Simon Wood
06-21-2009, 09:15 PM
Hi All,
Rochester Democrat and Republican, 3rd December 1888—
William P. Burr, of No. 320 Broadway, speaking of the man [Tumblety] yesterday, said: "I met him in July 1880. He brought a suit against a Mrs. Lyons, charging her with the larceny of $7,000 worth of bonds, and I was retained to defend her. It seems that several years before he met the son of Mrs. Lyons while walking on the Battery. The lad had just come from college and was a fine looking young man. He was out of employment. Tumblety greeted him and soon had him under complete control. He made him a sort of secretary in the management of his bonds, of which he had about $100,000 worth, mostly in governments, locked up in a downtown safe-deposit company. He employed the youth as an amanuensis, as he personally was most illiterate. On April 23, 1878, the 'Doctor,' as he was called, started for Europe by the Guion line steamer Montana. See, here is his name on the passenger-list, 'Dr. Tumblety.' He gave a power of attorney to the young man, and under that some South Carolina railroad bonds were disposed of, as it was claimed and shown, under an agreement that they were to be taken as compensation. When Tumblety got back the young man had disappeared and the mother was arrested, charged by the 'Doctor' with having taken the bonds. I remember the examination to which I subjected him at the Tombs Police Court.
"James D. McClelland was his lawyer, and I went into the history of the doctor's life. I remember well how indignant he became when I asked him what institution had the honor of graduating so precious a pupil. He refused to answer, and was told the only reason which he could refuse was that the answer would tend to humilate (sic) or criminate him. He still refused to answer, and I thought he would spring at me to strike. There was quite a commotion in court. The case fell through and the old lady was not held.
"The son returned and brought a suit against the doctor, charging atrcious (sic) assault, and the evidence collected in this case was of the most disgusting sort. The lawyer who had the matter in hand is now dead, but I remember that there was a page of the Police Gazette as one exhibit, in which the portrait of the doctor appeared, with several columns of biography about him. This suit was not pushed, and then came another suit brought by this Tumblety against William P. O'Connor, a broker, for disposing of the bonds. Boardman & Boardman defended and gathered up a great mass of evidence against the doctor. Charles Frost and Charles Chambers, detectives of Brooklyn, had evidence against him. At this time he kept an herb store, or something of that sort, at No. 77 East Tenth street. The suit did not come to anything, and I do not know of any other law matters in which this notorious man was concerned . . ."
Let's see what facts we can establish.
1. Attorney William P. Burr had an office at 320 Broadway [Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 2nd April 1891].
2. On 23rd April 1878, the Guion Line steamer Montana left New York for Liverpool.
3. James Dodds McClelland was a lawyer and congressman.
4. William P. O'Connor was a banker and stockbroker.
5. Boardman and Boardman was a firm of lawyers specializing in commercial law.
6. Charles Frost and Charles Chambers were Brooklyn detectives.
So far, so good.
A search of 1878-1882 press reports and daily Court Calendars for the same period reveals no case involving Tumblety and Mrs Lyons.
But on 1st February 1880 a Mrs Lyons, 30 years old, appeared at New York's First District Police Court [The Tombs] with her 13-year-old son, George.
Sophia Lyons, pickpocket, confidence trickster and wife of Ned Lyons, the famed 'Navy Yard Burglar', was attempting to keep young George on the straight and narrow, stop him hanging out in Kerrigan's Bar and stay at school. During the course of the hearing she told Justice Murray how her husband had once broken her out of jail, after which they went to Canada and opened a brokers office. When next arrested, Ned Lyons was in possession of $25,000 in bonds.
No lawyers were involved in the case of Sophia Lyons.
Subsequent cases cannot be found between Tumblety and Lyons junior; nor Tumblety and William P. O'Connor, who had been implicated in an insider trading scandal involving Missouri Pacific Railroad stock [New York Evening Telegram 25th March 1880].
Five points of similarity between Burr's story and that of Sophia Lyons put matters beyond the realm of coincidence—
1. The year 1880
2. The name Mrs Lyons.
3. A young son.
4. Stolen bonds.
5. The case heard at The Tombs.
How and why William P. Burr injected Tumblety into the story is a mystery.
BTW—Justice Murray was so intrigued by the notion of a 13-year-old singing at Kerrigan's Bar that he asked the boy to sing for him. Young George sang Ave Maria in Latin, after which Alderman Sneils offered to find him a good home.
Edward Haywood, Tumblety's boyhood biographer, also quoted in the Rochester Democrat and Republican, 3rd December 1888, was an interesting character. So, too, was Captain Streeter.
More on them at a later date.
Regards,
Simon
Rochester Democrat and Republican, 3rd December 1888—
William P. Burr, of No. 320 Broadway, speaking of the man [Tumblety] yesterday, said: "I met him in July 1880. He brought a suit against a Mrs. Lyons, charging her with the larceny of $7,000 worth of bonds, and I was retained to defend her. It seems that several years before he met the son of Mrs. Lyons while walking on the Battery. The lad had just come from college and was a fine looking young man. He was out of employment. Tumblety greeted him and soon had him under complete control. He made him a sort of secretary in the management of his bonds, of which he had about $100,000 worth, mostly in governments, locked up in a downtown safe-deposit company. He employed the youth as an amanuensis, as he personally was most illiterate. On April 23, 1878, the 'Doctor,' as he was called, started for Europe by the Guion line steamer Montana. See, here is his name on the passenger-list, 'Dr. Tumblety.' He gave a power of attorney to the young man, and under that some South Carolina railroad bonds were disposed of, as it was claimed and shown, under an agreement that they were to be taken as compensation. When Tumblety got back the young man had disappeared and the mother was arrested, charged by the 'Doctor' with having taken the bonds. I remember the examination to which I subjected him at the Tombs Police Court.
"James D. McClelland was his lawyer, and I went into the history of the doctor's life. I remember well how indignant he became when I asked him what institution had the honor of graduating so precious a pupil. He refused to answer, and was told the only reason which he could refuse was that the answer would tend to humilate (sic) or criminate him. He still refused to answer, and I thought he would spring at me to strike. There was quite a commotion in court. The case fell through and the old lady was not held.
"The son returned and brought a suit against the doctor, charging atrcious (sic) assault, and the evidence collected in this case was of the most disgusting sort. The lawyer who had the matter in hand is now dead, but I remember that there was a page of the Police Gazette as one exhibit, in which the portrait of the doctor appeared, with several columns of biography about him. This suit was not pushed, and then came another suit brought by this Tumblety against William P. O'Connor, a broker, for disposing of the bonds. Boardman & Boardman defended and gathered up a great mass of evidence against the doctor. Charles Frost and Charles Chambers, detectives of Brooklyn, had evidence against him. At this time he kept an herb store, or something of that sort, at No. 77 East Tenth street. The suit did not come to anything, and I do not know of any other law matters in which this notorious man was concerned . . ."
Let's see what facts we can establish.
1. Attorney William P. Burr had an office at 320 Broadway [Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 2nd April 1891].
2. On 23rd April 1878, the Guion Line steamer Montana left New York for Liverpool.
3. James Dodds McClelland was a lawyer and congressman.
4. William P. O'Connor was a banker and stockbroker.
5. Boardman and Boardman was a firm of lawyers specializing in commercial law.
6. Charles Frost and Charles Chambers were Brooklyn detectives.
So far, so good.
A search of 1878-1882 press reports and daily Court Calendars for the same period reveals no case involving Tumblety and Mrs Lyons.
But on 1st February 1880 a Mrs Lyons, 30 years old, appeared at New York's First District Police Court [The Tombs] with her 13-year-old son, George.
Sophia Lyons, pickpocket, confidence trickster and wife of Ned Lyons, the famed 'Navy Yard Burglar', was attempting to keep young George on the straight and narrow, stop him hanging out in Kerrigan's Bar and stay at school. During the course of the hearing she told Justice Murray how her husband had once broken her out of jail, after which they went to Canada and opened a brokers office. When next arrested, Ned Lyons was in possession of $25,000 in bonds.
No lawyers were involved in the case of Sophia Lyons.
Subsequent cases cannot be found between Tumblety and Lyons junior; nor Tumblety and William P. O'Connor, who had been implicated in an insider trading scandal involving Missouri Pacific Railroad stock [New York Evening Telegram 25th March 1880].
Five points of similarity between Burr's story and that of Sophia Lyons put matters beyond the realm of coincidence—
1. The year 1880
2. The name Mrs Lyons.
3. A young son.
4. Stolen bonds.
5. The case heard at The Tombs.
How and why William P. Burr injected Tumblety into the story is a mystery.
BTW—Justice Murray was so intrigued by the notion of a 13-year-old singing at Kerrigan's Bar that he asked the boy to sing for him. Young George sang Ave Maria in Latin, after which Alderman Sneils offered to find him a good home.
Edward Haywood, Tumblety's boyhood biographer, also quoted in the Rochester Democrat and Republican, 3rd December 1888, was an interesting character. So, too, was Captain Streeter.
More on them at a later date.
Regards,
Simon