The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-06-28
PASSING OUT OF JERE DUNN.
A MANSLAYER, THURMAN, GAM
BIER AND ALL-ROUND SPORT.
His Killing Of Jimmy Elliot, VINO Wanted
10 Beat John l.. sullivan, the Most
Conspicuous Incident Of His Career
Met Deaths Approach with o Smile.

I'M tttth W III 1
TO Beat John l.. sullivan. the Most
Conspicuous Incident Of His Career
Met Deaths Approach With o Smile.
Jere Dunn, manslayer, turfman, gambler
and all-round sport, died yesterday at his
suburban home in Elizabeth, N. j., with
his boots Of, as be had prophesied. but
as his enemies, most Of whom are dead.
declared he wouldn't. The house In which
he died Ia one OF the finest In Its breezy and
wooded section Of the town and the gamblers
gentle neighbors regarded him somewhat
in the nature Of an acquisition when he moved
there with his wife about thirteen years ago.
She was Miss Maggie. daughter Of b Boston
brewer, when Dunn married her about
fifteen years ago, and her many acts OF
charity in Elizabeth helped the reputation
OF her husband among his neighbors.
Dunn's illness was due to an injury Of
the ssophagus he received in an accident
on the Pennsylvania Railroad while going
from Long. Branch to this city in July.
1908. He wal thrown forward from his
seat against the back Of the seat In front,
striking on his chest. One rib was broken
and he wal bruised externally and In
t~ernally. He sued the railroad and OBJ
tanned $500. A canoerous growth de-
veloped in the e~sophagus. and last spring
Dunn went to SCI. Fr-ncisco, where he
had a racing STAGE and underwent an
operation.
He had been unable to eat, or even TO
swallow his saliva, and a tube was inserted
in an incision made in the stomach. 1t
was through this tube for the last two
months that Dunn got all his nourishment
His only real enjoyment had been smoking,
and two days before his death he was
sitting on the veranda with his last cigar
between his thin and drawn lips, smiling
at his old friend Leander Richardson,
who was with him at the end. He and
his wife were stopping at a San Francisco
hotel while the surgeons operated on hin
This was three days before the earthquake,
which DESTROYED the hotel. All Dunn's
baggage was burned. He came East as
soon as be could get away from the city
and went Immediately to his Elizabeth
home.
He viewed the approach Of death calmly.
Some Of his friends tried to persuade him
that he might yet live to laugh at the doc
tors. He was a hard man to Jolly" n as
able duration OF his stay on this, planet, ne
simply smiled at his friends and said that
he was not worrying about dying. Inc
doctors had told him that they might pro
long his life by another operation, but that
probabilities in favor Of the knife winning.
He told them that he did not want TO COM
nit suicide and that he guessed that he
would just let the cancer DO its work.
At 1890 O'Clock yesterday morning. he
sat up on the side Of his bed and talked
A. a~l Mra hmm in hnrdlv
artioulate whispers. He gripped the hand
Of his friend firmly and gave him good-b,y.
Then he lay down and never got up again.
He had moments of consciousness almost
to the hour Of his death. at 1890 O'CLOCK
yesterday morning, but was Unable to talk
escape him, in the several weeks preceding
his death. He retained his tremendous
grit and nerve to the last, His funeral
will be on Saturday from St. Mary's Church.
Elizabeth, which he attended.
Dunn was born in Tipperary es years age
was 2 years old. He was brought up in
Oswego, where two Of his sisters are living.
He enlisted in the Union army when he was
10 years old at Linooln's first call for troops
and served three years. While acting as
recruiting officer in Pennsylvania a bounty
jumper OF whom he had charge attempted
to escape. Dunn emptiedJ his revolver
above the head OF the fugitive, who jumped
on a stone wall. Dunn leaped after the
man and was hit on the head with a stone
He attacked the bounty jumper with the butt
Of his revolver, breaking his skull. Dunn
was convicted Of manslaughter and sent
to prison, but was pardoned by Gov. Cur
tin, who declared that the conviction was
unjustifable.
After the war Dunn was not choice in
the selection Of his companions ana gol
into much trouble with the police. Ill
spent a short time on Blackwells Island and
| later, taking an interest in politics, got
mixed I'D in the scrapes common In the
fierce political contests of the day He
ouarrelled in 1870 with Police Justice Dow
ling, who, Dunn declared, had Threatened
to railroad him. Dunn said that a former
bank burglar named Logan had e EN-
ployed to seek a quarrel with him and be
armed himself.
Logan met Dunn on Houston street one
night and jostled a friend with Dunn;
finally Dunn shot Logan, who, after running
to Broadway, throwing away a blacklack
and a knife in his fight, fell dead. Dunn
fed and was not arrested until several
months later. He was convicted OF man.
slaughter and sent to Sing Sing, serving
release he went to Chicago and spent most
OF In ms is ssI he s shot anS killed Jimmy Elliott
a p%rizefghter, in the Tivoli saloon in
Chicago. He was tried ana acquitted on
the ground Of self -defence. Elliott wanted
to meet John L. Sullivan, then in his Irime
who agreed to accommodate the pugllist
Dunn, who was a friend OF Sullivan, was
to fnan &c the fight. 1t was agreed thai
he shoul Id get a certain percentage OF the
gross receipts for his expenses and give
the re at to the fighters. He spent 81 ,00
in advertising the show and for hall hire
Elliott refused to go on at the last moment
His enemies said that he slammed sickness
Dunn was broke and mad, and he called
Elliott a cur and other things that are no
usually printed. One night not long aftel
the fasco Elliott and Dunn met in the
Tivoli.
II is said that they drew guns almost sim
ultaneously. Dunn fired first, The bulle
hit EliottIs pistol arm and put 1t out OF com
mission. Elliott picked up a chair as
shield, and Plaisted, the oarsman, put Ell
liott's revolver in his other hand. Elliot
fired twice, one bullet tearing Dunn's scall
and the other going through his arm. TIL,
men, who had been advancing on eaol
other, clinched. Elliott used his gun t.
beat Dunn over the head and II got out o
order. Dunn then killed his foe.
Dunn came back to New York and Polio
Superintendent Byrnes. made a fruitles
effort to compel him TO leave. They calle'
each other names in the newspapers an
Dunn stayed here p%atronizing the gamblinI
houses and usually winning. He ais
made money on the turf with his horse
Sunny Slope and Ethel Barrymore. NAV
rice Barrymore was a friend and admirer o
Dunn, and when the actor played Cap