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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."〔"What Has Happened to Justice?" (June 21, 1925). ''Daily News.''〕 ''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.〔"Killed by Father of Secret Bride." (July 24, 1914).''The New York Times,'' p. 1〕 In a dramatic trial five months later, Cleary was acquitted by a jury packed with his political supporters.〔"Cleary Set Free Amid Wild Cheers." December 20, 1914. ''The New York Times,''p. 1〕 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.〔"Whitman Excuses Gagan." (September 12, 1915). ''The New York Times.''〕 Cleary's defense was temporary insanity, brought on, he claimed, by the fact that Newman had impregnated, then secretly married, Cleary's daughter Anna.〔"Killed by Father of Secret Bride." (July 24, 1914). ''The New York Times,'' p. 1〕 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.〔"Widowed Daughter Repulses Cleary." (December 19, 1914). ''The New York Times,'' p. 1〕 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.〔"Cleary Charges Filed." (January 22, 1915). ''The New York Times.''〕 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.〔"Cleary Set Free Amid Wild Cheers." (December 20, 1914). ''The New York Times,'' p. 1〕 The judge, Joseph Morschauser, publicly condemned the verdict.〔"Cleary Acquittal Dissatisfies Court." (December 21, 1914). ''The New York Times,'' p. 1〕 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.〔"Whitman Takes Up the Cleary Case." (January 19, 1915). ''The New York Times,'' p. 1〕 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."〔"Find New Evidence in Cleary Murder." (March 28, 1915). ''The New York Times,'' p. 1.〕 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."〔"Charge Gagan Gave Evidence to Cleary." (March 25, 1915). ''The New York Times.''〕 After the investigation, Cleary was driven from office for financial malfeasance.〔"Accuse Cleary of Keeping Poor Funds." (April 8, 1915). ''The New York Times.''〕 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.〔McNamara, Joseph. "Roundabout Justice." (July 25, 1993). ''New York Daily News,'' p. 34〕 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.〔deNoyelles, Daniel(1982). ''Within These Gates,'' p. 78. Thiells, NY: Haverstraw Brick Museum.〕 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.〔deNoyelles, pp. 81–88〕 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.) ==References== 〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Cleary-Newman murder」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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