The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-06-15
It MAY Be MURDER.
Constable Sonntag Felled
/ With a Hammer While in
Execution Of His Duty.

Is A murder came within an ace of being
lieommitted at half-past eleven o'clock last
might at No. * Paterson Plank Road It
may yet turn out to be murder, for
although the condition of the victim, Con-
stable Joseph Sonntag, of West Hoboken,
who is lying in Christ Hospital with his
skull crushed in, was reported this MORN
ling as favorable, he is not entirely out of
danger. The operation of trepanning is
to be performed as soon as the patients
condition will permit.
+ Sonntag's skull was crushed in with a
hammer by Martin Devine, who lives at
the address above given. He dealt Sonn-
tag two terrible blows on the front of the
head as he 'stood near the stoop Of De-
Vines house. Sonntag sank to the ground
| lsuncp11sefous. A woman. Rosie Farrell of
No IS Forsyth street New Z ork who was
with him. ran down the plank road
screaming Police.' sMurder! .Help!"
Devfne started Immediately for the
I lWebster avenue station house. He was
excited His hair was dishevelled He
looked like maniac as he burst through
/ the screen swinging doors of the station
house with the hammer in his hands, ex-
iclaiming:-
Il have killed man. I came to give
| myself uD.'
/ After Devine became calmer he told what
/ led up to his assault upon Sonntag. Po-
| lice Sergt. Howell, Roundsman Casey and
/ Detective Dan Lee Immediately hastened
/ to Devines home, No 27 Paterson plank
| road Sonntag had disappeared. Rosie
| Farrell was found and placed under ar
| rest Mrs Devine, the wife of the defen-
1 dant. who is said to have witnessed the
4 assault, had left home. She had not been
/ found UP to the time her husband had
] been arraigned in the Second Criminal
| Court this morning, on a charge of afro
/ cious assault.
| AS soon as Devine told his story at the
| Webster avenue station house last night,
! the West Hoboken police were notified by
! telephone; they searched for Sonntag, but
/ were not rewarded for their search until
/ after four o'clock this morning when
/ Sonntag staggered up to his home, No. 10S
/ West street, West Hoboken, in a dazed
/ condition. He said that after the assault
4 he regained consciousness twice and
! found himself on his hands and knees.
I He did not know where he had been
roaming or crawling to from the time of
the assault up to the time he arrived
/ home
Devine was arraigned in the Second
| Criminal Court this morning, and held
without bail to await the result of Sonn-
/ tags injuries. The woman, Rosie Far
rell, was also held as witness.
1t appears that the Farrell woman caras
| over from New York Sunday to visit
i Mrs Nellie Jackson of No. 5S4 Palisade
/ avenue Last night she called at the
i request of Mrs. Jackson, 70 see Mrs. De
] vine and ask the latter why she had been
| talking about Mrs. Jackson quarrel
ensued and Mrs. Devine, after orderin.
the Farrell woman out of his house,
/ punched her in the eyes. She says she
| was also assaulted by the owner of tie
| house in which Devine lives. The wom-
i an then went to Justice of the Peace
Francois house to get warrant for De
| vines arrest.
The Justice was in bed. He advised
/ the woman to go to Hefich's Hall, see
| Constable Sonntag and get him to go 70
Devines house, which is on the Jersey
/ City side of the Paterson Plank Road. tie
dividing line between Jersey City aEo
| West Hoboken, and patch up the diff
| Guilty AS Sonntag, with the Farrell
| woman, reached Devines house, Devine
| came out with a hammer in his hand.
/ He did not know the man was Constable
/ Sonntag. He supposed it was some man
! whom the woman had brought to avenge
1 the assault he made upon her. Sonntag
asked him what was the trouble and De-
! vine told him it was none of his busi-
ness, and Immediately assaulted him with
| the hammer.
The Farrell woman, two years ago,
lived at No. so Webster avenue. She
had trouble with her husband. who on
one occasion cut her face open with
dish. She Is not living with him now.