The Leavenworth weekly times. [volume] (Leavenworth, Kan.) 1870-1880, 1872-06-06
TRAGIC DEATH.
Major Taylor's Son Found Dead.
The Tragedy Shrouded il Painful
Mystery.

The Tragedy Shrouded ia Palnfu
Mystery.
Verdict Of the Coroner's Jury.
We have never been called upon 10 recor,
a tragedy more melancholy than the one il
which Ernest Taylor lost hi. lie.
This tragic event happened last Wednes
day night, but no knowledge of the casualt,
vas received by the father and mother of tn
dead boy until Thursday morning, when MAJ
Taylor, the father becoming alarmed at III
thought Of his son remaining cut ever night
went TO the Police Headquarters and reported
his fears. Within ten minutes after this be
fore he had lime to reach has home, q
Broadway, the report that his son had beer
found dead in a lot not more than one bloch
from his own home, bowed him to the earth
with grie!, and 80 distressed his wife that hel
reason wa. despaired Of The mournful in.
telligence soon spread throughout the city,
for III news travels with lightning rapidity
Oar reporter at once proceeded to the resi-
dence of Major TAILOR, went up stairs and
saw the body of Ernest Taylor lying upor
the bed. with The most skill:ul surgeons in
the room. The face Of the dead boy wa
BLACK with powder, and the appearance oil
the right eye indicated that pistol ball had
pass through it and entered the brain.
Tie body was discovered By boy, between
and 8 O'Clock Thurs lay morning. 1t was
lying between the house Oh O.age street, &C.
cupied by Mrs. Spring, and the fence which
Euns along The alley. Persons an the neigh.
eorhood heard pisio! sho; Wednesday
night about o'elock, or a Euie before tia,
hour, and Chss. n Spring admits TO having
been close by when I pistol was fired, and
having picked zap the pistol; beyond this
nothing definite is known, although the Coro.
Ier's Jury re,ured i verdict last evening tba,
EarIes; Taylor o,i.e his death frcm pis-
tol ia the hands 81 Chi- " Spring.
The lad Is ti,teen wears Of age. For
many months h. lt- been the Constant com.
pani"a Of tsrnr'. T4slos. Il il clear H. AT
Both boys were owners OF pi.lyls, and we're
abuDdantly supplied viii, ammunition. I,
NJ slro clear that Earnest Taylor and Chas
Spring were together WeGnesday evening,
and no doubt exists thai Earnest accidentally
shot hiRseii or thai Chas. Spring Ly acci-
dent shot him. The Spring boy, how
ever, gives snch confused, conira-
dlctory and lexildesing accounts that no reli.
snce can be placed upon his statements. His
mother and sisters likewise asser; and swear
that they have no knowledge Of tie tragedy.
except thai known 10 the public in finding
the body, and swear that Charles 10 their
knowledge, was not Oh. of the house that
evening. He was arrested, however, Thurs
day forenoon and placed ia the Marshal's
office. A thorough search was made on the
premises OF the Spring family for pistols and
the pistols found, but the ladies declared that
the pistols had n,t beel in the possession of
Charles.
Later in tie day Rev. Daniel l.. RAIDER,
minister of the II. l.. Church South, 10 whose
congregation the spring family belongs, feel
ing it to he his duty to investigate the affair,
inssrnuch a. there wa- 40 nam in the family,
called at the hou~e, and receive 10 sitisfac-
tory account OF the affair, or a, least received
no intelligence calculated TO penetrate the
mystery surrounding the tragic event.
He then visited the bov, Charles
Spring, a Police Headquarters, and
received p,riisl confession from. him
Charles adrni'ted that he was close by when
the pistol WIS Cred, and SAYS Erneat was
climbing the fence, and when he fired the pis-
tol be threw it bsca, towards him, and he
took it and hid it up stairs under the floor,
supporting that Ernes, had fired his pistol
in play and had gone home. He declared
to the minister that he didn't know Ernest
was dead until morning. IL must be recol-
iected that Charles Spring denied persisten,ly
to the police OF having any knowledge Of
the pistol The absence of pistol from the
side Of the dead body was the Only circum-
stance exciting suspicion a. 10 The manner of
the death.
After this statement officers Malone and
Sheehan, the Rev Mr.. RAIDER and re-
porter of THE TINES visited Mrs. Springs
house and found the pistol under the floor
up stairs, having been placed there through
a knot hole in the corner Of the room. In
the pistol was fond the she'll of an exploded
cartridge.
Coroner's jury was summoned, and tie
following testimony taken at DR.. Van
Duyn's Office On Fifth street:
d.. Thomas sworn ami examined. -Ex-
alnined the body of Ernest Taylor found the
eye ball perforated; right eye hall; traced il
hack with the probe 10 the center OF tire
brain to the posierior Nail Of the Uranium !;
from the appearance the wound "as made
uitk a small pistol bali; marks q ,owder
on the face, indicating that the pistol had
been close 10 hts eve; tie direc.iun of the
wound was inward and lille upward, the
lower eye I'D was pc. .orated near the edge;
cav the body Immediately after it was taken
to the house Of his father; suppose from
the condition of the body tia.
he had been dead ten or twelve hours; be-
iieve the wound was the immediate cause Of
his death; no other Wound ON his person;
recognized the body, knew Ernest Taylor
when living, he was between Il and 1G
years old and very tall for his age; he had
always heard there was strong attachment
existing between Charles Spring and Ernest
Taylor.
Chas. Sieger, sworn and examined.-I
picked up the body of Ernest Taylor yes.er-
day morning between and clock; found
the body between Springs house on Osage
street, and the fence along the alley; his face
was laying on piece of wood; (the wood
was produced and the witness illustrated the
position by lying on the floor; Mrs. Ever
hardy told me to 60 over and get Taylor
boy. A sharp knot on the stick was in the
right eye; there was some blood on the
ground near the block of wood; the distance
between the house and fence is about two
feet; the fence about four feet high; no blood
on the stick; the blood on the ground ap-
peared to have come from the nose; his face
was back but not bloody; there was a small
stream of blood running from the eye along
the nose; another man whose name did not