Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-04-18
MAHONE.Y TELLS A STRANGE
LIFE STORY OF GRIEVANCES
Wanted Kill Mitchell Wednesday, He Says but Decideo
Wait-Suffered Reverses in Business and Has Beer
Wandering About the country-od Diary Found in Trunk

NEW YORK, April 1S.-The story
of grievances. one after another,
which piled up in the brain of Mich
ael P. Mahoney, the mayors would
be assassin. until he finally bought "A
new revolver and tried to kill him
was patched together last night from
statements grilled out of him
throughout the afternoon and eve
ming and from his effects found in an
old trunk and suitcase recently re-
moved from a rooming house at 203
East Fifteenth street, where he lived
for nearly five months under his real
name.
Captain Thomas Tunney who saw
the man gradually break down under
the strain of official examination on
all sides, was responsible for the
revelation of his real name and ad-
dress.
Captain Tunney locked the man in
with himself and told him frankly it
was going to be a mental test be
tween them. Mahoney eringed with
fear.
Feared Beating at First.
Are you going to beat me?" he
asked.
mo, | am not" said Tunney. but
am going to get the truth out of
you before ! leave this room"
"All right, I'll tell you the truth. -
Alone with the detective, Mahoney
told as much about himself as he
could remember, Every bit was later
confirmed from a curious diary found
i'm his effects. The whole story gives
little ground for the idea that he was
in a plot to kill the mayor.
Later he told the police that he
had bought the gun to kill the mayor.
He said he had listened to the Social
ist speeches at the Franklin statue.
but that he was not affiliated with
that movement He admitted, how
ever. that the speeches had put the
final spur to his determination to kill
the mayor.
The letters found in his pockets ad-
dressed to Mayer Mitchell and Mayor
Armstrong and his diary left no doubt
in the minds of the police that he was
a crank, with grievance against the
mayor because of his policy. He told
Captain Tunney that he had called at
the city hall last Monday to "remon-
strate with the mayor" and had been
'fnsulted' there.
Decided to Kill Mitchell.
81 then dec ded to kill him." he
added. 81 went down last Wednes-
day to the city hall with the inten-
ton of killing him then. But I
cooled off. Yesterday ] went down
there again with the intention of fin
lshing the job. ! got down there
lbout 10 O'Clock, some time before
the mayor would come out. So
vent over to Park Row and had q
drink of beer at saloon When the
mayor came out / was waiting for
him. l waited until he got into the
machine He was about five feet
away from me when | fired
81 am sorry now that / shot at Mr..
Mitchell, and / am particularly sorry
that ] hit Mr. Polk, against whom
have no grievance"
The letter addressed to Mayor
Mitchell, city" in the mans pocket
shows plainly the state of his mind,
Apparently he had disapproved OF
Mr.. MitcheFs selection OF Colonel
Goethals as likely police comm $
sioner, because he criticised this view
all the way through. His wr ting was
incoherent and almost illegible His
English was bad his spelling poor
and punctuation almost negligible
Grievances Contained In Diary.
HIS diary indicated that he also had
a long-standing grievance aga nst the
Masons and the odd Fellows, dating
back as far as 1888, when he lost a
suit because, as he said, the judge