Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-02-17
H0LD-UP ON bOWERY
Murder Preceded Looting of
Lodging House Till.
POLICEMEN NEAR AT HAND
Night Clerk Too Badly Frightened
to Give Alarm.
TWO MEN IN THE JOB
Victim Gave Up 10 Cents, But This
Did Not Satisfy-Description
of Robbers.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK, February 17.-Thirst for
| rum. revenge and cocaine, the police
| think, led to the wanton murder Of Fred
Devlin this morning. He was shot In the
abdomen in a Bowery lodging house at 3
o'clock. before the eyes of the night
clerk. who prudently raised his hands and
yielded the contents of the till. Devlin
| died later in the Gouverneur Hospital
Three policemen, who were within a
hundred feet of the lodging house. say
| that if they had received the least init
nation of the crime they could have ar
! rested the man who committed it. for
they saw him come out with another man
| and pass close by them, but they declare
that five minutes elapsed before the night
| clerk plucked up his courage and made
his way out on wabbling knees to where
| they were. Plain-clothes men are search
| ing the Bowery and Chinatown in an eff
| fort to produce a man OF whom they have
| a very good description and certain dam
aging information.
Scene Of Crime Familiar.
Devln was a Californian. twenty-five
years old. Friends say that he was work
| ing as carpenters helper, and besides
| being a good fellow had been steady
| while in New York. He was living at the
Waverly Lodging House, at No. Bow
| cry. He has two brothers in Oakland.
| Cal. who are blacksmiths
The setting of the crime is familiar
| to the police. They say they have had
plenty of trouble there. There is a
saloon on the ground floor.
| The Office Of the Waverly is on the
second floor Joseph Desmond. the
| night clerk, says that at $40 o'clock
| this morning Devlin came in to go to
| bed. Five minutes later two men
whom he did not know appeared at tho
| head Of the stairs. One of them
stopped just inside the door at the
| stair head, and the other advanced
toward the office and demanded:
| where's Devlin?'
| The man inquired for overheard and
came out.
Say, how about a stake to a drink -
| asked the visitor.
| We'll, here's 10 cents" said Devlin.
We'll. is that all L get?" asked the
| visitor.
That's all 1 have" replied Devlin.
Shot Followed Instantly.
The visitor hereupon Tipped a gun
out of his pocket and placed the muzzle
against Devlin's abdomen. The shot
followed instantly. Devlin fell against
the stove and dropped to the floor.
| The shooter then turned to the night
clerk and leveled the revolver at him.
He advanced to the cage and proceeded
to help himself to the night receipts,
1895. which reposed in a porcelain
match box. Then telling his conlpan-
ion to shoot any one who followed, he
stalked out. The other man didn't
wait to cover the retreat. but went
| along, too.
WheE Desmond had pulled himself to-
| gether q little he went out and found
Patrolman Sullivan. Two other police
| men were close at hand The shot had
not been heard out of doors, and nothing
had served to give warning that the two
men who had left the Waverly SO quietly
we're wanted for the crime.
Description Of Murderer.
| Desmond described the man who did
the shooting as being five feet nine inches
| tall, weighing 100 pounds, smooth shaven
and CARRIED in a long black overcoat and
black derby. After having said that he
did not see the other man, according to
Sullivan, he described him as five feet
| seven inches in height, of a weight of
40 pounds, smooth shaver and clad in a
light overcoat with light stripes.
More helpful information was supplied
by Andy Muzzio. who came up to num-
Der 8 Bowery and told the police that he
knew Devlin, and also that he had just
walked up man whom he knew by the
name of Wheeling, who told him that
DevIin had been shot by Jack Murphy"
ted knowing such a man as Murphy. and
that his description of the murderer fitted
the description of Murphy as given by
others.