Rochester, Monroe, NY
Union & Advertiser
Aug. 19, 1881

MURDER

Frederick Ruffer, of Ontario County, Shot and Instantly Killed in Perinton by Mathew Hickey

A Full Statement of the Circumstances by the Murderer.

Readers will scarcely fail to notice the fact that while one column of the paper to-day is devoted to describing the legal execution of one man for murder in Batavia, this space is necessarily occupied in detailing the circumstances of another homicide in this county. The murderer in this case is Mathew HICKEY, aged about 70 years and his victim was Frederick RUFFER, nineteen years old. The town of Perinton was the scene of the tragedy which took place late yesterday afternoon on a farm owned by HICKEY, about three miles south of Fairport. The killing was done with a musket, from which a charge of slugs was fired into RUFFER'S right breast with instantly fatal effect. The murder was the outgrowth of a quarrel between HICKEY and his family, that had been in progress a long time and culminated yesterday. HICKEY has long had the impression that his family were endeavoring to take from him some fourteen acres of land on which he lived, and it was while defending as he supposed, his right to a crop on this property that he shed the blood of RUFFER. It appears that some years since the elder HICKEY gave to one of his daughters a deed of his land except reserving for himself fourteen acres on which is situated a house in which he lived alone. The land was deeded to the daughter to avoid sale under a judgment obtained against him by Philip McCAFFREY of Fairport. Last spring Michael HICKEY, a son of Mathew, made an agreement with his father to rent the fourteen acres of land for $5(3 or 8) a year, agreeing to pay him a dollar every Monday. The father says he was paid only eleven dollars. Oats were raised on the land and this week it was reaped by Michael. Before taking the grain away he sold it to Frederick RUFFER, of Victor, Ontario county, and yesterday RUFFER came to draw away the crop. The elder HICKEY in the afternoon ordered RUFFER not to take the oats and to get off the land. The latter refused to do as commanded, and HICKEY went to Justice MORDOFF, in Fairport, and after stating the case to him, asked if he would not be justified in killing any one who tried to take away the oats. The Justice told him not to commit any violence, but to sue his son, and in that way vindicate himself. HICKEY then walked home, and when the Justice next heard of him, it was to learn that his advise had not been taken by HICKEY, but that he had deliberately killed RUFFER. When the report reached Fairport, where it was carried by Mathew HICKEY, Jr., his father's youngest son, Deputy Sheriff PERKINS and Constable HOWE started out with a warrant for his arrest, but met HICKEY walking toward Fairport, with the gun on his shoulder, his intention being to surrender himself to the Justice. He was taken in custody and brought before Justice MURDOFF, where he was arraigned and pleaded not guilty. He then made a statement of the circumstances of the homicide, substantially as follows, to the Justice:

I walked right home after I left your office and store this evening. When I got home I found RUFFER and my boy Matt out in the lot. I ordered RUFFER to leave the premises. RUFFER sat on a sheaf of oats, and told me he'd be damned if he'd go." I told him if he didn't go I would shoot him. He told me to "shoot and be damned," and said, "I'll not go if you put a bullet in my heart." I turned right around and went into the house. I took out my gun from under the bed quilt. It was loaded. Then I went out with the gun, and I says to him, "Now, Fred, you're a good boy, and I don't want to have any trouble with you; but you're helping the rest of my family to ruin me and must leave the premises." BUFFER said, "I will not go," I told him again that if he did not go I would shoot him. RUFFER says again, placing his hand over his heart, "I won't go if you put a ball right through my heart." I was very close to him, could almost have touched him with the gun, and shot ...shot him right in the breast, with a charge of fifteen slug shots cut off from a bar of lead. He fell dead. Then i started right back for your place, without my coat, just as I left you. I was coming down to give myself up, when I met the officers. Here is the musket I did it with, and here is the key of my house.

On this statement Justice MURDOFF committed HICKEY, and he was brought to the jail in this city by Deputy Sheriff PERKINS.

HICKEY was interviewed in jail and made the following statement regarding the affair:

I rented fourteen acres of my place to Michael HICKEY this spring, he to pay me $52(?), one dollar every Monday beginning April 1st. He paid for eleven weeks and then stopped. He was to pay the whole before moving the oats off the ground. When the crop was ripe he did not cut it right off, but a week ago he sent his hired man Tommy HOGAN and my son Mathew to cut the oats. I objected to this being done until I was paid the money, the ?? past due and the rest of it. The hired man said, "Alright," I said, "You go and tell him ‘Michael HICKEY' to get the money and pay me now." My son who is in his nineteenth year - gave me impudence. The two soon went away and did not come back till next morning, when they went to cutting the oats, I talked to the two boys, telling them I didn't want them to cut it.

They cut till noon, I was going to see a lawyer or justice at Fairport and I done so, I told the justice my story and he said to me not to allow them to have anything to do with the oats, but to have no trouble with them. I found the boys at Mike HICKEY'S house and told HOGAN not to come back to cut the oats.

They did not that afternoon. That was a week ago last Tuesday. I went away that night and stayed with a friend at Fisher's station. On Wednesday Mike HICKEY, Bridget HICKEY, Matthew HICKEY and HOGAN were all on the lot. I forbid Mike cutting the oats until he paid me. He said he would pay me when he had the oats set up. (?????) I wanted the $? at once and the rest of the $?? Before he took away the oats. He said if I helped him he would when the oats were set up, pay me $?? I wouldn't do that, but said if he would give me $49 then, I would, he refused. Then I said: "Now I am going away and want you to pay me in twenty minutes or leave this lot." I went to David WILLIAMS and was talking to him when the party came out of the lot and went home; I did not threaten Mike; he told me to keep out of his lot or he would put a bullet through me, he had a revolver in his pocket and I had my musket with me; it had been loaded a month. I went home and then off to work for Freddy RUFFER, of Victor, Ontario county; I work for him three days and a half. I took the musket along and left it in his house; coming home last Saturday night I fetched it with me. The boys while I was away went into the lot again, cut oats and hauled the loads to Mike's ????; he was to thresh it to the lot and leave the (unreadable) HOGAN came again and we talked ???? and pleasant about it; after a while Matthew and Bridget came and I ordered the three out of the lot; HOGAN left but my own boy and girl wouldn't go; Matthew worked till noon and Bridget fetched ???? cookies and cider from Mike's. Bridget lives in Rochester, but was visiting at Mike's, and Matthew is hired by Mike. They went off at last (unreadable) Mike sold the oats to Freddy RUFFER. Freddy came to work yesterday, and I was in the lot with him then and to-day. I told him this noon not to have any more to do with the oats. I did not tell him not to go in there at first. This morning I told him to cut no more of them . I spoke to the Justice about it and he told me to ????? the five loads and (unreadable) RUFFER making them. (unreadable). He said he was too busy to give me a reply before morning, but to forbid RUFFER taking them and have no trouble with him. I went to the Justice's place; bought two loaves of bread, and went home. Going through the oats lot Freddy saw and called me. My son Matthew was with him. He was sitting on a bundle of oats and my boy was lying down. I asked him if he hauled another load, He said "Yes," I said, "Didn't I forbid you to do it? He said, "I know it, but I gave $50 to Mike and I am going to have the whole of the oats." I told him we were good friends and I didn't want to have trouble with him and i wanted him to leave. He said he wouldn't. I said he would, I said "Fred, you leave this lot." He said, "I won't till you shoot my head off." I told him I wasn't going to. I went to the house, my gun was laying on the bed; I took it and went to the lot. It was between six and seven o'clock, past quitting time. There was a c?p on the ????; it must have been on a week. I went to the two of them and said "Fred, I want you to leave tonight." He said " ??? G-d, I won't leave. You will have to put that through me, putting his hand on his breast, before I leave this lot." I kind of smiled and said. "I don't want to do that. But if you don't leave this lot I will put it through you."

I then up and shot him. He was not over six feet from me. He was sitting on the bundle of oats and fell on his back. Matthew was close by and took hold of Fred. I walked to my own house, went in, but didn't stop there a second. When I came out Mathew came from the lot and we walked together up the road. He said nothing to me. I went as far as Mike's. He was on the road harnessing the horses. I asked if he was going away and he said not. He had the revolver in his hand. I said, "Now, you ????? you wouldn't pay me or leave the oats alone; the ???? who got what he (unreadable to get is dead and you are living. Now, if you are a man, you will hitch up that horse and take me to Fairport and give me up." He said: "I will if you will give me that gun." I said: "I won't; you ain't going to lay hands on that." His wife was pushing him back with her two hands on his breast, I started off and came to Lewis ??????, whose little boy brought me a cup of tea, I said to the father: "I am after (?????) Freddy RUFFER and want you to have the honor of taking me prisoner to Fairport." He said, "No," and told me to go by myself. He had not heard of it before. I went alone until Mr. WINNE'S men, William RYSE, caught up to me with a horse and buggy. I got in with him and told him, but he did not believe me. Half a mile from the village he stopped and I went on, and three ???? further I saw PERKINS and the constable driving up fast. I raised up my hand and said, "You are the men I want to see." I handed PERKINS my gun and said I was after shooting Freddie RUFFER. At Fairport they took me into justice MURDOFF's office. When he came to said, "You did not do as I told you." "I ???? no anser.

Of his personal history he made the following statement: "I was born in the county of Limerick on the first day of January, 1812(?), and am in this county thirty-five years. I have been in that house not quite sixteen years. I was never married. I don't consider Michael HICKEY my son, Bridget and Mathew are my children. There is another boy and three more girls. I had two sisters, one in Franklin county and one in East Troy, but don't know whether they are living or not. For four years I have been living alone. My daughter, Mrs. O'RAY(?) used to live with me." The mother of his children is living with Michael HICKEY.

HICKEY said that he drank five glasses of beer at Fairport, two in the morning and three in the afternoon. He admitted having been in jail before on complaint of his children for breach of the peace.

Frederick RUFFER, who was murdered, was unmarried and lived with his mother in Ontario county working on a farm. He was a quiet young man and generally (???????).
The remains were taken to Shaw's undertaking rooms in Fairport and Coroner PRESTON summoned the following jury: H. AUCU??PAUGH, foreman; L. M. SHAW, S. HAMMOND, A. J. DEAL, Dr. BRIGGS, A. H. KNAPP, Walter PARCE and C. E. CLAPPER. An inquest will be held this afternoon.

HICKEY said to a reporter to-day in the jail that he slept pretty well last night. He then gave some facts in his history not related in the first interview. He said he had farmed all his life except a few days when he worked on the canal and two years that he was in the 50th New York Engineers, in which he was serving when LEE surrendered. He was then honorably discharged. He attributes the whole trouble to his wife, to whom, however he was never united by any religious or legal ceremony; she is the sister of his oldest brother's wife. HICKEY said that TOBIN is the right name of the man who passes for his son Michael, and that he took all the money the farm produced, and would not give him (HICKEY) enough to live on. "Last winter," said he, "I was cold and starving in that house, and I determined not to let the oats go until I got the money. I'm sorry it happened to Fred; if it was the boy that sold him the oats that it happened I'd feel better over it. When I told him to go out of the lot and he didn't, I should have had sense enough not to have shot him, for he was a boy and I was older than him. I've a kind of a notion that he had a right to go out when I told him."

HICKEY was clad in rough clothes and wore a straw hat while his feet were encased in rubber boots. His hair is white and only a few stubbles on his face, instead of having a ferocious respect he is a quiet looking man, and in the younger days must have been good looking, being above the ordinary height and the owner of a well formed Roman nose, clear gray eyes and a good forehead. He exhibits no agitation whatever over the tragedy, but conversed in an ordinary tone, and smiles as naturally as if relating the most commonplace incident.
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