New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-07-07
DEATH OF SAMUEL RAINEY
SHOT DOWN AT HIS DESK
CORONER'S INVESTIGATION


and former partner. The accounts as to tn,
former relations of the assailant and as
sailed are somewhat conflicting, the blow
striking the mutual friends of both partie.
| like thunderbolt.
Immediately on the shot being fre6
there was a stop put to the busines:
| of the bank. Doors were closed. But
drawn together as if by some invisible
agency, the building was soon surrounded in
front by an eager and expeetant throng, and
the widest sort of rumOrs and the most ex-
travagant stories were rife. The body of Mr.
Rainey lay upon the floor of the bank, near
the vault, quivering between life and death
But it was not many minutes after the shot
before the eyes became fixed. the pulse
dead, before the form stifened and the
| jaws became set in the rigidity and fearful
grasp of a sudden and bloody death. In
the meantime Boyd was in the custody OF
the police, pistol being found in his pos
session; he having said, II think killed
| him."
| The crowd ofacquaintances who thronged
within the bank building saw in the glass
partition or casing the hole made by the
pistol bullet which ended life. 1t was a
| comminuted fracture, and so close was the
| pistol to the glass that there was smut of
| powder on It, The city officers who usually
| attend in such cases-the City Ply sician,
Coroner, Superintendent of Police and cap
tains of districts-were soon present, and
in their presence, and in that of the officers
of the bank, the coroner's investigation,
which is appended, was held.
The body of the deceased was lifted from
the floor and placed upon a rest and, while
the lifeless arms dropped limp by his side,
the autopsy was made, that the direc ton of
the missile of death might be ascertained.
The result of this post mortem was in the
conclusions: 'That the ball entered the
right side between the third and fourth
ribs, about four inches from the sternum
passing through the right lung, cutting the
ascending aorta, striking the opposite side
and lodging between the second and third
rib, producing death from internal hemor-
rage"
1t was a severe trial to the friends and
relatives of the deceased, who had gathered
at the first news of the murder to witness
the post mortem examination, which, how
ever, the law demanded should be done
On the conclusion Of this examination the
coroner and jurors, the friends of the assail-
ant and assailed, the relatives, officers of
the bank, of the police, of the city, repre-
sentatives of the press, all congregated in
the presidents room, and it was around the
long green table that the examination of
witnesses by the coroner took place, of
which full details are herewith presented:
TESTIMONY BEFORE THE CORONER
Richard Jones. No. 156 Felicity road
Testified that he was settling his exchanges,
about ten o'clock, and heard two pistol
shots; he turned and saw Rainey stagger-
ing into the vault, which is in the rear of
the general book-keeper's desk; outside of
the bank rail he saw three men, none of
whom he could recognize, one of whom
appeared to be restraining one of the other
men; he heard no difficulty nor alteration.
Coroner-Did you see anything in the
hands of any OF these three men Answer
No.
Coroner-Do you know any of the three
men! A. No.
Question. Did you hear any angry words
A. No; no angry words.
BY a juror-Dld you hear any angry
words A. No; none at all.
The examination of the witness was here
discontinued.
A pistol was here shown which Boyd had
on his person wher searched at the station.
There was but one shot out of the pistol
Richard +. Jones-He could not recognize
the faces OF any of the three men; was
sitting at my fathers desk when l heard
the shot, about eleven or twelve o'clock; /
heart the first, looked up and saw him fire
the second shot, and then | saw another
man, standing by him, throw up his arm;
one fired a shot and the other tried to stOpit;
l saw Mr.. Rainey stagger, and he went to
go in the vault.
COroner-Is it the first or second shot
which went through the glass! A. think
it was the first; | saw him, Rainey, 4
stagger to the vault; he then came out and
met Mr.. Wheeless at the door; he fell right
outside of the door of the vault; he fell
then and died, Mr.. Wheeless holding his
head; do not know the man who fired the
shot. The witness here stood up, but failed
TO recognize any person in the room who
fired the shot; he stated that the accused
Mr.. Boyd, now before him, looks like the
man who fired the shot.
In answer to interrOgatOries the witness
stated: The pistol looks like the one fired |
before the hand of the one who fired the
shot was knocked up. He had heard no al |
tercation, no loud words, no discussion be-
fore the shot
By a juror-Did you hear Mr.. Rainev make |
any remark as to who shot him. No. l did |
not. All l heard was some cry about help;
something indistinct about help.
Edward Schlieder testified that he lives
at No 83 Old Levee street, and that be was
next door at the Germania Bank, between |
ten and eleven o'clock, depositing some |
money or checks for his uncle, Mr.. Fisher, |
and coming out he had got nearly in front |
of the New Orleans National Bank when he |
heard a shot and directly another He |
looked in the bank and saw a man who |
lifted his coat and put pistol in his pocket; |
he afterward saw the same man walking |
with policeman and another man I'D the |
street. The witness, outstanding up, failed |
to identify the man who fired the shot) |
:" That man." said he, ais not now in the |
room"
Alexander Wheless president of the bank,
was then sworn, and testifed-That about
eleven o'clock he was sitting in the presi-
dents room, in the rear of the building,
when he heard the firing of pistol, and as
he turned toward the main room of the |
bank, he heard another one fred in quick
succession; as he ran out of the room into
the bank, he saw three men on the outside
Of the counter, and thought the difficulty
was between the parties on the outside of
the bank from their movements, but seeing
there was no one hurt among them he pro-
,eeded to the inside of the bank railing, and
as he did so, heard a voice from the inside
saying: 30, my God I'm shot ~ Finding
the voice coming from the vault, ran into
the vault where found Mr.. Sam Rainey in
4 STOPPING position, and the blood gushing
from his mouth; asked him what was the
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