Nyack Flashback: Jury Weighs in on 1879 Murder

Earlier this year we ran a story summarizing the of a renowned and respected Nyack businessman—a man was stabbed to death on Burd Street downtown. As you may recall, the story culminated with the alleged murderer, Patrick Nichols, going to trial following grisly murder of Thomas O’Connell.

Did you wonder what happened?

As it turns out, it wasn’t long after the murder that a trial was held in the New City criminal court. The trial—unlike today’s egregiously lengthy ordeals—only lasted several days. However, it wasn’t without one particular difficulty still common today: selecting the right jury. After careful consideration, the trial took place Oct. 16, 1879.

While the alleged events of that day were laid out in our , the defendant and his lawyer, C.P. Hoffman, painted a different picture of the events in the courtroom.

Further details of the night in question were revealed throughout the trial. Although tension between the two men—primarily based on Nichols' excessive drinking while in O’Connell's employ—had been building for some time, it was a seemingly innocent question that led to the murder.  

Nichols was with two friends and debating the number of bricks that a mason could possibly lay during a day’s work; the nearby O’Connell was asked to weigh in. Rather than answer the question, O’Connell invited Nichols’ companions to join him for a drink and to ignore the musings of Nichols. Nichols angrily followed the trio into a local Nyack saloon, The Alcove.

It was at this point the accounts of the prosecution and defense diverge.

The prosecution, led by District Attorney Alonzo Wheeler, argued that Nichols had actually arrived at the saloon armed with a carving knife and resolved to inflict serious harm on O’Connell. The defense contended that Nichols had been provoked by O’Connell and brandished the knife only after he had been struck and choked by O’Connell.

After an abundance of testimony was taken from a host of witnesses, it seemed clear Nichols was indeed culpable of the gruesome murder of Thomas O’Connell. The presiding Justice Pratt instructed the jury to judiciously determine whether Nichols was merely acting in self-defense or guilty of premeditated murder.

The verdict?

Murder in the first degree. The jury was out for only one hour before it reconvened to proffer its verdict of murder. Nichols didn’t seem to flinch when the verdict was read, perhaps indicating he was not surprised at the outcome. In fact, Nichols had made frequent suicide attempts during his imprisonment.

Surprisingly, although found guilty of such a heinous crime, sympathy was expressed for a man that had been sentenced to death, according to New York Times articles.

Nichols was sentenced to hang on the following November 28.