Perth Amboy evening news., 1913-03-17
USES PHONE
TO SAVE MAN
Mulraney Was to be Electro
cuted This Morning.

| f1ney, who was to be electrocuted at
3 O'clock this morning in Sing Sing
xison for the murder Of Patrick Breen.
known as Paddy the Priest" was
ranted a sixty days reprievs by Gov
srnor Sulzer.
In order to make sure tho prisoner
would not be executed before the re-
prfeve papers reached the prison Gov
ernOr Sulzer from Albany called War
| den Kennedy on the telephone and no
tilted him that the official papers would
reach him IN the morning
This action WAS necessary to prevent
the electrocution, for unless the gov
there was no possibility of the official
document getting to the prison before
I o'clock. one hour after the time get
for Mulraney to go to the electric
chair.
Mulraney, known in the Hell's Kitch-
en- district as Happy Jack" inter
ested several persons In his case after
he had been put In death cell at
Sing Sing. Among these were Father
Cashin. the priest, who devotes much
much of his time to condemned men,
and William A. McCabe. the confiden-
tlal agent Of the superintendent of
prisons. The facts OF record are that
Mulraney was convicted and sentenced
to death on April 20. 1912. by Judge
Rosalsky after 1t had been proved in
court that he had subscribed In the
West Twenty-nfth street police station
to a confession made by one Bowling
that the pair Of them had killed the
| saloon keeper.
Mulraney's story now. which II to
be Investigated by the governor. "a
very different. Admitting that he bad
q record n a burglar. drunkard and
morphine user. Murapey insisted that
he WAS innocent Of the murder Of the
saloon keeper.
Drunk In Mothers Home.
He said that on the night Of the
| murder he was helpless from drink In
his mothers fat at 116 East One Hun
dred and Eightieth street. far from the
murdered mans place. He admitted
he had been that evening with Dow
ling, who he said was an acquaintance.
| The next day he left the city and tried
to get work In Massachusetts. Failing.
he returned to New York, happened to
meet Downing and both were arrested
for the murder Of the saloon keeper.
| Mulraney has told investigators at
Sing Sing that after Inspector Hughes
then head Of the detective bureau. had
forced confession from Bowling
Hughes tried to make him confess
| also. but that he refused. Then. be
said. he was taken to the West Twen.
| ty-fifth street station, where detec-
tive gave him whisky and morphine
and got him in SO muddled a condition
that he signed some sort OF paper
not knowing exactly what it contained
II turned out to be a confession OF
murder.
Three witnesses have told the dis
trict attorney that Mulraney was un
conscious from liquor In his mothers
home when the saloon keeper was
murdered. They are Nicholas Jacobs
Of 50 East One Hundred and Sixteenth
street. William Reilly of 124 East One
Hundred and Fifth street and Emma
Davidson. who lived In the Mulraney
house. Other witnesses will appeal
before the governor in Mulraney's be
half. Mulraney's counsel is Joseph A
Shay. who also is Charles Becker
lawyer.
An outcome Of the governors inves
tigation Of the Mulraney case may b<
an inquiry by the district attorney,
office on the conduct OF policemen who
Investigated the murder Of the saloon
keeper.
District Attorney Whitman and As
sistant District Attorney Rubin arr
examining the record of Muiraney',
trial and are questioning witnesses al
to the actions Of the police officers In
volved.