, 1865-02-24
Death Of a So1nnambullst.
From the st. Loufs Rcpnblfran. Feb. 2.

IFrom the St. Louis Republican, Feb. I'll
John ". Manning, known for msny years
past as an efficient member Of the Metropolt-
tan Police force Of this city, and q
nephew Of our esteemed fellow citizen Geo.
y. Manning, Deputy. City Marshal, came to
under circumstances peculiarly unfortunate
10 himself, and distressing to bis friends.
Manning was IN unmarried m0n and occu-
pied room IN schuette's boarding house,
known rs the Mechanics Exchange, north
west corner Of Main and O'Fallon streets.
Sunday. night, BY Philip Bishop, private
wa,clman IN Belchcr's Sugar Refinery, in the
alley East Of the Merchants Exchange, and
separating It and q portion of Belcher & Co.'s
warehouse from the Sugar Refinery. The
facts ELECTED ut the corners inquest concern
ing tbs mode Of his death are about rs fol-
lows: Mannins's room was In the East end
Of The third story Of the boarding house, and
hedt window opening toward the East
directly upon the fiat root Of three story cI-
tension to the main building, reaching as faras
The alley nboyc mentioned. Manning
had been afflicted for some weeks with
q disease Of the throat, the result of
great deal Of exposure, and under the belief
that whisky was the best medicine forhis dis
ease, had afank immodcratcly during sue
ccssion Of three or four weeks, and finally,
On Saturday last, showed symptoms Of de-
lirinm. Late on Saturday night lie atose from
his bed, and. coming down stairs to the bar
room, complained that he could not sleep,
because some one Was lighting matches under
his nose. On Sunday he WAS heard 1T differ
ent times during the dag, pacing the floor of
his room, and though be did not come down
to his meals, no notice WIS taken Of 1t. At
about eleven o'clock Sunday might, he got ont
upon the roof through his window. >ran along
tile root to the edge where it was separated
by nh open space OF five feet from the roof Of
tie next building toward the north. Jump
ing over this chasm, he -Fan diagona1ly across
ling on narrow brick walk, distance OF
about sixty feet. The shock appears not to
lave killed him instantly, for there wns eyi-
derCe OF his having crcpt distance Of three
or four feet from where he fell: and upon the
wall near him there was blood, Us If his hand
| had first been drawn over his mouth and
nose, which bled profusely, md then placed
against the wall. Bishop. the private watch
man, upon discovering the body In the dark
pees, supposed 1t to be some intoxicated per-
son. and tapped lightly on his feet with his
club to arouse him, hut finding him to be
dead. at once aroused the proprietor Of the
house, who conveyed intelligence Of the affair
| Coroner, and Mr.. Geo. Manning, uncle Of the
deceased were also at once aroused. From
| the fact TINT gold watch, pistol and other
property which the deceased usually carried
on Lis person we're missing ut the time When
the body WAS discovered, is we'll as from the
TACT tbat but slight external bruises were
seen0n the body, 1t vas st. first strongly sus-
pected that Manning had been murdered.
| But the post mortem examination which re-
yealed an amount Of internal hemor1hage suf-
| ficient to cause death, besides the combined
| testimony Of halfa dozen Witnesses, revealing
among oiher important facts, that his witch
and other missing property were afterwards
found under the mattress on his bed, set
aside all suspicion Of foul play.
/ A remarkable hct connected with Man
| n1ng's traeical and awful death is, that during
eseaPsdf 1oo IN matnS anS as EESe from
Ming along the house-tops, the attention Of
no one WIS attracted, and there was no hp-
man witness Of the tragedy, though the hour
Of thc MALT was comparatively early, and
fhn11nt Il would seem as II the noise Of his
footafeps. or that occasioned by his fall .woMd
hnyc b,en sufficient to have excited the
alarm Of ali In that immediate vicinity.
The jury, after 2 brief consultation, re-
tr1ned 4 y,raict "That the deceased cau,e to
his Jcaih from internal hsmorrhage, supposed
! to Fave been occssioncd by fall"
/