Year: 1873

inc Sun Slayer MOI Yet Free0 rOm tne


Meshes OF the Law-The Family Tell


Two Stortes-The District Attorney Re-


fuses to Take Bail-The Grand Jury to


Investigate the Case.


The District Attorney, Mr.. Benjamin K. Phelps,
is now determined to prosecute the matter OF the
Broderck homicide to the end, and on Monday
morning the matter will come up before the
Grand Jury.


The circumstances OF the case will be easily re-
nembered. On Friday week last Michael G. Brod
erick, In the tenement house No. 81 Carmine
street, in scufe stabbed his sons John and james
in the presence oil the whole family. James died
almost instantly. John survived. The HERALD
contained full account OF the murder and
detailed minutely the circumstances Of the crime
as far as they could be obtained from the eye
witnesses 1t appeared from what was then said
that Michael Broderick, the father was being
abused by and abusing his mother-in-iaw about
button being sewed on his pants, when his sons
interfered 10 prevent him. The father then seized
slat OF the bed to innict chastisement upon the
sons, and they united to deprive him OF It, In the
scufie which took place Michael drew pocket
knife and stabbed both his sons, with the result
already told. The family was seen, and also
Michael when prisoner in the Tombs, on the after
noon OF the same day. He corroborated all that
had been SAID at the house, and only supple
mented the account by saying that James was
good boy and John was bad one.


On the Monday following the inquest took place
before Coroner Young. Mr.. Schwab appeared for
the prisoner. All the family was present to testify
except the grandmother (mother-in-law OF the
prisoner). Each witness gave very succinct but
altogether new account of the murder and the
scenes which surrounded 1t.


THE OLD STORY


aIto ipcto dof foil
assaulting the sons with a slat, 1t appeared from
the evidence that one Of the sons had taken o
loaded club and the other a table knife and had
first assaulted the father, he only taking the sat to
defend himself and, finding that insufficient used
the knife. According to the evidence adduced 1t was
clearly case oi seli-deence and nothing else Inc
jury brought in verdict to that effect adding
that in their judgment the father believed himself
TO be in danger Of his life when he struck the
blows. motion was then made to admit the
prisoner to bail, and Coroner Young promised to
do so, saying he would fix the amount the next
morning. IL appears that during the afternoon OF
that day Coroner Young went to see the District
Attorney about the matter, acquainting him with
the verdict OF the jury. District Attorney Phelps
calling the attention OF the Coroner to the


GREAT DISCREPANCY


which existed between the HERALDS account OF
the story taken on the spot and the testimony In
the case At the inquest. Mr.. Phelps said that the
discrepancy was too great not to give the evidence
an appearance Of untruthfulness which would
make him hesitate long before admitting the pris-
oner to bail. The newspapers gave an account Of
% oo
to be investigated Michael Broderick was
therefore kept in the Tombs lwhere he
Is now, and the District Attorney yesterday
letters to the principal newspapersi In the CITY,
asking that the reporters who wrote up the mur-
der be permitted to give their testimony before the
Grand Jury as to how and where they got their
facts. This examination will take place on Mon
day. at eleven O'Clock.


In the account given Of the inquest in the
HERALD 1t was mentioned that the whole thing
bore


SUSPICION OF PREVIOUS REHEARSAL
that was too papable to be overlooked. The
mother-in-law, with whom all the trouble began,
and who would not have been as likely to side
with the prisoner as the other members OF the
family would, was excluded from the In
quest Her testimony being the most important
OF all, would certainly have been link against
looked as il the family, feeling that Broderick was
their main support and that In nOwse would 1t
better matters to have him convicted, all agreed
dict, but which, singularly enough, not one OF
them told on the morning OF the murder. SO I'M
with q table knife and the other with loaded
club could not possibly have been forgotten
by all of them and aiterwards remembered. The
manner In which all testifed


AGAINST THE DEAD MAN


as being q miracle OF depravity, while In the
morning all had agreed to say he was model son,
at the inquest was also noteworthy. He was de.
scribed by all as being terrible character, and
the father inveighed against him increasingly be-
fore the jury, while, the jury once out, John went
over to where the father sat and bad pleasant
chat with him. both evidently chuckling over the
manner in which they had HOODWINKED the jury.
The prisoners counsel, seeing the impropriety OF
the scene, motioned John TO go back TO his seat.
The spectators at the inquest all seemed to think
1t O good joke, and characterized 1t as "a put-up
jOb.n These facts, aud others too numerous to
mention, give the story OF % the family an an unsrust
Broderick OF his crime. This the Grand Jury will
decide upon Monday.