The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-03-25
(WIRELESS) FOR BIG jim
MULDOON WILL WORRY THE PO-
LICE NO MORE.
They Used to Send Right Out for Hin When
Any Ono Dropped His Money Trying
TO Skin a POolroOm-ForetOld His
End on His Last Arrest-ApopleXy.

TO Skin a POOlrOOm-ForetOlu His
End on His Last Arrest-Apoplexy.
Detective Sergeant Sheridan, who has
charge Of the rogues' gallery and records
Of criminals at Police Headquarters, re-
oeived yesterday an ordinary death GER
tifcate from the office of the Board Of
Health. 1t set forth that Michael James
Muldoon, 80 years old, a broker, had died
Of a result of cerebral hemorrhage at the
Lexington Hotel, on West Forty-seventh
street, on the night of March II and that
the body had beer inferred at st. Peters
Cemetery, Troy, N. Y.
In the course of his duties Sergt. Sheri-
dan has to keep track of the quick and the
dead, He sends regularly to the Board OF
Health q list Of certain persons about whom
he wishes to be informed in the event of
their death. Michael James Muldoon was
on that list. The certificate gave much
satisfaction at the Central Office. It meant
that there was one less to worry about.
Big Jim" Muldoon and his operations
have often caused the men in the Detective
Bureau to think laboriously.
Big Jim" was Of the class that frequent
the big hotels uptown and that are never
known to work. He was one Of the gang
of wiretappers that never tap. In the
heyday Of Larry Summerfeld, now sojourn-
ing at Sing Sing, Muldoon wa one Of the
big men in the high councils of graft.
Broad shouldered, handsome and affable,
he was one of the best to entrance the I'M
suspecting rural or the simple citizen who
is ever ready to stake his pile in an effort
TO skin a poolroom. Wires aren't tapped
these days, but the old belief that such a
thing is possible won't die.
"Wiretappers" are seldom convicted.
Juries are apt to argue that a complainant
In such a caseis as much a criminal in pur-
pose as the defendant. Larry Summerield
wouldn't be in Sing Sing had he stuck to
tapless overlapping. His conviction Is due
to the sick mining engineer" game that he
worked. Big Jim Muldoon was a wire
Taper pure and simple, and he never did
q bit. He has been arrested time and
again. but invariably has been turned out
Of court on the following day.
Muldoon was one of the men concerned
in the swindle of Felix, who ave up $50, 900
thinking be would get information in ad-
vance that would enable him to skin a pool
room alleged to be running in abrokerage
Office in the Fifth Avenue Hotel. Muldoon
has been picked up by Central Office
men every time some g%reenhorn, squealed
about being stung at the overlapping game.
h6 was one Oh tne pdTIy III "rNHSeialu .,
at Broadway and F~orty-seyenth street, on
May 4, 1904. when Big Jack Comstock
got a bullet through his heart because he
had pulled off a trick and refused to split
with those who had helped engineer the
game. Muldoon lay in jail for some time
with others as a result OF this. mixup, but,
in the ~parlance Of his kind, finally beat it,
in other words was freed.
The night before his death Muldoon was
taken to Police Headquarters. along with a
lot Of suspects gathered in as a result of
Inspector McLaughlin's orders to grab
every crook seen on the streets. When
stood up before the sleuths on the morning
of his death Muldoon turned to the detec-
tives and said:
u haven't turned a trick inmoons. I'm
a sick man. don't think I'm booked for
here very long"
He was taken to a police court and dis
charged for lack Of evidence. He made
for his hotel room and never left it alive.
A doctor summoned late that night found
Big Jim" overcome by apoplexy, and
beyond the power Of phyeiciGns and sur
TJim" S~trosneider, Chris" Tracy, Jack
Thomas, Bill" Hennessy, John Callahan
and "Red" Fox journeyed with big Jim's"
body to the little Catholic Cemetery in Troy.
where the bodies Of Jim's father and mother
are buried.
Sergt. Sheridan went from the record
o at Police Headquarters to the Rogues'
photograph-front and side iew-of Jim
Muldoon.
What are you doing?' asked Sergt.
Dunn, at the desk.
Big Muldoon has finally tapped a wire
replied Sheridan.
what kind Of a wire?S queried Dunn.
THAT wire they call life, replied Sheri-