New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1908-09-10
OBITUARY.
WILLIAM MURRAY.

William Murray. Superintendent of Police from
1855 to 1892 died at his home No. go Ocean PARK
way Flatbush at O'Clock last night, after an
Illness of two months Mr.. Murray had suffered
from palsy for many years and about TWO fnoh'ns
ago he had slight stroke of apoplexy' his "iIe
and five children were at his bedside when death
came
William Murray the first man who rose from
the ranks through all the grades OF the pohce ser
vice. from patrolman to Superintendent of Police.
in the old city of New York, and he was the ias'
man to be retired on the pension OF a superlh-
tendent. The superintendent before MIN olu not
get promotion from the ranks. and Thomas Byrnes,
who succeeded him In office. was mace ChieL Oh
Police by act of the Legislature
Murray a New Yorker by birth, and was onIs
seventeen years old when he went to the front In
1851 as a private in the Ellsworth zouaves, nth
New York Volunteers. He was wounded severely
at the battle of Bull Run, but recovered ana re-
Joined his regiment later. After the war was over
he joined the police force as patrolman, ana IN
about year he earned promotion TO roundsman by
making several important arrests His luck IN
making arrests continued and he was promoted to
sergeant in another year. For several years ne was
a desk sergeant in precincts, most of the time at
the Mercer street station. when Byrnes was captain
there.
In October 1876 Murray made captain. and
sent to the 4th Precinct. He captain there
Just eight months, and in that time he MADE q
record such as never made before and never
city He arrested so many criminals in his pre-
cinct that their terms of imprisonment after they
were convicted amounted 10 five hundred years.
On his record for arrests he was promoted to in
spector at the end of the eight months
Murray succeeded George w. Walling as Super
intendent of Police in June 1886. It during his
term that Byrnes became famous chief of the
detectives and Byrnes succeeded him in April,
1892 Murray was retired a pension of $500 a
year on his own application He was then suffer-
ing from locomotor ataxia, and was so much or an
invalid that he could not walk without assistance.
For years after his retirement he spent his sum-
ners on his farm at Red Bank n. j., and his
winters in the city
In the fall OF 1900 Mr.. Murray threatened 10
bring a libel suit against the late Abram S. Hewitt,
because of a speech which Mr.. Hewitt had made
about the police enforcement of laws against dens
OF vice when Mr.. Hewitt Mayor. Mr. Hewitt
said he had talked with Murray about closing the
dives" and Murray said that the closing of SUCH
places would affect some of Mr.. Hewitts fnfiuen-
tial friends and endanger Mr.. Hewitts political
future Mr.. Hewitt added
II told him 1 was elected to see that the law
was enforced and that these places must be closed
also told him that my political future had nothing
to do with the matter, nor was such an oroer al
fecting any of my friends TO be considered MI
Murray then went ahead and carried out my oroer
eeicientlv and those resorts were closed.
Mr. Murray denied that he ever had such
conversation with Mr.. Hewitt, but he did not bring
the libel suit