New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-07-25
Few Words, Telling OF
Wedding, Would Have
Prevented Murder.
LAD HAD BADGE OF
HONOR" IN POCKET
SLAYER. in Jail. Stricken with
RemOrse-Did Not Know Vic
tim Was SOn-in-LaW.

in entire ignorance OF the fact tna'
Eugene Martin Newman had secretly
married his twenty-year-old daughtc'
last Saturday that William Y. Cleary
Democratic leader of this village, sto",
in his Office. within six feet of his &c
tim and shot ;he boy husband to death
The boy, for ne was only eighteen
entered his father-in-law's office yes
terday carrying, as Mr.. Newman. the
father. expressed it. "the badge OF
honor in his hand" the certificate
proving that he had married Anna
Maria Cleary. To-day Clearys friends
asserted that he knew nothing Of the
marriage. nothing of the certificate
He gave Eugene no chance to produce
it; no chance to say one word OF cN-
planation or defence. Within one min
ute after the boy had entered the o.
fee he lay on the floor with four bu'-
lets in him, while Cleary locked hl'
safe and walked out, followed by his
friend and adherent. Bernard j. Fox.
One minute OF explanation, thirty
seconds, indeed. would, it is believed
have been ample to avert tragedy
which has plunged two families intc
sorrow and disgrace.
Cleary Sought Vengeance.
Clcary's motive. as he told it, was
10 avenge an injury done the honor Of
his daughter. Unknown to him, tha;
injury had been wiped out in the best
possible way. He risked his own lft
TO protect his home. as he thought; IN
stead ne told the world the whole
story and murdered his daughters hus-
band, the son of one of his best friends
and the boy whom he had often wei
coined 10 his home and even secured
positions for at various times.
To Cleary, proud and sensitive, came
the knowledge several days ago OF his
daughters love affair with young New
man. He brooded over il and sought
to forget his grief in the old familiar
way. Stimulants increased the po'g-
nancy of the pain.
His wife had been taken into the
confidence of the young people. They
had told her Of their elopcmcnt TO and
marriage in Weehawken, but for soma
reason, though entirely reconciled Ia
the event herself she thought it best
TO send Eugene to break the news HIM
self TO her husband
Newman went, carrying in his pocket
his marriage certificate. and confident
that the interview with Mr.. Cleary
would end happily. But the sight OF
him drove the already half-maddened
father into a frenzy Of rage. Without
warning or giving Eugene a chance for
his life he fred.
Almost instantly came the reaction
Cleary hurried to the Office Of Thomas
Gagan, District Attorney. and said 20
him wildly: 81 have killed the New
man boy. He broke up my home and
de troyed my happiness Cleary then
broke into incoherent mutterings and
wept. Tonight he is an entirely
broken man as he PAGES his cell in
the Rockland County jail in New City
Remorse Follows Murder.
Cleary's remorse for his act is pitt
ful, according TO the accounts Of the
friends who were admitted 10 see him
and who vainly tried TO cheer him. "lf
I had only known my girl was married
never would have done it, he is re-
ported as repeating constantly.
The daughter. whose happiness and
gay good humor her friends say has
been especially noticeable since sat
urday. her wedding day and also her
twentieth birthday, is prostratcd N
he. home IN New York and under m ID
ical care. Her condition was reported
here last night as serious.
Then there Is the other side, :he
family of the victim. Mrs. A. II. Ken
nedy. his grandmother, who made Eu-
gene her particular pet and with whom
he often lived when he went TO Haver-
straw, is heartbroken over her loss
Fred T.. Newman. his father, is grief
stricken. Talking Of the tragedy with
a correspondent for The Tribune to-
day Mr.. Newman said:
Suppose all that they say IS true,
Ny boy went into that mans office
with the badge OF honor in his haId.
He Was shot down presenting the BADGE
OF honor No matter what he had
done, he had made good and he went
there 10 prove IT.
"No. ! am not clsmoring for ven
gcancc. BIZ Cleary and ! have been
close friends from boyhood up. ] don;
want 10 sec BIZ 90 70 the chair. But
] don't want, for political or any other
reasons, 10 see that man walking
around free while my son lies in his
grave in the Mount Repose Cemetery.
Mine rs the lesser gricf. Mine Is
the sudden shock from which ! will rc-
cover ~ time, but theirs will be the
lasting sorrow. They are more 70 be
piticd than !.
"Bill Clcary and are friends NJ
longer. ! feel toward him just as any
father would feel 10 the man who shot
down his son in cold blood. I want to
see him get n good long sentence"
Stunned as they were by the sud
denncss and uneXpcctedncss Of tho
murder. Clcary's friends lost no time
to-day in rallyipg to his aid and lay
ing pIans for MS defence II o. said
nov that Sheriff Larry W. severn !.
taking the lead IN helping the fight for
By noon yesterday Frank Comcsky.
, LAWYER Of Nyack. had been reached
.t Desert Lake, Ontario. Canada. and
had agreed TO defend Clcary. He will
cut short his vacation and return 10