On Tuesday last a suspicious looking man was arrested by the police, and
taken to the One Hundred and Fourth Precinct Station House, on several
charges of disorderly acts perpetrated by him in various parts of the
city. He gave his name as CHARLES A. DANA, and was locked up for the
night.
Yesterday morning, prisoner was brought before Justice DOWNY, at the
Jephson Market Police Court.
Officer LOCUST, being called to testify, stated that his attention was
directed to the prisoner, on Tuesday afternoon last, by some boys in
Fourteenth Street. Prisoner was standing on the side-walk, on the side
of the street opposite Tammany Hall. He was armed with a small pewter
squirt, with which he was trying to smear the front of that building by
drawing up dirty water from the gutter. The range of the squirt did not
appear to reach more than half-way across the street. The water used was
very foul, leaving stains upon a dirt-cart that was passing. While
witness was watching the prisoner, the Hon. WM. M. TWEED came down the
steps from Tammany Hall, and, upon seeing him, prisoner ran away, but
was seized by witness, before he could make his escape.
On being interrogated by the magistrate, prisoner said that he hardly
knew what he was doing when arrested. The _Sun_ was in his eyes at the
time. If it hadn't been so, he would not have missed his shot. He must
do something for a living, and he thought that throwing dirty water was
as good an occupation as any other. Had made money out of it by
threatening respectable people with his pewter squirt, and they would
give him money rather than have their clothes soiled. He would do
anything to make money; and he didn't in the least mind dirtying his
hands in the making of it.
To a question by the magistrate, as to whether he had had anything to do
with casting offal into the bay, prisoner laughed in a wild manner, and
said that he, for one, could never be accused of wasting good, honest
dirt in that way. All the offal in the world, said prisoner, wasn't too
much for him to use in bespattering the objects of his attention,
friends as well as foes. He had heaved tons of offal, already, at Mr. A.
OAKEY HALL, (whom he evidently imagined to be an Irishman, and called
O'HALL,) He didn't care whom he hit, in fact, so long as he could make
it pay.
A gentleman connected with the velocipede interest, whose name our
reporter did not catch, here stated that he became acquainted with
prisoner nearly two years ago, while the velocipede frenzy was at its
height. He had constructed to order for the prisoner a peculiar
velocipede called the _"Sun Squirt."_ It had a Dyer's tub attached to
it, which was filled with bilge-water. On this machine, the prisoner,
armed with a pewter squirt, used to practise for several hours a day,
careering rapidly around the rink, and taking flying shots, as he went,
at large posters attached to the wall, having portraits on them of
General GRANT, Hon. H. GREELEY, Hon. WM. M. TWEED, The Mayor, Governor
HOFFMAN, and several other citizens of admitted position and
respectability. The bilge-water usually came back upon him, however, and
he was generally a humiliating object on leaving the rink.
Prisoner, on being asked by the magistrate whether he had any references
respecting character to give, replied in the negative, whereupon orders
were issued to lock him up, pending the appearance of Mr. PUNCHINELLO,
who will have some statements to make about him at a future day.
A reward of $5,000 has been offered for any information about the pewter
squirt, and particularly as to when, and by whom it was made; and, as
detectives are now engaged in working up the case, there can be but
little doubt that the vile instrument will ere long be identified.
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