New York Feb 4, 91.
Jos. M. Ives Esq.
257 Main St
Danbury, Conn.
Sir.
Our operative J.T. McM. further reports.
Sunday Feby 1/91
After breakfast, I went to the vicinity of White st and Maple ave. I remained here for the purpose of shadowing Frank Gaylord. I remained in this vicinity until 12:45 p.m. but did not see him. I returned to the Hotel.
At 3 p.m. I again went to the vicinity to watch for him. I found that I was attracting too much attention from the gangs that hang about the R.R. crossing.
At 4:30 p.m. I returned to the Hotel concluding that I could not work to any advantage on Sunday in this vicinity.
At 8:30 p.m. I went to station in answer to telephone from Waggoner. I saw that David McCready was on
[page break]
the black board as “drunk”. I asked Waggoner if I could see McCready. He then brought him out. McCready claimed not to know me, but at last acknowledged to have remembered me in State Prison.
It is said, that there is one very peculiar thing about Dan, and that is that, the sound of a fire bell, or the sight of a fire will make him almost wild, that when he hears a fire bell, he will yell and scream with delight It is a well known fact that he burned Mr. Barnum’s barn about 12 years ago, during the time he was at Wethersfield, he was transferred to Middletown Insane Asylum. An incident has taken place within the past forty eight hours, that may be the means of clearing up the matter of the “stranger” at the south end of the town.
There is a man here named Michael McMahon, living alone in a room over Morris Meyer’s cigar store. He is crazy to some degree, has no friends but has a fancied wrong against James McNiff, saloon keeper cor of Turner & Main sts, but living at No 9 Whitock st, McNiff is the brother-in-law of McMahon. On Satruday night, when I returned to the Hotel, I was told by Mike the porter that there was a man sitting on the front stoop with a revolver waiting for McNiff to come out, as he intended to
[page break]
shoot McNiff. I went out to look at the man and saw that he was a middle aged man, full beard, soft hat, and greyish coat. He had his revolver in his hand, he was talking to two men, they prevailed upon him to come into the hotel where they took from him a large size American Bull dog revolver, and got him into a room. I did not think anything more of the incident until this evening, when in conversation with Waggoner, he said that the man was a dangerous man. he had already shot at one man, and would at McNiff, if he got a good chance, that McNiff owned some property out near Manion’s house, and that it may have been McMahon that put the oil on Petitt steps having mistaken in the house, that McMahon was a man that wandered about nights looking after women, in some respects he answers the description of the strange man at South end.
Tomorrow I will look further into the history, and doings of the Gaylord family.
Yours Resp[]
Pinkertons Nat. Dect Agy
Robt. A. Pinkerton
Genl Supt Ediv.
[END REPORT]
