This article is told form the point of view of Hills and Douglas, who describe a "scuffle" where Mitchell Gallagher fell and struck his skull on a rock, got up, walked a bit, and collapsed dead. My grandfather is identified as the 6 year old witness and he said that Hills and Douglas threw his father to the ground, which jibes with the story in the previous article. It described Mitchell either being pushed or falling down the stairs and then Hills and Douglas dumping his body outside to make it look like an accident. I also have another article which states that Mitchell would have been killed instantly as it was actually a fracture to the spine, not the skull. I will post that one next.
Please note that this is transcribed word for word and any typos are in the original article.
Brooklyn Times Union, Monday 26 Nov 1906.
UNBIDDEN GUEST DIES AFTER SCUFFLE IN YARD
________
GALLAGHER WASN’T WANTED AT HILLS’ HOUSE, BUT HE INSISTED ON GOING
_______
Host and a Friend Named Douglass Got Into an Altercation With the Dead Man—Both say -- Deceased Fell--A Fractured Skull Was the Cause of Death
_______
During an altercation in the rear yard of 176 Melrose street last night, Mitchell Gallagher, 39 years old, of the same address, sustained a fracture of the skull and died in a few minutes. The police of the Hamburg Avenue Station later arrested James Hills, 43 years old, the janitor of the house, and Joseph Douglass, 37 years old, of 136 Jefferson Street. They were held on a charge of homicide, and when arraigned before Magistrate O’Reilly in the Manhattan Avenue Court this morning, were remanded to jail without bail to await the action of the Coroner on Wednesday.
According to statements made to the police ill feeling existed between Gallagher and Hills for some time. What caused it, could not be learned. Last night Hills was visited by a number of friends, among them being Douglass. Shortly before 9 o’clock Douglass took a seat on the stoop and started to smoke a cigar. Gallagher appeared and said that while he had not been invited, he nevertheless was going to enter Hills’ apartments. Douglass tried to argue with him, but to no avail, Gallagher pushed his way in the hallway where he was later found by Hills.
“What do you want here?” demanded Hills. “I don’t want to have anything to do with you, so clear out.”
Gallagher refused to go. There was a scuffle and Douglass hastened to Hills’ assistance. The three men fought their way to the yard, where the scuffle was continued. Finally Gallagher fell, and in doing so struck his head on a stone, fracturing his skull. Hills and Douglass did not know that Gallagher was seriously injured and left him in the yard. Gallagher picked himself up and staggering as far as the house, fell dead.
There was great excitement in the neighborhood. Policeman Joseph Becker, of the Hamburg Avenue Station, was called, and he summoned Ambulance Surgeon Holzman from the German Hospital. His services, however, were not needed. Becker took Hills and Douglass in custody and locked them up in the Hamburg Avenue Station.
The prisoners were non-communicative when arraigned in court. They said they had no statement to make. Gallagher’s young son, a boy of 6 years, told the police he saw Hills and Douglass throw him father to the ground. This, of course, is denied by the prisoners. They asserted last night that Gallagher fell. They also declared that he was under the influence of liquor and that when he tried to force his way into the Hills apartments he was in an ugly mood.
Brooklyn Times Union · Mon, Nov 26, 1906 · Page 12
https://newscomwc.newspapers.com/image/555980126 Downloaded on May 21, 2019
Please note that this is transcribed word for word and any typos are in the original article.
Brooklyn Times Union, Monday 26 Nov 1906.
UNBIDDEN GUEST DIES AFTER SCUFFLE IN YARD
________
GALLAGHER WASN’T WANTED AT HILLS’ HOUSE, BUT HE INSISTED ON GOING
_______
Host and a Friend Named Douglass Got Into an Altercation With the Dead Man—Both say -- Deceased Fell--A Fractured Skull Was the Cause of Death
_______
During an altercation in the rear yard of 176 Melrose street last night, Mitchell Gallagher, 39 years old, of the same address, sustained a fracture of the skull and died in a few minutes. The police of the Hamburg Avenue Station later arrested James Hills, 43 years old, the janitor of the house, and Joseph Douglass, 37 years old, of 136 Jefferson Street. They were held on a charge of homicide, and when arraigned before Magistrate O’Reilly in the Manhattan Avenue Court this morning, were remanded to jail without bail to await the action of the Coroner on Wednesday.
According to statements made to the police ill feeling existed between Gallagher and Hills for some time. What caused it, could not be learned. Last night Hills was visited by a number of friends, among them being Douglass. Shortly before 9 o’clock Douglass took a seat on the stoop and started to smoke a cigar. Gallagher appeared and said that while he had not been invited, he nevertheless was going to enter Hills’ apartments. Douglass tried to argue with him, but to no avail, Gallagher pushed his way in the hallway where he was later found by Hills.
“What do you want here?” demanded Hills. “I don’t want to have anything to do with you, so clear out.”
Gallagher refused to go. There was a scuffle and Douglass hastened to Hills’ assistance. The three men fought their way to the yard, where the scuffle was continued. Finally Gallagher fell, and in doing so struck his head on a stone, fracturing his skull. Hills and Douglass did not know that Gallagher was seriously injured and left him in the yard. Gallagher picked himself up and staggering as far as the house, fell dead.
There was great excitement in the neighborhood. Policeman Joseph Becker, of the Hamburg Avenue Station, was called, and he summoned Ambulance Surgeon Holzman from the German Hospital. His services, however, were not needed. Becker took Hills and Douglass in custody and locked them up in the Hamburg Avenue Station.
The prisoners were non-communicative when arraigned in court. They said they had no statement to make. Gallagher’s young son, a boy of 6 years, told the police he saw Hills and Douglass throw him father to the ground. This, of course, is denied by the prisoners. They asserted last night that Gallagher fell. They also declared that he was under the influence of liquor and that when he tried to force his way into the Hills apartments he was in an ugly mood.
Brooklyn Times Union · Mon, Nov 26, 1906 · Page 12
https://newscomwc.newspapers.com/image/555980126 Downloaded on May 21, 2019