Year: 1875




WITNESSES BEFoRE THE CORONER.


II will be remembered that at noon on Saturday
August 81 young man named Langdon and two
other young men, Connors and Curran, were step
ping Of the Blcecker line at Fourteenth
street and Ninth avenue when Langdon saw a we'll
dressed person approaching and Immediately jumped or
the car and fed into lumber yard hotly pursued by
the person IN question, and who is now being eagerly
sought for by the police Soon after this shot was
heard and Langdon's friends proceeding to find out
the trouble they figure scaling the hnce of the
yard and disappearing on the other side
On reaching the spot where Langdon lay
he was found dead with a bullet through his
heart 1t was thought Langdon was a plckpocket,
though his friends earnestly deny the imputation.
silver watch chain found on his person. and that
morning watch shown by him, which, he said he
intended TO have tried by eweler and ascertain il it
genuine metal; but both chain and watch turned
out to be German silver They supposed to bc
the property OF the person who shot Langdon Connors
arrested; but of Curran could be found
since tho occurrence took place.


THE LATEST EIGHT on THE MURDER.


Yesterday the following evidence in the case was
taken before Coroner ker:-Joseph Mooney, being
sworn said-I live at No 16 Gansevoort street; work
for Van Horn 4 Brothers, lumber merchants corner
of Fourteenth street and Ninth avenue; I was
standing feeding my horses in the gateway ofthc lumber
yard when the deceased pursued by another man;
they both through the gateway and toward the
rear of the yard; about five minutes after went
back to see what had become of them; nobody md
thought they might have jumped the fence in the rear
turning TO the iront, where my horses were, heard
pistol shot; returned to where the sound came
rom saw the same man who was pursuing the other
one coming out iron between two piles of lumber; |
said to him. "What is the matterg' he answered me
mat That son of something stole my watch asked,
'pid you shoot him.; he REPLIED 'If did not shoot
him scared him, or words to that effect he had n
revolver in his hand; looked along the gangway, be
tween the lumber, when saw the body of man living
on the ground; said to him, ''You have shot man -
then grabbed at him, when he presented the pistol
me; he made lurch and got away from
my hold; he ran out gateway, near Four
teenth street, and l did not see him again;
he doubled on me in the yard three four
times before he got out; never saw the who
ran away before; deceased sometimes worked in the
yard as a aborcr; think the last time saw him
about week ago; am truckman for the yard; when
returned from chasing the deceased had been
moved from where he lay, and crowd assembled


AN OLD FRIEND OF LAYGDoy's.


Timothy j. Connors, No 433 West Sixteenth street.
sworn, said:-l am "A tinsmith, and knew James Lang
don fifteen or eighteen years; saw him alive last be-
tween twelve and one O'Clock Saturday, August n
i was then in his and Charles Curran's company
not charged with taking watch; met deceased and
Curran on Ninth avenue, Sixteenth street; they
told me they had watch which they wanted to sell
for them, and before l could decide ran up to
me- grabbed me and pulled me on to
is this forS" he answered, ~ YOU" then he NUT
tered something and jcrked me OFF the car he beck





away, thinking the man a detective; he the man.
let 80 of me and ran for them the square
into Hudson street. the in appearance five feet
eight inches light mustache wearing light clothes;
afterward heard that Langdon had been shot; heard
OF 1t about twenty minutes afterward; Langdon ana
Curran up Ninth avenue toward Fifteenth street:
Langdon was ahardworking man never the chain
here shown before; do not remember which of them
proposed to me to sell the watch the who took hold
of me pulled pistol which he pointed at me- never
saw the man before since


CONDUCTORS STORY.


Thomas Bailey of No 10 Tenth aycnue sworn said l.
/ am conductor the Beccker Street Railroad: on
Saturday, August 2l, l No H. going down
about halfpast twelve while at Fourteenth street and
Ninth avenue three young men standing on the
of Ninth avenue and Fourteenth street. one of
them had hold OF Connors by the collar he hailed the
and stopped for him. they rode on the rear plat
form about fifty feet when both got Off still keeping
hold of the other by the collar and leading him toward
the lumber yard on Fourteenth street and Ninth avenue
and saw him no more; the about Ave feet
seven inches, light complexion, stout having light
coat and vest and black pants; have never seen the
man since; heard him say to Connors, 81 want you
TO come with me-"


LAyGDoS's FATHER


John Langdon No. 450 West Sixteenth street. being
sworn said:-I am the father of the deceased; | saw
my son alive last Saturday six in the morning when
he asleep; | heard of his death the same day at
half past three O'Clock F. NJ he had boen working
steadily for the last three weeks he steady young
man.


THE roLrcEMAS's TESTIMONY


William Beveridge, being sworn, said:-I am an Off
Ger of the Sixteenth precinct; was Ninth
Saturday, August 81 and when Fourteenth street.
at twenty minutes TO O'Clock, crowd; went
to Fourteenth street, and heard had been shot;
went into the lumber yard and found deceased lying
among the lumber; he was dead; saw wound in his
chest; made inquiries for the man who did the shoot
ing and found he had escaped by jumping the fence
leading to Fourteenth street; have made all pos
sblc search for the man, without success


DOCTORS STATEMENT.


Dr. Thomas G. Knox, sworn, said:-I have made post
mortem examination of the body of James Langdon
and found pistol shot wound half inches to the
left Of the sternum the ball passed through the
terror medasnum piercing the aorta close the
of the heart, and was found in tho left pulmonary
cavity; pericardium filed with blood; stomach empty
and lining coats slightly congcsted all the other alb
dominal and thoracc organs healthy; in my
opinion the of death internal hemorrhage
the result of pistol shot wound


VERDICT JURY.


The jury handed in the following verdict:-'The jury
find that James Langdon to his death by pistol
shot wound in the chest received at the hands of
unknown to them, at Ninth avenue and Fourteenth
street, August 2l, 1875"