The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1914-04-22
ATTACK ON MITCHELL.
BULLET MEANT FOR MITCHELL
SERIOUSLY WOUNDS CITY
ATTORNEY.
Assailant Says He Was Incensed Be.
cause He Was Refused Audience
With Mayor. ..

New York, April 17.-In an attempt
to take the life of Mayor John Purroy
Mitchell today, Michael p. Mahoney,
an apparently irresponsible, elderly
man. who later said he was a black
smith out Of work, fired into a group
OF three men seated in the mayors
automobile on Park Row at the east
side of the City Hall park. The bull
| let entered the jaw Of Frank L. Polk,
corporation counsel, who was sitting
next to the mayor. With blood spurt-
ing from his mouth, Mr.. Polk was
taken into the City Hall and after
wards to hospital, where, it was said,
the wound would not prove fatal.
Mahoney shot at the mayor, he de-
clared tonight, because he felt ag-
gravated at the executives "extrava-
CANT expenditures" and because he
was incensed at being refused an au-
dience with the mayor on two occa-
sions this week when he came to ap-
ply Tor q municipal job.
Before Mahoney could fire a second
shot he was overpowered by Detec-
tive Geo Neun, who, in the capacity
OF chauffeur, was adjusting robes
about the men in the auton obile. Tho
mayor sat in the middle Of the back
seat with Mr.. Polk on his right and
Geo. V. Mullan, the mayors former
law partner, on his left The bullet
passed SO close to Mayor Mitchell that
the left side of his face was scorched.
Standing within a few feet Of Ma
honey was Police Commissioners
Woods, who was waiting for the
| chauffeur to get into the car, intend
ing to sit beside the driver.
To bystanders, the sound Of the re-
vOlver shot and the sight Of the aged
man who did the shooting, sprawled
on the pavement as he was borne
down by De 4ctive Neun, seemed al
most simultaneous. The sight of
Mayor Mitchell steadying the stagger-
ms figure of Mr.. Polk then detached
itself from the picture. Within a
short time the City Hall plaza and
Park row were flooded with a surging
crowd and police reserves were called
out
| AS soon as he had seen that Mr..
Polk received medical attention Mayor
Mitchell went to the police station and
questioned Mahoney.
why did you shoot at me he
asked. The prisoners answer was in
coherent and to the effect that he had
nothing to say. Covering before his
questioners he seemed hardly to know
what he had done. He wore a ragged
fringe Of white beard and was clad in
an ill-fitting suit.
While the police were trying to learn
the mans name, which he persistently
refused TO give. jostling crowd
packed the plaza.
| Where's the assassin? Lynch him, u
some Of them cried. 1t was thought
at the time that the corporation coun-
Gil had lost most of his lower teeth
and chat the jawbone had been pierc.
ed in two places by the bullet, but q
later report from the hospital stated
that only one tooth had been knocked
out, and that unless blood poisoning
set in, the wound would not prove
serious.
Mahoney underwent q searching ex'
animation at police headquarters a
the hands of Police Commissioner
Woods. District Attorney Whitman
and others. AS he was led to the am
bulance that took him to police head
quarters the crowd lunged forward
menacing and loud-voiced, but the
police drove them back.
The automobile which the mayor.
party was entering was to take then
to lunch. In thirty seconds the cal
would have started. When the part!
approached the car Mahoney, who mac
been attending a noon meeting Of the
unemployed and the Industrial Work
ers Of the World nearby, saw thai
Mayor Mitchell was within q few fee'
Of him. AS the mayor took his seal
Mahoney drew revolver from his
coat pocket and shot.
According to his own story, Mahon'
ey had tried to see the mayor last
Monday, but had been unable to OBJ
tain an interview. His idea, he said
was to criticise Mayor Mitchell for the
''extravagant expenditures" of his ad
ministratiOn and incidentally to ash
for job.
His repulse cmbittered him. ant
when he came back Wednesday it wa.