Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1871-09-27
U OR Whisky
The Death OF Mrs. Armstrong Causes
Talk Among n GOssIps, and n
Stir Among she Police.
Esquire Moore Gathers up an Inquest
and Holds an observation-disclosures
Opinion OF DIR. Hatch and the
Verdict OF tbs Jury.

Verdict OF the Jury.
There was the ghost of q sensation
floating through the streets in the north
ern part of the city yesterday. The cause
Of 1t was the death of Mrs. Armstrong at
four o'clock yesterday morning, after an
illness Of two days. Certain rumors and
suspicious inuendoes were industriously
circulated, because people had nothing
else 10 talk about, 70 the effect that the
WOman's husband had killed her by q
series Of bestings. Consequent upon these
rumors followed his arrest at the Bay
Horse saloon, corn of Monroe and Sec
ond streets, about 4 O'Clock yesterday af-
ternoon. He had been down town max
ing arrangements for her burial when he
was remorselessly nabbed by the inexora-
BILE police, and put in the Adams street
ststion-house. Our lightning reporter ar
rived there at the time, and, by dint of per-
severing inquiry, found out what was the
matter. he saw the police m~sneuvering
round with great alscrity, ONE on foo
and some on horseback, but could get
nothing out Of them except bits and
scraps Of news. At length, in great des-
perstion, be rushed to a point where the
chief of police was getting into his buggy,
and said: "Hslloai Chief, where are yOu
gOing2" He replied: Ppm going out to
Scotland. to look after some business
AA4LAAI - VIC LAoAO Vi ACO a u q
who was hunting up floating items for
this paper, 81 want to go out there 600;
let me ride. IWRnt to look after the case
of Armstrong" He thrust himself into
the buggy without any ceremony, and
was driven out to the very door. Nothing
like q little cheek. There were three
'Squires present, ready to do the last legal
honors to the deceased, but Justice Moore
having been first on the ground. had the
jury -impsnnelled and was proceeding
with the case with all proper dispatch.
Our reporter thought there was too much
hurry about it, but of course the learned
justices were tie best judges of that. DR..
Hatch wss on the jury. He had been
summoned to look into the case profess
sionslly. Squire Elliott was on the Jury;
he had gone out there to hold it, and
Squire Miller was around, having made
q tour out there for the same lsudable
purpose.
The first witness called was q colored
woman, who lives on the premises or
around there. She knew but little of the
affair except from rumor.
Mrs. MslOney was next called. She
lives mex door. She gave her testimony
as follows: On Sunday afternoon. about
half past two O'Clock, l was washing the
dishes in my own house, in the kitchen
it faces this here window (pointing
across the corps to a window in the side
of the housed; I heard Jem Armstrong de-
handing something OF his wife; be said
will you give it to me now?" and each
time l heard a noise as If he was hitting
her. The witness here demonstrated the
sort Of proceeding that she thought was
going on. Five minutes after I thought
l heard her crying; in about twenty min
utes Mr.. Armstrong came to me; he told
me to come down to the house; he said
his wife was drunk; 1 told him I would
not go; l asked him If he had not beat
her with the broom; he said "no;" I
often heard quRrrelinR going on there
before; he used to quarrel with her sew
eral times; l was suspicious he used to
knock her down. Mrs. Armstrong was
addicted to drink; 1 ssw her eldest little
girl going for it; / saw her bring home
from a pint to q quart of whisky every
day; l never saw her out drunk but once;
on Saturday 1 saw her in the house here;
there was q boiler of clothes on the fire,
and she was sitting round loose, and q
kind of moping aud drowsy; I asked her
what was the matter; she said she was
sleepy, but knew what wss the MISTER
with her. There was g noiler on the fire
full Of clothes; she said she was sick; I
know she was trunk; she was in the
habit of getting drunk.
The next witness was called: Said her
name was Hart, Hurt or Ortiz. Il was
difficult to understand what she said, as
she he'd not entirely got over the habits of
pronunciation which she contracted in her
youth on the Bohemian mountains. The
general run of her evidence Wss to the
effect that she lived in the neighborhood;
q high fence ran between her abode and
that ofthe late Mrs.Armstrong; she heard
q row going on st Armstrong; house on
Saturday afternoon; there was s row
there also on Sunday; there WIS scolding
and lighting going on; on the latter even {
ing She saw Mr.. Armstrong with a
.'sphsde" raised over Mrs. Armstrong,
in their room, and he threatening her with
dire punishment, saying spasmodicalIy,
every now and then, "you won't give me
deed, won't you, chr" Mrs. Hurt was =
so frightened at this sight that she turned
her eye away In horror, lest they should
behold the spade descend upon the naked
head Of Mrs. Armstrong, and consequent
ly she could not say that il ever did de-
scend in the region of that member of the I
human corpus. Said Mrs. Hurt: He I
near hit her; l turn my head away and l
say, Oil my God; after q little while l I
turn round again; and see her fall down at !
the door; Mr.. Armstrong was then trying {
to pick her up; be put one arm under her :
leg, and another under her head, and he G
try to carry her out, but she grabbed at !
the post of the door, and she would /
not go, She said she did not want to 20 1
out. He got her out anyhow, on to the I
porch, and while she was sitting there :
stolidly, Mrs. Hart saw Armstrong shit I
her init ems foot in the back, like that" q
Here the witness demonstrated, with her
right foot, how the thing was done. He q
lifted up his foot and hit her with the sole 3
of it in the back or about the shoulders b
gave her a shove, "ss it were" j
In answer to a question from one of the
jurors, the witness said that Mrs. Arm
strong had been drinking, "but I cannot
lell tina she was drunk. I never see her
drunk. There is a high fence between v
our houses, and l cannot look over the b
This Was all that this good lady Il
knew about the catastrophe. n
Mrs. O'Donnell, g very pretty, modest v
little lady, was next called and placed on P
The chair. She did not know a thing .
about it, except from hesrssy. She was \
.nterrogated for awhile, but nothing was q
from her of any value toward elu- o
the case. G
The next lady called was q French per- g
ION named LsVssse. She had a very ex- ii
,ellent, though rather rapid, pronuncia- s
she saw Mrs. Armstrong and her 81
husband scuf1ing on Sunday. She saw D
)ne side Of her tace that time; il bore b
marks Of being bruised. On Sunday sf- n
ernoon Mrs. Armstrong was speechless. 81
She remained that way until she died
yesterday morning. On Monday the
PRIEST came to see her; she was bad all
lay; she was in the habit of drinking 8
treat deal of liquor; the husband does
lot drink; she often told me he was the
man in the world; he was a dear,
rood husband; his was when she was
ober that she'd talk this way; he was q
,ood man, she ssid, but occasionally sub
set to fits of high temper; he used to get
mad occasionally when he'd find his wife
cad drunk Mrs. La Vase was of opinion
he must have been in LIQUOR, his
emper was so rough Sunday evening;
he came home Saturday he was ex-
tied, and used her rough; he was mad be-
suse she had nothing lone about the
ouse, and he pushed her out the door;
told him he done harm to his wife. In pl
nsWer to an ~interogstory by one Of the
lrors she said that Mrs. Armstrong was
be same way Sunday ST 2o'clock that she
-as when she died she never spoke; she
bowed no signs of life.
Our reporter then asked the witness If
ny doctor attended Mrs. Armstrong, and
he replied In surprise, Eyes, she had DIR,
30 was here Monday and looked
her a little; 1 don't know what he said,
at 1 heard from Tom that he told Mr..
that there was no use in
,ming again, and then he goes away
3 said; she will be dead tomorrow
Iorning.'o
The next witness called in was Mrs,
are; she said that she Just came In to see p,
9r (the deceased) after she Was dead, and :
lat was all she knew. Oh
This ended the evidence of the neigh T
)rs who were expected to know some IN
ing of the matter. nj,
DR.. Hatch, who was one of the Jurors, IA
I'd who had made a cursOry examination n
the body, wss called on for his opinion. b
q said that he could not find evidence Of s9
iuries On her body that would produce
sath, and unless there may be Injuries =
'out the head which cannot be found
|. EMnanr hz NIL ,larLe.n aEnminatlnn