The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1909-12-22
A HONESDALER
HELD FOR MURDER
Murder Done -Four Years Ago-Pro-
tected by Tammany Hall.

CecUeO Dy Tammany Hail.
Peter Regan, better known as
"'Kid" Regan, brother of Police
Lieutenant Martin Regan, was lock-
ed up in the Tombs, in New York, on
Saturday without bail, to await trial
on a charge of murder committed
April 13, 1905, in dive then locat-
ed in the cellar of the building on
the northwest corner of Thirty-first
street and Broadway. This place
was run by man named Tobey,
and it was an all-night resort fire.
quented by dissolute women and
men. Roy Walter Joyce was a bar
tender there. and was stabbed to
death, and kid" Regan is the one
who has been formally charged with
the killing. In addition to being in
dicted for murder in the first degree,
the first degree in stabbing Edward
Weston in the same row.
Regan's indictment so long after
Joyce was killed and how he was as
sisted by members of the police force
make remarkable story. That this
attempt to defeat justice has not been
successful is due solely to the work
done by Assistant District Attorney
James r. Ely.
A bench warrant was issued for
Regan's arrest after the indictment
was filed Thursday, and the warrant
was handed over to Detective Nor
man Fitzsimmons of the District At
torney's staff and Lieut.. William
Boyle of Police Headquarters. 1t
took them all night to locate Regan,
for that young man was busy playing
poker.
The disappearance of every one
connected with the killing and the
lying of those who were believed to
have witnessed it fiabbergasted in
vestigators. 1t was openly charged
that the police system was being used
for his protection by friends of his
brother, who was an old-time mem
ber of the force and very popular.
William McAdoo was then Police
Commissioner and did his best to
locate the missing Regan, finally Of
fering $1,000 reward out of his own
pocket.
Such evidence as was obtained at
that time was submitted to the Grand
Jury and Regan was indicted for
manslaughter in the first degree.
Assistant District Attorney Ely OBJ
tained this indictment, and when he
found that Regan was evidently uh-
der the protection of the police sys-
tenn he resolved he would get him
if he could.
1t took time and outside detective
! work to accomplish anything, but
such facts as Ely did get convinced
him more than ever that Regan was
being protected by the police. Mr..
Mr.. McAdoo's successor, and got his
permission to put the matter up to
Inspector George McClusky. Nc
Clusky was told to get Regan and
promised to do his best. He did not
get him.
that case Bayle displayed the most
upon by McClusky to help find Re-
gan. OF all the men who worked on
that case Boyle disployed the most
| interest in locating Regan. Just a
year ago Boyle heard that Regan
! was in Los Angeles, Cal. He tele-
graphed to the Chief of Police there
giving Regan's supposed address,
but did not tell anybody here about
it, and did not even send the tele-
gram from Policey Headquarters.
Regan was arrested just as he was
about to skip away on the strength
of a telegram of warning from a
| man still connected with the Detec-
tive Bureau.
Regan was held in Los Angeles
and his picture forwarded here for
identification. Strange to say, none
of the men who worked on the
Joyce murder could positively identi-
fly that picture.
Lieut.. ]. ]. Fogarty was sent to
Los Angeles, identified the suspect
and Regan was brought here. He
was kept in the Tombs for several
months and then released on $4,000
bail. District Attorney Ely saying
that all the witnesses had disappear
ed.
The effect of that declaration was
better than Mr.. Ely expected. One
of the women witnesses, who had
been kept under closest watch,
promptly got drunk as soon as she
was set free. Liquor set her tongue
wagging and when she sobered up
she told all she knew. So did the
other witnesses.
Enough testimony was adduced
before the Grand Jury-not all of it
was presented-to get Regan in
| diCted.