Morrissey vs. Poole: Politics, Prizefighting and the Murder of Bill the Butcher by Ken Zimmerman Jr

Author:Ken Zimmerman Jr. [Zimmerman Jr., Ken]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ken Zimmerman Jr. Enterprises
Published: 2015-01-26T23:00:00+00:00

One of the unexplainable facts of the case was that Tom Hyer was present in the bar during both incidents but never came to Poole’s aid. Hyer and Morrissey exchanged harsh words before the first incident with William Poole but Hyer was not involved nor did anyone report him rendering aid to Poole after he was shot. While the trials were going on, Morrissey laid low and operated a faro game. One night at a game on a ship, the drunken Morrissey raged over perceived mistreatment and fired shots at two waiters.

The shots missed but his reputation was so poor that it looked like a four-year prison sentence was inevitable. Even his friends at Tammany Hall deserted him this time.

Besides meeting with Lew Baker earlier in the evening of the Poole murder, the authorities never had evidence that Morrissey planned the murder. Morrissey took the unusual step of making a personal appeal to the Republican District Attorney, Oakley Hall, to plead his case personally.

Hall was so moved by Morrissey’s presentation that he moved the case to the next docket. The postponement took the case out of the public eye. Morrissey escaped prison and proceeded cautiously for the remainder of his life.

Morrissey and Baker were tried three times but all the trials ended in hung juries. Most people saw the incidents as a private feud between rival gangs. It was difficult to convict any of the men because self-defense claims had more weight even though the Poole case was an outright assassination. Eventually, the New York City authorities released the men after realizing a conviction was impossible.

Morrissey stayed out of the public eye and concentrated on family life with his wife Susan. In 1857, he finally broke his imposed sabbatical. It was time for Morrissey to defend his title.

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