Murder of Robert Ross
Encyclopedia
On March 6, 1894 during an election riot between pollwatchers and operatives of the local Democratic political ward boss
who were engaged in repeat voting, a young poll watcher, Robert Ross, was shot and died. Ross' brother, William Ross, was also shot, but survived.
As it was put in the vernacular of the time: The affair grew out of politics and occurred during an election riot. At about the noon hour a crowd of repeaters, among them Bartholomew Shea and John McGough ... now serving a 20 years' sentence, appeared at the polling booth of the third district of the Thirteenth Ward. There William and Robert Ross, brothers, were present as watchers, and another brother, John C. Ross, was on the scene. The Rosses and their friends were armed with clubs, a row evidently having been expected owing to a dispute at a caucus a short time before. The row started when one of the Shea gang sought to vote upon another citizen's name and in a twinkling clubs and revolvers were flourished. Many shots were fired and when the fight closed it was found that Robert Ross had been fatally shot, that his brother, William, [sic] received a bullet in the neck and that Shea and McGough, who fled from the scene, had each been slightly wounded. Shea and McGough were caught and arrested, at which time McGough initially claimed he had fired the shot that killed Ross, but later apparently withdrew this claim.
A New York Times report on the incident laid blame directly on former Troy Mayor Edward Murphy, Jr.
, who had been elected to the United States Senate
the previous year (he would serve one term), which included the following excerpt: "The gun that shot Robert Ross has been loaded on election day in Troy ever since "Boss" Murphy's gang began their systematic frauds, a dozen years ago."
McGough and Shea were arrested and an original suspect in the shootings, John Boland, was released from custody. The trial of Shea and McGough began on May 28, 1894. Shea and McGough were convicted on July 4, 1894. McGough was sentenced by a jury to 20 years imprisonment, and Shea was sentenced to death. Several lengthy appeals and efforts to have Shea's sentence commuted failed and he was eventually executed in 1896.
"[O]n the day of Shea's execution McGough, after hearing that [Shea's] end had come, [allegedly] confirmed his first confession, reiterating that he and not Shea was the slayer of Robert Ross."
Edward Murphy, Jr.
Edward Murphy, Jr. was a single term United States Senator from New York, a businessman, and mayor of Troy, New York.-Birth and early years:...
who were engaged in repeat voting, a young poll watcher, Robert Ross, was shot and died. Ross' brother, William Ross, was also shot, but survived.
As it was put in the vernacular of the time: The affair grew out of politics and occurred during an election riot. At about the noon hour a crowd of repeaters, among them Bartholomew Shea and John McGough ... now serving a 20 years' sentence, appeared at the polling booth of the third district of the Thirteenth Ward. There William and Robert Ross, brothers, were present as watchers, and another brother, John C. Ross, was on the scene. The Rosses and their friends were armed with clubs, a row evidently having been expected owing to a dispute at a caucus a short time before. The row started when one of the Shea gang sought to vote upon another citizen's name and in a twinkling clubs and revolvers were flourished. Many shots were fired and when the fight closed it was found that Robert Ross had been fatally shot, that his brother, William, [sic] received a bullet in the neck and that Shea and McGough, who fled from the scene, had each been slightly wounded. Shea and McGough were caught and arrested, at which time McGough initially claimed he had fired the shot that killed Ross, but later apparently withdrew this claim.
A New York Times report on the incident laid blame directly on former Troy Mayor Edward Murphy, Jr.
Edward Murphy, Jr.
Edward Murphy, Jr. was a single term United States Senator from New York, a businessman, and mayor of Troy, New York.-Birth and early years:...
, who had been elected to the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
the previous year (he would serve one term), which included the following excerpt: "The gun that shot Robert Ross has been loaded on election day in Troy ever since "Boss" Murphy's gang began their systematic frauds, a dozen years ago."
McGough and Shea were arrested and an original suspect in the shootings, John Boland, was released from custody. The trial of Shea and McGough began on May 28, 1894. Shea and McGough were convicted on July 4, 1894. McGough was sentenced by a jury to 20 years imprisonment, and Shea was sentenced to death. Several lengthy appeals and efforts to have Shea's sentence commuted failed and he was eventually executed in 1896.
"[O]n the day of Shea's execution McGough, after hearing that [Shea's] end had come, [allegedly] confirmed his first confession, reiterating that he and not Shea was the slayer of Robert Ross."