100 YEARS AGO IN THE SARATOGIAN
Wednesday, Aug. 21, 1918. A seasonal restauranteur confesses to the second murder of the 1918 Saratoga racing season, but claims that he acted in self-defense.
Marcellus Hazelwood is a New York City resident but operates a restaurant on West Congress Street during the race meet. Near the restaurant, outside Patrick Lanzara’s saloon, he shoots a suspected New York cop killer to death this morning.
“The murder was seen by only a few persons, but the shots, ringing out like the sound of a bursted auto tube, brought a crowd quickly on the scene,” The Saratogian reports. Hazelwood fires five times, hitting 52 year old Eli Lucas once through the heart. Lucas is rushed by friends to Saratoga Hospital, where he dies about ten minutes later.
“Last night, it was reported, Hazelwood won some money from Lucas which the latter, on their encounter this morning, demanded back,” a reporter writes. Veteran New York detectives brought to the Spa City to fight a racingseason crime wave are familiar with Lucas, who was acquitted for the killing of a police lieutenant and suspected in two other killings. They say he “had a record as a bully and a reputation for using a gun freely.”
Confronting Hazelwood, Lucas says, “Give me that money back,” but it’s unclear whether he was referring to the money lost last night or the $150 Mrs. Lucas says he was carrying this morning but wasn’t found on his body.
According to his confession, when Hazelwood says he doesn’t have any money on him. “Lucas struck him in one eye with his fist, and made a motion as if to draw a revolver from his hip pocket. Evidently prepared for the encounter, Hazelwood quickly drew a revolver from his own pocket and fired five shots in rapid succession.”
As friends rush to aid Lucas, Hazelwood dashes home to Cowen and Congress streets, where he tells his wife to hide the revolver. He’s on the move up Congress when police detective James Sullivan sights him. Sullivan and another officer corner Hazelwood after the suspect runs into a house. Trying to double back, Hazelwood runs into Sullivan’s arms.
“A large and threatening crowd had gathered by this time, and at one time they seemed likely to offer some resistance to the officer.” Whether they mean to free Hazelwood or lynch him is unclear, but Sullivan takes the suspect back to his own house, where the detective finds the revolver. At police headquarters, Hazelwood makes his confession to district attorney Charles B. Andrus. He waives his examination in police court tonight and will be held for the grand jury.