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The Fireman Who Chopped Off His Own Finger To Try And Avoid A Criminal Conviction
A New York fireman took drastic measures more than a century ago trying to trick the law in his favor
When people get in trouble with the law, a normal reaction is fear and trying to find any way possible to escape severe consequences. Although it’s difficult to defeat the truth, some who have been accused of crimes are still willing to do just about anything to beat the system. More than a century ago, a habitual offender was arrested yet again and thought he might get away with it by chopping off his own finger with an axe in order to avoid detection from fingerprints. Sadly for him, he was mistaken.
In 1921, Michael Brennan was a 37-year-old fireman on a tugboat in New York. He also had a clear drinking problem, having been arrested 15 times in the past for public intoxication. In January of that year, he appeared before a judge because of being charged once again with drunkeness the month prior.
When Brennan initially appeared for the case to hear the charges, he was asked if he had been arrested before, something he denied. However, he was held over for trial in order to give the State time to get their case together.
