The New York Times, 21 June 1903 SHOT HIS DYING VICTIM --- Assailant of New Rochelle Watchman Made Murder Sure --- Supposed Burglar Killed Employe of Wealthy Residents-- Italian Suspect Held at Port Chester NEW ROCHELLE, N. Y., June 20.--Maurice Ahearn, a private watchman in Rochelle Park, was murdered this morning by a supposed burglar. While on duty about 1:15 o'clock this morning the watchman saw a man with a bag over his shoulder, and stopping him asked what he carried. The stranger replied that it was none of Ahearn's business. The men came to blows, and a few seconds later several shots were fired. Residents of the park who were aroused by the firing hastened from their houses and found Ahearn lying in Manhattan Avenue. A bullet had entered his body over the heart, and he died soon afterward. The shooting was in front of the residence of Joseph P. Brown, Vice President of the Knickerbocker Trust. Dr. Johnson, who had been sitting up with a sick friend, heard all that passed between the murderer and his victim. He says that the men grappled and rolled on the ground. After a short struggle the watchman regained his feet, and kept a grip on his opponent's collar. The stranger drew a revolver and, placing it against Ahearn's breast, fired, the bullet entering the watchman's body over the heart. Dr. Johnson says that the man after having fired the shot put his revolver back into his pocket and walked away slowly. After going a short distance he returned to where Ahearn was lying, and, placing the revolver to the watchman's neck, fired a second shot. Then he fired a third shot into Ahearn's right side. After firing the third shot the murderer fled. Dr. Johnson rushed from the house, and on reaching Ahearn found that the man was dying. He hastened back to the house and telephoned to the police. Sergt. Kelly sent several policemen to the scene of the murder and others to the railroad stations. He also telephoned to the police stations of nearby places to keep a lookout for the fugitive. Ahearn was thirty-two years old and unmarried. He had been employed by the residents of Rochelle Park, which is a fashionable section of the town, for several years. Col. Edward Lyman Bill, President of the Police Board, has offered a reward of $1,000 for the capture of the murderer. Of this sum, $500 is offered on behalf of the city and $500 on behalf of the Rochelle Park Association. The Knights of Columbus, of which Ahearn was a member, have sent to Boston for a bloodhound, which will be put on the trail of the murderer. The Italian arrested in Port Chester has been brought here, and the police, after investigating his story, said that they believed that he had accounted for his whereabouts at the time of the shooting, though he is still held. The real murderer may be hiding in New Rochelle. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Dennis Ahern | Middlesex County Massachusetts Newspaper Abstracts Acton, Massachusetts | http://www.newspaperabstracts.com/MA/Middlesex/ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The New York Times, 23 June 1903 THINK THEY HAVE MURDERER NEW ROCHELLE, N. Y., June 22.--It is believed by the police that the murderer of Special Officer Ahearn is now in the Police Headquarters and is dying. An Italian was found at Tuckahoe this evening who, it is said, answers the description of the murderer, slight as it was. He is badly battered up. His face shows signs of a severe beating, such a one as Ahearn administered to the man he had the struggle with. He was brought to the Police Headquarters here and is in such a bad condition that a priest was summoned to administer to him the last rites of the Church. The man says he is Francisco Casse, and is in such a state as to be practically unable to talk. If he is the murderer he has been in hiding in the wooded land to the north of the city, and how in his beaten and bruised condition he ever reached Tuckahoe is uncertain. From his condition now it seems almost impossible that he should have been able to travel a mile. Of course he has probably been more or less without food, and this further weakened him. The bloodhound which the Knights of Columbus secured from Boston arrived tonight, and at a late hour was taken to the scene of the murder of Ahearn. An effort is being made to have him take up the scent. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Dennis Ahern | Middlesex County Massachusetts Newspaper Abstracts Acton, Massachusetts | http://www.newspaperabstracts.com/MA/Middlesex/ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The New York Times, 26 June 1903 ADMITS KILLING AHEARN ------ Italian Suspect Tells of Shooting Rochelle Park Watchman. ---- Says Victim Fired First, but His Revolver Was Found Undisturbed in His Pocket ---- NEW ROCHELLE, N. Y., June 25.--Francesco Raffo, the Italian arrested several days ago on suspicion of having killed Maurice Ahearn, the special policeman, in Rochelle Park, on Saturday morning, to-night went on the stand at the Coroner's inquest and admitted his guilt. He asserted that the shooting was done in self-defense and alleged that Ahearn had first abused him and then fired at him. This was contradicted by the fact that Ahearn's pistol apparently never had been drawn and was found in his hip pocket, fully loaded. Before Raffo confessed several witnesses had added to the evidence against him which had been furnished by Bernardina Seraffo, the girl he was to have married last Sunday, and who washed his stained clothing, and by others who lived in the house with her. His brother, Raffaelo, had tried in vain to clear him by swearing he had not been out of the house, but the evidence was so at variance that the accused man declared that his brother was weak-minded in order to save him from being thought a perjurer. Raffo is intelligent and apparently well educated. He spoke English fairly well except when laboring under excitement, and then he lapsed into his mother tongue and his words had to be interpreted by Detective Sergeant Petrasine of New York. The accused was cool and even smiling when telling his story. Coroner Weisendanger warned him strongly as to his rights and of the fact that he might be convicted upon his own statement. Raffo told of his being employed in the marble quarries at Tuckahoe, and continued: "I went to see the girl on Friday night around 6 or 7 o'clock, and stayed there until about 12. My intended wife went to bed about 11 o'clock, leaving me with John, with whom I had several drinks. I crossed to the park, and was at the circle when a man came from behind the bushes. In one hand he had a big pistol and in the other what I thought was a tin pistol. He said: `Where are you going?' I replied I was going to Tuckahoe. He said that road did lead to Tuckahoe. I said I knew where I was going, having gone over that road many times before. He then in a threatening way said I had better turn back. "When I turned to go back he struck me on the head three times with the small pistol, which stunned me some. Then he got hold of me. I asked him why he struck me. He replied, `I want to kill you.' He threw me to the ground, and as he did he fell with me. Both of us fought hard, rolling on the ground. We got up, and the man pulled out his pistol. I pulled, too. We both fired together. He fired first. Then I shot five times. I did not think I hit him while I fired the five shots. He was always walking. When he fired he was three feet away. Then he got nearer, about one foot away, and then I fired five shots. He ran away in one direction and I in another. I thought he was a loafer and he had some other loafers behind him. "My clothes I brought to the house and left the hat in Oak Street. I stopped and picked up the hat after the fight. I was all full of blood. The blood came from the cut on the head. I had two handkerchiefs which I used to wipe off the blood off my face and left them in the Oak Street house. The revolver was in my coat pocket. The man did not come out like an officer but more like a loafer. In changing the clothes I took the coat of Frank Crotche and the hat of Angelo Banzo. They lived at that house. "Saturday night I came to New Rochelle and stayed for about an hour and a half. I told the folks I was going to Brooklyn, but when I got outside I found it was raining, and changed my mind, going to Tuckahoe instead. Sunday night I was in New Rochelle, and stayed about two hours. I had several dances with my sweetheart at houses of friends of hers." The Coroner asked if the residents in the Oak Street house had spoken to him about the stained coat and hat, and the prisoner replied he had nothing to say as to that. In reply to another question he said that his intended wife had not refused to marry him because of she thought he had shot the watchman. She did not ask him about it on Sunday night. He said, however, that his intended brother-in-law had refused to sanction the marriage after he learned about the fight. That was Sunday. Giuseppe Raffo, a brother of the accused man, who was arrested to-day by Sergt. Frank Cody and Policeman Sweeney at his home in Brooklyn, testified that when he came to New Rochelle to get the bundle of clothes he did not know there had been a murder. He had lost the bundle, he said, while drunk, but had given the revolver, undisturbed, to his boarding mistress. The police have the weapon. Raffo was held by the Coroner. A dispute is in prospect over the payment of the reward which was offered for the arrest of the watchman's slayer, as there are several claimants. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Dennis Ahern | Middlesex County Massachusetts Newspaper Abstracts Acton, Massachusetts | http://www.newspaperabstracts.com/MA/Middlesex/ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

If memory serves me correctly, this list serve used to only contain Monroe County (NY) items. Obviously, it has expanded to include all of NY state. Is there an old newspaper list serve that is exclusive to Monroe County or has it been incorporated in this one? Thank you.