Cleary-Newman murder
Encyclopedia
The Cleary-Newman murder case was a major scandal involving political and legal corruption in New York State. It was called, by the New York Daily News,, "one of the most notable murder cases in the annals of New York crime." The New York Times
devoted ongoing front-page coverage, next to the news of the events leading to World War I
in Europe.
On July 23, 1914 in the village of Haverstraw
, 20 miles north of New York City
, the boss of the local Democratic
political machine, William V. Cleary, shot and murdered his 18-year-old son-in-law, Eugene M. Newman, the son of a local newspaper publisher. In a dramatic trial five months later, Cleary was acquitted by a jury packed with his political supporters. This trial immediately became the subject of an intensive inquiry by a special New York State commission. The commission uncovered gross irregularities in the handling of this case, but took virtually no corrective action.
Cleary's defense was temporary insanity, brought on, he claimed, by the fact that Newman had impregnated, then secretly married, Cleary's daughter Anna. Anna testified in her father's defense, that Cleary had known about the pregnancy but not about the wedding. This, along with Cleary's dramatic embrace of Anna as she was called to the stand, was said to have had an inordinate emotional impact upon the jury. But probably of greater importance was Cleary's political influence upon the legal proceedings.
The prosecutor, DA Thomas Gagan, presented such an inept prosecution that he seems to have been in fact working for Cleary. He failed to prevent the jury from being packed with Cleary's supporters, he allowed unfounded accusations against the victim's character to go unchallenged, and he failed to call certain witnesses who would have refuted Cleary's claim of temporary insanity. It was reported that when the verdict was announced, the spectators in the courtroom, Cleary supporters all, cheered loudly and threw hats into the air. The judge, Joseph Morschauser, publicly condemned the verdict.
Newman's father, the newspaper publisher Fred Newman, organized a petition drive to have the trial investigated by the office of New York Governor Charles S. Whitman
. The investigation turned up numerous failures and irregularities. It was said, regarding Gagan's failure to counter the defense's slandering of the victim, that "no more effort was made to show that this boy was a good boy than if a dog had been shot down." It also was said, regarding the attempts of potential anti-Cleary witnesses to be heard, that "it was dangerous to talk too much in Haverstraw."
After the investigation, Cleary was driven from office for financial malfeasance. He spent 2½ years in Sing Sing and Comstock prisons for fraud, then ran a tailor shop in Brooklyn. Fred Newman died penniless in Brooklyn in 1925, after a fruitless quest to obtain a retrial of Cleary on the murder charge. Gagan's political career sank into oblivion, along with the rest of the Cleary machine.
Cleary's violent disapproval of Newman may be partly attributed to the fact that Fred Newman's newspaper, the Rockland County Messenger, changed from Democratic to Republican in 1906. There may have been serious political conflicts between Cleary and Newman. In January, 1906, there had been a severe landslide, caused by overdigging of clay deposits at the banks of the Hudson River by the Haverstraw brickmaking industry. The brickyard owners were accused of negligence, and several lawsuits were filed. It is probable that Newman's Republican Messenger sided with the accusers against the brickyard owners, who were supported by the Democrat Cleary. (This was the Progressive era
in American politics, when Republicans such as Theodore Roosevelt
were pressing strongly for reforms of rapacious big business practices.)
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
devoted ongoing front-page coverage, next to the news of the events leading to World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
in Europe.
On July 23, 1914 in the village of Haverstraw
Haverstraw (village), New York
Haverstraw is a village in the town of Haverstraw in Rockland County, New York, United States located north of Congers; southeast of West Haverstraw; east of Garnerville, New York; northeast of New City and west of the Hudson River at its widest point...
, 20 miles north of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, the boss of the local Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
political machine, William V. Cleary, shot and murdered his 18-year-old son-in-law, Eugene M. Newman, the son of a local newspaper publisher. In a dramatic trial five months later, Cleary was acquitted by a jury packed with his political supporters. This trial immediately became the subject of an intensive inquiry by a special New York State commission. The commission uncovered gross irregularities in the handling of this case, but took virtually no corrective action.
Cleary's defense was temporary insanity, brought on, he claimed, by the fact that Newman had impregnated, then secretly married, Cleary's daughter Anna. Anna testified in her father's defense, that Cleary had known about the pregnancy but not about the wedding. This, along with Cleary's dramatic embrace of Anna as she was called to the stand, was said to have had an inordinate emotional impact upon the jury. But probably of greater importance was Cleary's political influence upon the legal proceedings.
The prosecutor, DA Thomas Gagan, presented such an inept prosecution that he seems to have been in fact working for Cleary. He failed to prevent the jury from being packed with Cleary's supporters, he allowed unfounded accusations against the victim's character to go unchallenged, and he failed to call certain witnesses who would have refuted Cleary's claim of temporary insanity. It was reported that when the verdict was announced, the spectators in the courtroom, Cleary supporters all, cheered loudly and threw hats into the air. The judge, Joseph Morschauser, publicly condemned the verdict.
Newman's father, the newspaper publisher Fred Newman, organized a petition drive to have the trial investigated by the office of New York Governor Charles S. Whitman
Charles S. Whitman
Charles Seymour Whitman served as the 41st Governor of New York from January 1915 to December 1918. He was also a delegate to Republican National Convention from New York in 1916.-Biography:...
. The investigation turned up numerous failures and irregularities. It was said, regarding Gagan's failure to counter the defense's slandering of the victim, that "no more effort was made to show that this boy was a good boy than if a dog had been shot down." It also was said, regarding the attempts of potential anti-Cleary witnesses to be heard, that "it was dangerous to talk too much in Haverstraw."
After the investigation, Cleary was driven from office for financial malfeasance. He spent 2½ years in Sing Sing and Comstock prisons for fraud, then ran a tailor shop in Brooklyn. Fred Newman died penniless in Brooklyn in 1925, after a fruitless quest to obtain a retrial of Cleary on the murder charge. Gagan's political career sank into oblivion, along with the rest of the Cleary machine.
Cleary's violent disapproval of Newman may be partly attributed to the fact that Fred Newman's newspaper, the Rockland County Messenger, changed from Democratic to Republican in 1906. There may have been serious political conflicts between Cleary and Newman. In January, 1906, there had been a severe landslide, caused by overdigging of clay deposits at the banks of the Hudson River by the Haverstraw brickmaking industry. The brickyard owners were accused of negligence, and several lawsuits were filed. It is probable that Newman's Republican Messenger sided with the accusers against the brickyard owners, who were supported by the Democrat Cleary. (This was the Progressive era
Progressive Era
The Progressive Era in the United States was a period of social activism and political reform that flourished from the 1890s to the 1920s. One main goal of the Progressive movement was purification of government, as Progressives tried to eliminate corruption by exposing and undercutting political...
in American politics, when Republicans such as Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
were pressing strongly for reforms of rapacious big business practices.)