Two excerpts from articles six years apart and another article from the time of the trial.
These first two are similar in some ways...which may be a sign that the author of the Courier
article was a New York World man.
New York World
April 1,
1900************
Excerpt:
'Tommy' Thompson was an ex-convict and one of the toughest men in
the Fourth Ward. If he had lived, he would now have been thirty-nine
years old (1). He was known as a knife-fighter and had killed his man
in the very East River Hotel where 'Shakespeare' had been murdered.
He thrust a sword-cane completely through his victim's body. His 'pals'
swore him out of his trouble, declaring that his act was in self-defense.
Thompson's body was covered with the scars of many battles, and the
upper half of his left ear was missing. The fingers on his left hand were
crippled, the result of a premature blast while he was in the quarry gang
at Sing Sing Prison. He was a heavy drinker and a terror when drunk.
Thompson was a bartender in the East River Hotel at the time 'Old
Shakespeare' was murdered. On the night of the murder, he and
'Red'Carroll were drinking in the place. Thompson was so intoxicated that
Sam Shine, another bartender, took his place behind the bar that night.
Thompson was in an ugly mood and those who knew him kept out of
his way.
'Old Shakespeare' entered the hotel late in the evening accompanied
by a stranger, who displayed a considerable sum of money. The stranger
was not 'Frenchy' and bore no resemblance to him. He left 'Old Shakespeare'
in the room on the top floor, where her mangled remains were afterward
found. Thompson knew 'Old Shakespeare' well enough to believe that she
had possessed herself of a fair share of the stranger's money. The story
current in the Fourth Ward and brought to light by recent research is that
Thompson demanded from Shakespeare the money she had obtained and
when she refused it attacked her in a drunken fury.
"While Thompson was alive," said a former companion, " no one would
have breathed a word to an outsider. Tommy of one of his gang would have
croaked a squealer. Now he's dead it can do no hard, and may help to get
'Frenchy' his freedom. At the time of the trial no one wanted to pull the
feathers out of Byrnes's cap, but I guess he wouldn't mind it now."
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Evansville Courier
September 16,
1906****************
About the time the application for a pardon was made to Governor Roosevelt in March 1900, I was told that a man then employed in one of the large department stores, who had formerly been a frequenter of the East River Hotel, knew the true story of Shakespeare's murder. It was with some difficulty that I gained this man's confidence and induced him to make a statement, and then only on condition that his name should never be revealed. At the time the crime was committed, he told me there were six persons who knew all about it, but dared not open their mouths for fear of vengeance. All of them were connected in one capacity or another with the East River Hotel, and some of them were forced to appear as witnesses against Ben Ali. The man alleged to have done the murder was Tommy Thompson ,the night manager of the Hotel, an ex-convict and one of the toughest men in the old Fourth Ward. He was known as a "knife-fighter" and had killed his man in the very East River Hotel where Shakespeare was murdered, afterward setting the body up on a beer keg in front of the hotel, where it was discovered by a policeman. His 'pals' swore him out of his trouble, claiming his act was in self-defense, He was a heavy drinker and a terror when drunk.
"Tommy and
Red Carroll were drinking in the bar room the night of the murder," said my informant, "and Tommy was so crazy drunk that Sam Shine had been placed in charge for the night. Shakespeare entered the hotel late in the evening, accompanied by a stranger who displayed a considerable sum of money and who left her in the room on the top floor where her mangled remains were later found. Tommy Thompson knew old Shakespeare well enough to believe that she had gotten most of the stranger's money before he left, and he went up to get it. The old woman was not an easy giver-up, and Tommy in a drunken fury strangled her and did the cutting."
"While Tommy was alive no one would have dared to breathe a word to an outsider. Tommy or one of his gang would have **** a squealer. He died of delirium tremens afterward."
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This third article refers to a neighborhood in Harlem known as Snake Hill.
Snake Hill is now Marcus Garvey Park. It is two miles from where Tommy Thompson
lived at the time of the murders. Just for reference sake and not a suggestion that
this Red Carroll....if indeed it is the Red Carroll in the previous articles, still lived there
in 1891.
New York Sun
June 30, 1891
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