New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-12-07
Three Desperadoes Open Fire
on Two Newark Officers Who
Were Trailing Them as
Suspected Robbers.
FRAY NEAR BROAD STREET
All Disappear After Wounded
Mans Companion, Who Is
Unarmed, Gets Others
Revolver and Begins
Blazing Away.

Three gunner riddled a detective and
narrowly missed hitting another in a
fusillade of shots in Newark last night
and got away. The wounded policeman
is John j. Gaffney, and he has four
bullets I'm the abdomen, that will prob
ably cause his death. His partner
Lieutenant Patrick j. Ryan. had a
bullet whiz through the lapel OF his
overcoat. He failed 10 bring any OF
the desperadoes down as he chased
them into a cemetery, firing as he ran.
The three gunmen. who were styl-
ishly dressed. were trailed by the two
sleuths for half an hour before the
shooting took place The shooting oc-
Cured i'm a dark spot In Lafayette
street, few hundred feet from
crowded Broad street, when Gaffney
attempted to interrogate the three sus-
picious looking men. Ryan was half
a dozen feet from Gaffney, and as soon
as the latter stepped up TO the trio
each one whipped out black steel
gun and fired almost simultaneously.
Gaffney sank to the pavement with
a groan, drawing his own revolver as
he fell. He fired two shots at the
fugitives as they disappeared into a
freight yard OF the Central Railroad
which adjoins the cemetery at the rear
Of the First Presbyterian Church.
Ryan was unarmed. but he grabbed
his wounded partners weapon and went
after the fugitives
over freight cars they climbed and
then they scaled a fence TO the burial
ground. Ryan fred at n heeting figure
as 1t bounded over tombstones. but in
the intense darkness It was easy for
the gunner to make good their escape
through more than one opening TO
different neighborinG streets. For
hours detectives and others secured
the graveyard with lanterns.
Gaffney retained consciousness until
Charles Brantigan. a fireman with
quarters half a block away. reached
him. The dying policeman requested
that a priest be summoned. lie told
the firemen that he knew none Of his
assailants He was hurried 10 ST.
James's Hospital. where an-operation
was performed in hope of saving his
life.
Gaffney and Ryan had been assigned
TO a hold-up case. which was reported
as having taken place in Military
Park on Thursday night. when three
highwaymen robbed a man Of SO. BY
the description Of the trio who figured
in this case Ryans eye fell upon tho
three well dressed gunmen in Park
Place, almost opposite the spot where
the hold-up occurred. The two detec-
tives took UP the trail The strangers
headed for the Park Place terminal OF
the Hudson Tunnel line and may have
discovered that they were being fol-
lowed.
They retraced their steps on reach
ing the station and got 10 Broad street.
RYAN and Gaffney kept well behind
them to Lafayette street. into which
the trio turned. They walked about a
block. when they turned back. Ryan
advised Gaffney to let the three reacn
Broad street again, and walked ahead
of his partner as they were about 20
meet the gunmen.
Gaffney has been on the police force
for more than ten years, is married
and has three children. His home is 1T
No. % Austin street.
At the hospital vain efforts to revive
Gaffney were made. He was placed on
the operating table and the surgeons
went TO work to try 10 find the three
bullets which were believed to be i'm
bedded IN his abdomen.
A general alarm was sent out by the
police. and soon the entire city was
being watched for some trace Of the
men. The police Of nearby cities and
towns were also asked to be on ths
lookout. Ryan describes two OF the
gunmen as tall, one with red hair. and
the other short, with black mustache.