The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-03-24
BATTERY DAN Finn IS DEAD
POLICE MAGISTRATE VICTIM
az GENERAL RRE Al DOH y.
PICTURESQUE Character Whs Daspeaaesi
VPee and Easy Justlse ami scored
Policemen Hls own Police Record
F~ught Hos WsS IP IR New Nsrk

Polieemea Hls Own Police Record
Fought us Wa - In New NSTk.
Police Magistrate Daniel n. Finn-hs
vas better known a. Battery Dan. the
IAmmany leader of the First Assembly
dis,ricr-d'sd az his home. SEQ Broome
st-@,t. shortly after I O'Clock yesterday
afternoon % a general breakdown. which
began with On attack of neuraStheuia.
Battery Dan was fisherman and q
baseball fan. a booster OF New York and
ts government. hut a knocker of thu
rolce. On old polics blotters YOU will
md entries that tell OF the arrest Of one
Daniel Z. Finn for excise violations and
for general AggressivenCss with the fseN
IN street Corners and ON the old horse
.Ars. Also there are records which show
that one II HE sons-in-law. Matthew
strip. has had troubles OF his own with
the police because "a poolroom dificulties.
All ~ which may or may not have had 10
DO with the reputation Battery Dan en-
ioyed 81 being the most lenient of Magis-
trates, not even excepting Paddy Diver.
when q certain kind Of offender was
brought before him. Battery Dan went
the limit In gentleness for everybody that
his duties brought him IN contact with
except the New York police. Whore the
police were concerned he went the limit
N the other direction.
Battery Dan was one of tho last oI the old
time TAmmsny leaders ~ irish birth who
control great districts ~ Manhattan not
% much nv brain a. by hrawn. He vac
horn IN Dublin an July ~. Ists and vas
brought IN THE country white still q haby
-. IN -. n
remembered vas spent in the First die
trict. the eonees,~d part ~ southwestern
Manhattan that trails along the North
River waterfront IN 10 Old Ch~lses VII
lags and stretches eastward At on" place
20 Park row
For twenty-five years or more Battery
nan had hesn the most imposing political
figure IN that region ~ shops and tsne-
nents. warehouses. Turkish and Ar
vsenian settlements. with an overflow ~
Little Italy. He wasn't the leader Their
cfhcially during sll ~ this period. hut h
had virtually controlled the rsGion.
A . callow youth Finn was q printer
In the shop Of John 4. Gray ~ Gold and
Frankfort streets and worked AZ the next
case to Eddie Coppers. the janitor Of the
Criminal Courts Building Then the
civil war began and Battery IAN wearing
shoes and clothes that made him look
tallsr-Rot q recruiting ofticer 10 enlist
him in Q youave regiment az the begin
ming Of the scrap when his regiment
~ the baGgy trousers was mustered out
Ratt~ry Dan promptly enlisted IN the
Twenty-second New York Volunteers
and served until the end ~ the war
FINN was a butcher after the war for q
While and then he opened a saloon IN Park
row near the present entrance 10 the
Brooklyn Bridge About two years ago.
when Battery Dan had some woris With
Cen Bingham about the police after the
Police COMMISSIONS had taken Battery
Dams probation Officer. Barney O'Connor.
away from the Magistrate. somebody at
Police Headquarters dug up the police
hlotter record of one Daniel p. Finn and
his doings about lssO An anonymous
letter signed An Did Patrolman' and
dated October %. 1877. came % Gen
bingham and CAUSED Headqua rters TO
investigate hack history
The lestsr told 81 q day when Daniel v
Fian. then = deputy sheriff. WA- arrested
Nv Policeman Micha~I Johnston a. los
Rowery for lighting and was taken To the
until the prisoner had ripped mp the police
mans uniform and had done other things
that precipitAted a clubbing The same
letter said thai Daniel y Finn a. the time
III his arrest ran an all night gin mill a.
10 or p Park row and was ~ ic~ arrested
for excise violations
A. the tirna this laIter vas reC~iN -
th@re were unaarth-d extracts from blo,
rsrs oT The Second rre~in~t. July ~. Is7S.
showing thai Daniel Finn. butcher. Was
charged with assault and battery The
hotter Of the Eighteenth Dre-inct had an
entry On April 2. Isso saying thar Daniel
, Iinn was charged nv LOUISA Thomson
With assault and battery IN = car AZ SiH
t@anth street and Fourth avenue MagiS-
tra,e Wsndell held Finn m S3oO hail on
The charge ~ striking and kicking rhe
woman and rhs ca CONDUCTOR who had
come 20 her ssststancs knife and
razor. according 80 the hotter were
found on Finn
On August =. Iss0 DANIEL Finn.
deputy sheriff. according - the blot tar
~ that date ~ the OAK street police sta
tlon house was charCet by Policeman
Nallon ~ violating IN" excuse law. DIS
orderly conduct and interfering wtth an
ofhcer while Mallon was quoting 4 tight
N Finn Q place The hlotisr 90 ths. Fourth
District Magistrate Court ~ Aug pEt -.
$50. says that Daniel ' FINN. deputy
shsr1f was charged with assault and
battery bv ono Lazarus Sch"n.y. bIt was
discharged Joseph Beggs. conductor
IN q Sixth avenue car. cha TRed DANIEL D.
Finn, deputy sheriff. on the blotter Of
the Second precinct NoveTnh~r - $50
With striking the complainant and throw
finn o~ned a knife and a bottle ~ he.y
when searched Henry Nichols cha rged
Daniel 2 Finn. deputy sheriff With
assault and battery. ~ the blottsr ~ the
old Tenderloin station says. IN October
II 1850 but the prisoner was not held
N the police station.
when these old records were un~arthed
BY Gen. BtnghAmis assistants q year ago
Magistrate Finn grew angry and Added
q fsw mora comments ~ thnss he had
alraady sent forth regarding Commits
sioner Bingham. The recOrhs could not
10 denied. but Magistrate Finn explained