The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1901-12-16
SHOT HIS FRIEND.
Hayes's Gun Went OFF as
He Raised It to Aim
at Snipe.
FRENzIED BY THE TRAGEDY
He Ran Crying Through
the Streets to Get
Aid.

Michael Flynn, forty years old, OF NO.
325 Pine street, was accidentally shot dead
yesterday afternoon by James Hayes,
twenty-seyen years old. who resides In
the same house. The accident occurred
while the two men were hunting for wild
duck along the New York Bay shore at
Caven Point Hayes carried the gun, an
aid fashioned double barrel muzzle
loader, while Flynn walked behind him
A bird which is believed to have been
a snipe. came flying towards them. Hayes
thought he would take shot at it, SO he
let go one barrel and missed. He then
turned around excitedly for another shot,
but the gun went off while he was rais-
ing it to his shoulder the second time
and the heavy charge tore a hole several
inches in diameter in his friends right
breast. Flynn died almost instantly.
The police are confident that the shoot
ing was purely accidental Two boys
were eye witnesses of the awful tragedy.
Hayes wept like child when he real
lied the terrible consequences OF his care
1essness and ii was with difficulty that
he restrained his feelings while he made
his statement TO the police. He was
locked up at the Fifth Precinct police sta
ton.
A singular incident in connection with
the affair was the way Hayes came into
the hands of the police After firing the
fatal shot. Hayes, through fear and ex-
citement almost bordering upon insanity,
threw away his gun and started to run
He never stopped until he had covered
a distance of fully two miles. He was
arrested by Acting Patrolman Van
Horne of the Fourth Precinct station at
$3.50 o'clock yesterday afternoon at the
corner of Communipaw avenue and Pine
street Van Horne saw Hayes running
along Communipaw avenue, crying. He
stopped him and asked:
whats the matter?'
IT shot a man."
s.Is he dead?' Van Horne inquired.
..He is replied Hayes, again bursting
into tears Il couldn't help II"
Van Horne who is one of the new APP
pointees on the force, took Hayes to the
Fourth precinct police station Hayes
said he was hurrying home to report the
affair when he was arrested. He said that
Fsynn's body was lying on the shore at
Caven Point, between the point proper
and Greenville. The police of the Fifth
precinct were Immediately notified by
Telephone and Captain Nugent and De-
tectfve Bennett hurried to the scene in
the patrol wagon. They found Flynn's
! body as Hayes had reported. The gun
was picked up on the sand close to the
waters edge where Hayes had thrown 1T
in his frenzy
The two boys who were witnesses of the
affair were Harry Flynn, twelve years
old (no relation to the dead man), and
Wil,ie Largdon, fourteen years old, both
Of No. 567 Ocean avenue. They had gone
down to the shore for walk and were
within q few hundred feet of the men
when the accident occurred. They cor
roborated Hayes's story In every detail.
Hayes was later taken to the Fifth pre-
cinct station house where he made a
sworn statement to Inspector Archibold.
! He said
81 had known Flynn for the past seven
| years. We worked together on the coal
docks at Communipaw. We boarded with
| Flynn's sister Mrs sheehan, at No 50
Hne street About two o'clock yesterday
] &ternooh We decided to go over to caven
Point to shoot ducks. We had only one
gun. II loaded It before we left the house.
n. ant u he foot Of C.aremont avenue
and then followed the Lehigh Valley Rail-
road tracks to the meadows AS we
I reached the shore saw bird, think
it was snipe, flying towards US Flynn
was behind me. raised the gun and
fired. The smoke blinded me and cou d
not see whether the bird fell. turned
(, around and saw that the bird had not
/ fallen.
il was about 10 raise the gun to flve