did not speak to him.
and Brown, who had heard the shots and
the noise of the people running into the
alley, felt that something terrible had hap
pened and, instinctively, did not ask what
was the matter. OConnOr went to his home,
left his revolver there and returned to the
place where the boy had fallen. He did not
know then that the boy was dead, he in
sists, nor even that one of his bullets had
struck him. He did know that the boy had
been hurt.
A crowd of people gathered about the
mouse IN which the boys body had been
taken. John Tracy, father of the boy and
an old friend of O'Connor, was frantic The
police and the coroner say he was drunk
several cfa cd IN
run toward O'Connor soon as he APP
peared. OConnor saw them and hearing
their angry yellS turned around and ran
away from them. He was afraid of the
crowd. He ran to Richard Forester's house,
at 5l9 South West street, and was there
when the police went after him.
When the boy was carried into the Bio
vets house DIR. Leeth was called He ex-
amined the boy, saw he was dead and went
away TO notify the coroner of the death.
AT this time no one knew that the boy
had been shot. The wound did not bleed
and the hole in the clothing was not Wis
ible. DIR. Leeth did not find the wound and
when he met Captain Dawson and Chief Col
belt outside. he told them that a boy had
died of heart failure. HE jumped off q
roof the physician said, land, presume,
injured himself internally and his heart
failed while he was running" The police
called Deputy Coroner DunlaYy. who found
the bullet hole. 0'Connor was then arrested
and taken to the police station in the cap
tain's buggy. Mrs. Blovelt told Chief Col
bert that she heard the first shot and ran
to the door. She looked into the old build
ing across the alley, saw the boys running
with O'Connor after them, and saw him fire
the second shot. She could not tell whether
or not the point of the revolver was raised.
That district of the citv is thickly populat-
cd and the noise of the shots called many
people out of their homes. The alleys around
the place where the boy fell were soon filled
with people. Women with their aprons over
their heads stood talking excitedly about
the shooting and the men discussed it sob
erly. Tracy lived with his father. mother
and two brothers at 500 West Norwood
street and worked at Kingan's pork house,
as do most of the men of the neighbor-
hood Tracy's father works there. The
OConuor. He has .lved in the neighborhood
for thirty years and was active in the Dem
ocratic politics of that part of the city. The
most of the expressions were, 1T was too
bad. too bad" The Tracy family did not
express bitterness toward OConnor. They
said he was hasty but their grief was more
violent than any other sentiment. The body
of the boy had been taken to Lauck'S under
taking establishment.
AT THE POLICE STATION
O'Connor was received at the police sta
ton with expressions of sympathy. He was
for five years on the police force and was
liked by the rest of the patromen. He
seemed dazed, and when he talked his voice
was low and his words came slowly. He
was an ignorant man and had come face to
face with something too horrible for his
mind TO grasp. His eyes were wide open
and he looked about with Il vacant express
sion.
You didn't mean to kill this hoy, did
you. Tim?" he was asked
''Oh, no, dearie" he crooned. Il wouldn't
hurt a child of neighbOr | ann an Old