The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-06-06
DETECTIVE, SHOT BY
POLICEMAN, MAY Die
Three Others Injured in Trag-
edy Of Errors Growing Out
Of Opium Raid.
STRAY BULLET HITSWOMAN
Alleged Drug Seller Caught
After Chase Through
Greenwich Village.
STRAY BULLETHITSWOMAN


Two men and a woman were shot and
third man was stabbed yesterday In a
tragedy OF errors growing out Of the ar
rest OF "a msn FOR selling cocaine. One of
the wounded. Detective Ernest +. Seyler.
who probably was shot by a fellow police
man, Is in a serious condition at st. Vim
cents Hospital The others. none OF whom
was dangerously hurt. are:
James Reggno. 22 years old, an al
legged seller Of cocaine. Of us West Hous-
ION street, shot through the nose.
Harry G. ellison. an Investigator at
tached to the District Attorneys Office,
stabbed in the left arm.
Mrs. Lillian Cudahy OF SO Morton street,
shot In the right leg.
Detective Seyler with Gllson the latter
a special Investigator" who has been
getting evidence against cocaine and
heroin sellers for the District Attorneys
office, was dtckerlng with Joseph Reg
gino for coke" In rear room at i78
West Houston street, near Hancock
street, yesterday a little before noon.
ellison had laid so cents on the table In
payment for the drug, and Reggino had
been told that he was under arrest when
things began to happcn--and so swiftly
AHdl lnt htlOTb were undDle later 10 give
clear account of the sequence OF events.
Detective Seyler said that he believed
that Regglno had started the trouble by
drawing revolver and a knife. Regglno
admits having the knife. but denies he
had a revolver and says that ne was shot
by ellison with Detective Seyler's re-
volver.
ellison admitted later In the day tsat he
had shot Reggino. He said that Just
as the money was handed over Regimes
father entered the room and that Seyler
pushed his revolver across the table to
ellison telling him to keep the older man
covered while he looked after Reggino.
This TALES with Regimes story that
seeing the revolver pointed at his father
and fearing that the old man. who does
understand English, would fight and get
shot he picked up bread knife and
slashed at ellison. In the fight that fol-
lowed ellison shot Reggino and the
prisoner jumped through the window into
an alleyway below.
At that moment Policeman Dennis A.
Mitchell OF the Macdougal street station
entered. lie had been guarding school
children at a street crossing a few blocks
away when the call of a police whistle
brought him on the run to the house at
No. l7s. man outside had yelled
Look out There's man shot in there"
and Mitchell, dashlng down the dark
hail and entering the room saw one man
bleeding from a wound on the arm and
another disappearing through the window
Mitchell fired and then vaulted through
the window himself. He saw that one
nan had dropped. but that another was
sprn;ns through the narrow passage
10 Blocker street in the rear.
Without stopping to look at the
wounded man Mitchell followed the run
uer. The chase led from Becker street
into Downing and up Varick until, after
fnilnNNinU he nd ftrn 90 he
Greenwich Village streets, Mitchell found
himself close behind his man In the
little park az Narick and Leroy streets. |
The policeman sprinted, but stumbled
against an cd man Longing in the sun. |
As he pitched forward his revolver was
discharged and the bullet struck Mrs. !
Cudahy In the leg.
Al the sound Of the shot, which he
believed was intended for him, Regglno |
surrendered Mitchell took him to the
Macdougal street police station, where he
found an ambulance surgeon binding up
Gisons arm and learned what had hap
pened Word came that hey were wanted
in hurry at st. Vincents Hospital.
where Detective Seyler was to be taken. |
Seyler refused to charge Mitchell with
shooting him. and the repor made at the
Macdougal street station said that Seyler
had ben shot while he and Mitchell were
chasing Reggino. who was firing at them
and being fired on in return. Mitchell,
however. said frankly at the hospital that
he had no doubt he had shot Seyler. He
said that all he knew when he entered
the house at IFS West Houston street
was that some one had been shot and that
some one was escaping. Az Seyler was
in plain clothes Mitchell had no way OF
knowing that he was policeman.
The surgeons found that Seyler had |
been shot through the upper part Of the
thigh and that the bullet had ran~ed
upward. He was bleeding internally.
The surgeons said they couldn't determine
what chance Seyler had of life until they
operated and that this could not be
done until the X-ray had shown the
nature Of tie injury.
Reggno was locked up on charge |
Of felonious assault No revolver was
found in his possession. although several
SO calibre cartridges were taken from
his pocket.
seyler lives at 306 East Eightv-s'~th |
street He has been In the Police De- |
partmen; about six years and Is I'M
married. Recently no has been detailed |
to aid in the crusade against sellers OF |
cocaine and heroin.
OF the many friends who visited De- |
tective Seyler at the hospital yesterday |
was Miss Mary Laurno, IS years old. OF |
4133 Park avenue his iancee. They an |
nounced their engagement Easter Sunday |
and planned to be married on August s |
II was on rainy day nearly three years
ago when Detective SeYler offered Mss
Laurno his umbrella that they became
acquainted.