The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-01-16
THE JERSEY CITY HATRICIDE.
Freeman Committed for Trial by
the Coroner.
Testimony Of the Three sisters-Demeanor Of
Freeman Previous to the onooon9-
His Sisters in Constant Fear.

n
man of Jersey city was held last evening. at
I.brary Hall. before Coroner john Mahan. The
matricide. Joseph Freeman, was present ~ well as
hm brother q physician, and three sisters.
Freeman wore spectacles and was closely shaved.
He nat with folded arms beside his counsel and
never raised his eyes during the proceedings. TO
ALI appearance he fer keealy the serious position
N which he Is placed. The court room was
Asensely crowded.
Mary Turner, sister OF the prisoner, was the first
witness. She testified follows:-I reside at Car
seret avenue, Jersey City; am . daughter OF Mary
T. Freeman; was present at the time the shooting
occurred; NO one was present at the time but my
sister, Harriet Freeman, Joseph Freeman, my
mother and myself; some time after eight O'Clock
The family were gathered in mothers room;
Joseph came into the room and sat down a short
distance from mother and said, Mother you
know l can't stay here; you don't say II you like
me; yol ind fault with al do; can't go right:
what provision will you make for meY" mother
said "what do you mean by provisionS' he an
swered, 81 want you TO give me 81, COO" mother
said II cannot give it TO yOu;'' he said III You
don't give it to me will Kill myself;r mother said,
81 am not afraid OF that; ~ some conversation fol-
lowed on the subject but cannot remember
the words; he said TO mother, Il am going TO
shoot myself" rising up as he said it; mother
then said TO him, Don't do it, Joseph;" my sister
screamed and ran toward the stairs, and mother
ran after him TO go down the back stairs, intend
ing call help to stop him; looked at mother
and saw the blaze OF pistol ana mother fell;
then went 10 my brother Joseph and said "What
have you done2" l don't remember his an
swer what said after that, except
that told him to go for the doctor; perhaps she
was not dead yet; he said he would
dO so, and he gave himself up; Lid not see the
RI n rW s~s he
soon as asked him what he had done he did
not say much, but exclaimed, ION, my God ]" l
ask ed n 10 M
reply; before that never heard any threats; Jo-
seph was never afrectionate mother stood with her
back toward him when she received the wound;
she going out Of the door; don't know
whether he was in the habit OF carrying pistols
his pocket that looks like the pistol he used;
saw II when father had it; father died one year
gether for he was OF q very discontinued DISPOSE
uOn; alter the shooting ne held the pistol Tor
spoke first and sand to him, suh, Joseph, what
have you dOne?" don't remember what he said
IN reply my mother never moved; she uttered not
word previous TO this occurrence l never heard
him threaten any OF the family
HARRIET Freeman, sister OF the prisoner testi-
ned:-Aiter supper, on "Wednesday night last, the
family went up stairs; my brother Joseph asked
mother tor 81, 600; she said II was impossible to
give IL to him he then said he was going to Kill
himself; went out Of the room; as was going
down stairs heard the report Of pistol; never
saw my father carry the pistol; the shooting took
place at fpast eight O'Clock in the evening"
never saw Joseph carry the pistol; he resided with
us over eleven months; he was home ali the time
he did not go out at all; he was not doing any
business
Myra Freeman another sister OF the prisoner
testlhed-On the night OF the shooting my brother
Joseph called on my mother and asked for $4,000;
my mother refused and said she could not get 1t for
him he then SAID he would Kill himself ran out
Of the room and as was half way down stairs he
fired pistol; at supper nothing was spoken about
money; we were all up stairs at the time; am
nfteen years OF age; Joseph was not Affection
ate brother; he was always dis3greeable what
ever we would say and would bring up. an argu-
ment.
DIR. Buck, County Physician, examined-I was
notified last evening, about nine O'Clock, that Mrs.
Freeman had been shot; went the house
company with Captain Benson and found the body
oil Mrs. Freeman lying on the bed: on examining
the body i discovered bullet wound about an
inch TO the left OF the centre line OF the spinal
column opposite the spinous process OF the fifth
d0rsal verteDra; this morning made post-mor-
TEN examination; probed the wound, found its
course downward and towards the spine; made
an Inels0n along the lett SIDE OF tue vertebra;
on tracing the course OF the bullet, found It
TO penetrate through the nth vertebra the ball
entered on line with the base of the shoulder
blade; the bullet was found lying loose in the
ity OF the chest the oal had passed almost through
the body striking the breast bone large guam
ttty OF blood found in the cavity OF the chest:
q large cot OF blood was found within the pericar-
dlum; there were i've internal injuries, each of
which would have caused death; never knew Il
case IN which a single bullet did much damage;
death resulted from nemorrhage and shock; the
post-mortem examination revealed no organic dis
ease.
After the examination of other witnesses whose
testimony was not important, the jury retired to
deliberate, and at midnight they rendered the fol-
lowing verdict
eve find that on the l4th day OF january, 1874
Mary +. Freeman 10 her death by pistol
shot wound inflicted by her son, Joseph Free
man."
The prisoner was thereupon committed for trial.
The statement that Mr.. Alexander Amin was a
brother-n-aw OF the prisoner was erroneous. The
only brotner-in-law is IL. A. Turner. whose name
fOrenDlll nrOeee6IUo9