Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-08-11
Appears to Have Good Strength, Takes
Noufishment and Rests WeN---Ca|-
|agher Makes First Talk Con-
corning Horrible Crime.
GALLAGHER'S STATEMENT.

New York. Aug. t0.-Interest. of
course. centers on the mayors condi-
ton. but Gallagher. now protesting a
trace of penitence for his act caused
further nOtOriety in his cell in Jersey
City this evening. An anonymous let
ter, vulgarly couched and threatening
the life of Street Cleaning Commission
er William H. Edwards. whose power
full blows felled Gallagher to the deck
of the Kaiser Wilhelm Der Crosse yes
terday, started Il police investigat ton,
but generally the communication is at
tributed to a crank. Although it pre-
dicted for Big Bill fate similar to
the mayors. the former football play
er seemed to regard his chances of a
long life as good ne ever.
Two young girls. who said that they
overheard an intoxicated policeman in
| discrettl ~ remark on Monday night
! that the mayor would be shot either on
| his departure for or on his return from
| Europe. Eet on foot another police in
quiry. but nothing tangible had devel
oped tonight. The policcman's number
| is in the possession Of Inspector Russell
and. while there is little. If anything to
| indicate the existence of an organized
plot to take the mayors life. the po
| liceman. if the charges of drunkenness
| prove true, will be tried for intoxiCa
| ton while on duty and with making in
| Cendiary remarks The mayor has been
drastic in his police reform policy and
| he has many enemies on the force.
! Policeman Joseph p Hook of the
| Madison street station. whose number,
1916. is the number given by the girls,
was suspended from duty tonight
pending investigation. Hook has been
on the force three years.
Gallagher's statement made this
evening. was his first frank talk con-
corning the crime. while / will not
say that I am sorry" he said. II hope
now that the mayor gets well. But I
, anted to teach high officials to re-
gard the rights of subordinates ! con-
.ider that I had to shoot the mayor
as lesson to the country. 1 did what
I did for personal principles and was
not prompted by any Anarchists be-
lief.
II am sorry that Commissioner Ed
wards was wounded. for | was aiming
only at the mayor But even the
| thought of killing him had not been
long in my mind. In fact. I reached
no decision until I bought a newspa-
per yesterday morning. The paper said
that Gaynor was going to sail for a
| Nacation. That made me angry to
| think that he should have a vacation
| in Europe while did not even have a
| chance to work. much less get va
cation. SO ] hurried over to the 23d
ferry and inquired my way to the
Kaiser Wilhelm.
MY wrongs had proved more than
| / thought I could bear. Over and over
| I sized up my hard station in life and
| men. of Mayor Gaynor. who had
| wronged me in particular, At length I
determined to seek the revenge which
| | concluded should be justly mine. No.
| ! was not drunk when I went aboard
the Kaiser Wilhelm Der Crosse yester-
day morning, as has been intimated.
on the contrary, / had not taken a
drop of liquor since last Saturday My
| drinking on that day was limited to a
single glass of beer.
Had | heard of President McKin-
| ley's assassination? OF course. and l
| believe assassination is sometimes
| right.
| II had carried the gun for nine
Years I feared the enemies had made
nv writing letters when I was trying
| to reform the dock department"
There is marked determination
| among the New Jersey authorities to
make Gallagher an example of Jersey
| justice" but it was definitely deter
mined tonight not to lay his case be-
fore the grand jury. pending the out
come Of the mayors injuries. If the
| mayor RECEIVERS. Gallagher will be
speedily tried. charged with assault
with intent to kill for which he may
| receive maximum sentence of 20
! years.
| If his victim should die. the charge
will be murder in the first degree. the
| penalty for which is death.
| For man who so narrowly escaped
| instant death by an assassin's bullet,
| Mayor Gaynor spent a cheerful day.
! With the ever-present possibility of
| blood poisoning. the anxiety Of those
| near his bedside remains tense, but
| every bulletin of the day concerning
| his condition was optimistic in tone.
He talked cheerfully with those who
saw him, and pleaded with his wife
and his physicians to allow him slice
of bacon of which he is very fond. His
brother Thomas L. Gaynor. who rush
ed here from Ohio on receipt of news
of the shooting was allowed to spend
only 20 minutes in the sick room.
The mayors only other visitors dur
ing the day aside from the physicians
were Mrs. Gaynor, who was with him
almost constantly; John Purroy Mitch
ell of the board of aldermen and now
acting mayor, Commissioner Edwards
Robert Adamson, the mayors secre-
tary; and Mrs. Harry X. sVingut, for
Continued on Page Ten.)