The Washington herald., 1909-08-12
PALS UNWIITINGLY
IDENTIFY SLAYER
Adherence to Strange Creed
Solves Murder Mystery,
SOUGHT FUNDS FOR BURIAL
Man Who Killed Daniel FentOn at
MiddletOwn, y. ", Proved to BE
'TBis Tom McCau.ey; Who "GOt His
Man" After outstanding Threat.
Paid for AnOther's Crime.

New York, Aug. 1.-THE strict adher-
ence to the strange. unwritten creed
among crooks and others who live under
the ban OF the law, that they must bury
their dead led to-day TO the identifca-
tion OF the man who yesterday shot and
killed Daniel Fenton. a hotel keeper at
Middletown. n. Y. and then killed him
self.
While the detectives at the central
Office were trying TO figure out who John
McSorley might be-for that was the
name first given Of the slayer-they came
Unexpectedly across his Identification
from some Of his friends.
Then they knew that the name Of the
man who killed Fenton was not McSor-
ley, but McCauley. and they knew. too,
that Big Tom." as McCauley was known.
had got his man." as he long had
threatened to do
Remained n Mystery.
Fenton's slayer remained something Of
a mystery until this afternoon. when
central office detectives. passing along
the Bowery. were approached by two
request made Of the detectives was not
the first OF its kinda request to help
bury man who had given them trouble
for a long time
'Will you give us a dollar to help bury
Big Tom?" said the spokesman Of the
.wo.
What Big Tom2"
why. Big Tom that shot the guy up
at AIiddletown. That's him you read
about in the papers. They say his name
Is McSorley. but # amt. He IS Big
Tom McCauley, and we knew he was
going TO do It some time. He always said
he would. But he's dead now and We got
70 bury him."
When Fenton kept a saloon in Surf
avenue. Coney Island. about fifteen years
ago, McCauley worked for him as a
waiter. McCauley was arrested on a
charge OF robbery and Fenton appeared
against him. McCauley was convicted
and swore then that he would get even
With his employer. who, he had thought.
would stand by him.
The police figured IL ont that FentCn's
friends must have misunderstood him
when they were led 70 believe that Fen
ton was one Of the jury that had sent
McCauley TO Jail and had thus incurred
his enmity.
All the crooks IN Big Toms coteries
knew of his hatred well. II was the
burglars absorbing thought. and his one
topic Of conversation when he met them
In the dive he frequented near Houston
street and Second avenue.
He had sworn 20 kill four men, and
Fenton was one OF them. Big Tom-who
was also known as Tom Ryan and Tom
Smith-had always said that they got
him wrong in 1889 on a job for which
he spent five years in Trenton prison.
Accused of AnOther's Crime.
Il was another crook. the Iron Gall
Kid. that had committed the burglary.
With the Kid was Bull dc Rosa. now
serving a thTty-nine-year term in Sing
Sing. But Big Tom was arrested and
stood the gan. II was thought 10 be
an easy case 10 beat. To all intents and
puposes one man on the Jury was fixed.
To the amazement OF Big Tom. the
jury found a verdict Of guilty a minute
after reaching the jury room. Big Tom
got a sentence Of eight years. He went
10 Trenton. and. with good behavior.
came out IN FIVE. On his return 70 the
Bowery he made no bones of his inten-
tion by way of revenge. He would kill
Fenton II il took him years 10 do il.
He was also going after the Iron Gall
Kid and Bull de Rosa, who had not
played him square in the game. and he
was going 10 DO" COsgrove. the chief
OF detectives of Newark But the crook
fell into the tolls again before he could
go ahead with his killing. This time
II was for snatching a tray Of diamonds
IN Newark and Big Tom went behind
the bars for five years in 1909