Year: 1870

Early yesterday morning yet another crime was
added to the long list which already stains the
police annals Of the current year. The principal
facts of the case were at once telegraphed down
town, and were published In our Issue ofyesterday,
but It was impossible to give all the details.


The two principal actors In this fatal drama both
belong to class which furnishes criminal
courts with a large share Of their business Both
are wnat are termed "sports' and both are
numbered IN the more disreputable ranks OF that
numerous body. Fiashily dressed, brilliant
with bogus iewelry, and fresh from the careful
hands OF the barber, this variety OF the
non producing element OF society is sadly familiar
to every reader who has had the most ordinary ex-
perience OF the darker side OF New York life. Each
evening one meets them strolng along the main
thoroughlares OF the cy they throng the corridors
of the hotels and strike graceful attitudes on the
steps of fashionable restaurants. And whenever
one encounters them, whether on the street. in a
gaming house or In yet infamous dens OF vice
aud shame, they are easily recognizable, for they
have all and always the same expression upon their
faces-tnat curiously watchfu eXpectant air which
marks them as


BIRDS OF PREY


Such are the men who figure In this miserable
story. One OF them, named Casey, who is now dead,
was of thirtyfour years Of age TALL hand
some and wei made. He was q native Of Ireland,
but had nved In thls city from early boyhood. lie
subsisted In an extremely doubtful aud questionable
manner, but seems to have been a constant hdbftae
OF several well known gambling houses and at
tended races and trotting matches and prize fights
and wherever else few dollars might be won by
speculation. He is said to have shot man once in
some liquor saloon brawl and only the other
day he was turned on the Saratoga race
course by the Hon. John MOrrissey. The portrait
o his vile Is SAID TO have place IN tnat vouminous
album at Police Headquarters known as the Rogue's
Gallery but nothing definite is alleged against Der.
or the second man, James Mccormick, VINO has
only been wounded less is known. Like Casey he
pretty frequent visitor al Pat Mackey's sport
Ing house on the corner or ThifV-siXth street and
Broadway, but his antecedents are more obscure
than are those OF the unfortunate man whom he has
klLed, He states that he Is broker by callrg, but
that Is probably slip of memory, as ne is unknown
he Is in appearance least twenty eight In stature
- is short and Is but very slightly built Physically
he Is q very poor match indeed for Casey.


THE ORIGIN OF THE DIFFICULTY


that has reached so sad conclusion is as yet un-
known, bat woman Is believed to be at tie bottom
OF IL. 1t dates back as FAR as year ago, when the
two men had violent quarrel, which came to blows.
Since then Casey and Mccormick have often met,
ana have as often, as the informant o the Writer
graphically described it,


.'sNARLED AND GRowLED'


ct each other, but these troubles stopped short at
ever, an encounter took place between them on
the street, and after the quarrel had got to
challenged Mccormick to personal combat. The
latter however feeling himself probably physically
man, declined The invitation, and SAID "he didn't
want TO fight anyway" The men finally separated
without any mischief having been done, except
thai the hatred aad i'll feeling that had gradually
been growing in intensity through q long year


neen 20 e ye case Vas Clear % that aa
something must soon happen, Gni The quarrel
reached tue


BLooDY DENoUEaENT


that spectator would have predicted as inevitable
only q lew hours later.


In the course of the day Mccormick and couple
of friends went TO Bay Ridge to spend the day.
They returned to the City and toward midnight
were standing on Twenty-seventh street, between
sixth and seventh avenues, when Casey, more than
half intoxicated, as is alleged, drove up alone in a
coach. Catching sight OF Mccormick he stopped
the coach, Jumped hastily out and a general ARRAY
began at once, without very much being SAID on
either SIDE Casey seems to have been the first to
rre, and he discharged Ave shots In quick success
sion, or which wounded Mccormick in the
kle. 1he latter nnding himself thus assailed also
drew his revoiver and fired two shots, both OF
which took effect, In the head and the other in
the stomach OF his antagonist.


IL was now almost midnight and the police
Ocers OF the precincI were proceeding to the place
where they are relieved from duty by the next
watcn. Olicer Reed and several others, on hearing
the Shots ran to the scene OF the array Here they
found Casey stretched upon the sidewalk, appar-
emily almost lfeless. They arrested McCormick and
his TWO friends, Joseph Howard and Henry Kelly,
ana then picking up Casey and placing him In tie
coach proceeded to the Twenty-ninth precinct
station house, followed by numerous mob OF


DEsPERADOES AND PROSTITUTES,


who haunt the neighDorhood In which the fight had
taken place-a nelghborhood which, according TO
the police returns, contains on q single block, Just
where the light took place, no less than twenty.
eight dens III fame and houses of assgnation At
the station house It was with the greatest difficulty
that this dsreputable throng could be kept outside
the doors, so eager were they to hear the examina
tion. After while. however Casey having been
seated In chair. Sergeant Hutchinson asked him
where he was hurt and who had shot him. He re-
piled that he was hit in the stomach and that Nc
COrmck had fired the shot. The sergeant then
proceeded to examine Mccormick, but while he was
dong so the officer who had charge OF Casey noticed
that he was almost fantng from exhaustion and
told the sergeant that he was afraid the


WAS DYING.


The sergeant sent him into the next room to fetch
some Ice water 10 revive the wounded man. While
he gone. and while the sergeant was again pro-
ceeding with the examination OF Mccormick Casey
which must have racked him with throes Of the
most excruciating pain, and snatchlng mp large
earthenware spiLtoon that was lying at his feet
hurled Il with all his remaining strength at the man
who had shot him. No words can adequately depict
tins terrible episode in what has now become
clothes bedrabbled with the life blood
that fast oozing from his wound his face tinted
with the pallor OF approaching death, his eyes
CLASSY and vacant, and his features, sadly they
told Of 1e nearness Of his end overspread with the
fierce hunger for revenge. Verify q ghastly spec
iacle and one which the pencil of modern Hogarth
might portray with melancholy emphasis on the
last scene IN the wasted, and worse than wasted
life. OF a modern Idle Apprentice


Scarcely had the dying man thus drawn upon him.
selfthe Mortified attention of the spectators than his
strength failed him and he fell back fantng III The
chair. The missile he had hurled missed itS


DESTINED MARK,


but eurucE OF McCormick's friends Howard,
upon the head just below the right ear and stretched
him senseless on The 1oor The injury he received,
however, was not very important, and he soon re-
covered consciousness.


The examination merely elected the facts detailed
above, and at its close both Casey and Mccormick
were despatched TO the Bellevue Hospital TO have
their wounds dressed and attended TO- The surgeon,
however, no sooner saw Casey than he pronounced
his recovery almost hopeless. Mccormick proved 10
be but slightly hurt, and was sent TO the Peni-
Lentiary on Blackwell's Island, there 10 await the
result or the COroners inquest, should IL prove
necessary 10 hold one.