The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-08-24
TWO BURNED WITH VITRIOL
EoUNDsMAN MEEHAN IN SERIOUS
CONDITION.; WOMAH LOOKED UP.

| to Get Her = JOB ns q fonce hhtron'
Roundsman Patrick Meehan, OF the West
Thlrty-ssventh street police station. was taken
| to tho J. hood Wright Memorial hospital yes
| terdny afternoon, 80 badly burned with vitrlol
that last night he was said TO be In a serious
condition. and Mrs. Maria Pnstor OF 227 East
! 12lst street was held In the West Fiity fourth
street police court 10 await the result OF his
injuries The woman was arragned in court
by Policeman Davis Of tho West Tooth street
station on the charge OF having thrown the
yitriel on Meshan. She was herself suffering
from sevsrs burns about the head and face.
There was the briefest kind OF hearing In court
The woman had nothing to say whom she was
arraigned before Magistrate Zeler. and the only
account Of the acid throwing tho Magistrate
heard was that given by Policeman Davis.
Tho assault" said Davis, occurred at
Meehan's own home 65 West 1929 street.
about 3 O'Clock this afternoon. I caught the
woman soon afterward In fiat occupied by
Mrs. Endres at 81 West Tooth street Mrs.
Endres and the prisoner seemed to be friends
and Mrs. Pnster had managed to change her
clothes between the time OF the assault and
the time OF her arrest.
"Msehan sent word to the West Tooth street
station that he had been assaulted by a wo-
man and asked for help. I was sent TO his
house and learned from q small boy In the
n6lknDOTnOOu WneT0 MS. ndu BVuc.
don't know anything about the case myself.
and Roundsman Meehan didn't seem to want
TO talk about 1.-THE was so badly burned The
roundsmnn did say something to the effect
that IL was case OF jealousy. and that he had
been married but three weeks"
Davis produced In evidence q tin can which
had contained the acid. 1t was large enough
to hold pint. There was no label on IT,
Though the prisoner had nothing to say
when arraiCned before the Magistrate. In the
prison pen she told q sensational story which
put the case In very different light. She de-
clared that Roundsman Meehan had tried to
throw the acid at her: that he had done 50 be-
cause he was tired Of being asked to return to
her money which he had taken from her. and
that In tho struggle between them he received
more OF the acid than she did. She laughed at
Policeman Davs's intimation that she was
Jealous Of Msehan.
lam respectable married woman" said
Mrs Pfister Il was married long before
saw this Meehan. and my husband knows all
about my dealings with him. We first knew
Meehan about four years ago when we lived on
1O6th street My husbands gold watch was
stolen from the house and We reported the
theft to the police Meshan camo TO ask all
About It, because he was the policeman In tho
case. That's how l first knew him.
He kept up his acquaintance with the
family and finally promised to get me 0
place as police station matron He said
that 1t would be necessary for me to give him
$500. and did. That's what caused to-day's
trouble. He didn't give me any receipt for my
money and he didn't get me place as matron.
We waited and waited. and finally demanded
my $500. The roundsman paid no attention to
me but kept at him. Then he said that he
would AK me. He kept his promise. This
IN hn Aret I'm
he has done to me. Ho had me ar
rested on a charge Of insanity and sent
to Wards Island. But I was perfectly sane
and always have been. After got away from
the asylum I didn't try to get my money for q
long while, because was afraid. But my hus-
band hasn't had a job for some time now; we
needed the money and he urged me to go after
Meehan again aud did The roundsman said
that he would TX me ssre~ttlme.
Two weeks ago / got q note signed with
just the initials p. NJ 1t said that II would
come to the house / would get a settlement.
didn't dare 60, 40 didn't answer the note but
Meehan sent two different messengers to me
after sending the note to urge me to como and
see him. and went to his house to-day. As
soon as l had got inside Meehan's place he
said: I'll give you the money and then with
out any warning he came at me with can OF
acid. He threw enough to burn my face and
head and then We had a struggle. 1t was in
the struggle for tho can that be got burned
himself. and he got more OF the acid than I
did"
The woman's husband. when seen at his
home later. told substant TALLY the same story.
He has been employed as bartender at the
Hotel Martin. 122d street and Lexington ave-
nue.. We had saved a little money every year"
said Pnstsr when We had about 5000 nut
by. Meehan came to us and said II he got 5000
he would see that my wife was made police
matron. He got the $500 and nothing came OF
his promises Various meetings between him
and my wife were arranged. but nothing ever
came OF that and wo then tried to get the
money back. One day In March she got note
asking her to come to the bicycle squad head
quarters on Broadway whore she would get
the money. She went and was arrested on the
charge Of disordery conduct and was rail-
roaded to Wards Island. She has received
several similar notes lately"
No one was at homo In the Meehan house
last night. and neighbors said that Mrs. Nee
han had gone where she could be near her hus-
band. Mrs. Endres was found an was perfectly
willing to toll all she knew about the case.
Il have known Mrs. Paster for q long time"
she said. "and l know that for the last two |
years she has been giving Roundsman Meehan
money In order that he might get her position
cOHuoCtcu WIN LILO pVIlCe ana
that Meehan has not got her that position. She |
called at my house to-day with her little deaf
and dumb son and said that Meehan had refused
to settle with her about the money. but she |
had an appointment to meet him and asked II |
she could leave the little boy at my house whilo
she went to see Meehan. I told her she could, |
and she went away am positive that when
she left the house she had nothing with her
that contained any acid.
She had not been gone for moro than twenty
minutes when she came running back almost |
CRAZY with pain. Her face was badly burned |
and her clothing was also burned and eaten by |
the acid. she was almost inooherent and she |
said that some one had thrown tho acid on her, |
but Ibid not mention any names 1 put some
vaselins on the burns and went for doctor. |
When l returned to tho house. / found that a |
policeman had come there and that she was
already under arrest. Mrs Paster Is q good
woman and think she has been shameiully |
used"
Roundsman Meehan, before he went on the
police force, was sailor in the navy He was
4 Al. NrV