The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1875-04-22
A FATAL FISrICUFF.

A queer case of death from the deadly fist
is reported in the Cincinnati Gazette: An
inquest was held Tuesday evening by Coro-
named Henry C. Allen. of st. Louis. who
/ was found lying dead in his room at No. 741
| Freeman street last Tuesday night. DIR.
4 Heron who attended the inquest, swore
| that no believed the man to have died from
the effects OF stryehuine; and so
the jury returned verdict OF sui
eide by poison. A short time sub
4 seouentiy, however. DIR. Alaley was in
formed 6y boy that the deceased had been
| lighting with a Snowman named Frank
Wilson on Tuesday afternoon, and had been
knocked down with a powerful blow by
! tho latter in Rebels saloon, where the
difficulty originated over a game OF cards.
But for the Interference of Mr.. Reibie and
| his muscular bar keeper, Wilson would have
| beaten the deceased to death on the spot.
On this information orders were given Tor
! Frank Wilson's arrest; and he was collared
| by officer Reilly, OF the Ninth street sta
| tim, at the Crawford House yesterday. He
ack 1owleoged the fracaS, and having struck
Allen in the temple, but expressed great
surprise ut the suggestion that the
blow should have killed him. Allen
had during the day, complained OF ter
ribie dizziness in his head, but was still able
TO walk about on Tuesday evening. a post
norton was accordingly made about
o'clock last evening by DIR. Amick, assisted
by the coroner, in the second floor front
room OF Habig's undertaking establishment.
The body was that of rather handsome
and we'll built young man, with 1alr hair
and a healthy looking skin, as clear as
veined marble. Externally there were no
marks of violence visible, not even
bruise. The post-mortem showed the lungs,
heart. liver, etc, in perfectly normal con-
dition, and the brain was free from disease
and well developed. Death had been
caused by tremendous blow on the right
temple, just above and partly under the
ear; the temporal bone had been smashed
and
DRIVEN IN UPON THE BRAIN.
\ piece of that bone about an inch long, and
three. quarters OF an inch broad, being re-
moved, the space between the brain and the
dura mater Yves found filed with coagulsted
blood. No less than four ounces OF the clot-
ted gore were removed. After the incisiOn
had Deen made in the temporal muscle, the
coroner could insert his finger through the
wound and touch the brain itself. The blow,
lif given by mans fist), must certainly
nave bsen one OF prodigious force, and the
injuries resulting from IL could only have
been inflicted by a protruding knuckle-
probably the largest knuckle of the
middle finger. At the conclusion
Of the pOst-morteum the coro-
ner accompanied by several reporters, went
20 Ninth street Tor the purpose OF INTERVIEW
ing Wilson. Tae litter is certainly just such
3 man as could fracture a skull by blow.
Is is handsome, dark man, with curly
black hair, regular features, smoothly
shaven face, and gypsy complexion. He
eau not be much less than six feet four in
hight, as ne could scarcely stand erect in
his cell; and although having little or no
aoipose tissue in his physical composition,
and bsing gracefully built, must weigh
about two hundred POUNDS. In face and
figure he is decidedly OF a gypsy cast, and
although handsome has an unpleasnatly sin
ster pair OF black eyes. On being asked by the
coroner how he felt, he csrelessly slapped
his two powerful hands together with re-
port like that of pistol shot, and answered
with g self possessed smile that be "felt first
rats" rising at the same time TO his full
height, and almost touching the upper graf
ing Of the cell with his curly hair. "That
mans skull was completely driven in at the
righ5 temple" said DR.. Maley with omnibus
soiemnity, at the same time producing
bloody little fragment of bone from nis
vest pocket. THAT, sir, is the bone" Will
son looked a. IL curiOusly a minute and eX-
Gained in sonorous bass, Then, by Cd,
some fellow must have gone for him after /
got through with him. Why, HILL
only
SPANKED HIM ACROSS THE FACE
with the back of my hand" Rebel says
yea struck him twice with you fst," replied
Msley. "Then you can just bet that Rebel
told a ID big lie-tbat's all about that! I
only reached tor him across the table and
slapped his Jaw" How did the trouble
originate between your" we asked.
why. I'd been playing game of cards
at Rebels with fellow IL don't know his
name) and the fellow got up suddenly and
Quit. Then Allen came over and began 10
joke me about it. Says he: You're nice
fellow to play cards With, amt your Then
I told him something 1 heard Duffy and
Meade cay about him as i was leaving the
shop in the morning."
What was that?"
"Why, Duffy said: THAT chap must have
raised some sugar; he's got his Ben out OF
soak OF course you know that means ne
got his.overcOat out of pawn. Then Allen
said, Cd d-n you, Duffy didn't say any
thing OF the kind;' and 1 says, You'd better
not get To damning me around here What
would you do, anyhow he SAYS. That's
what I'd do says /, and just reached over
the table and caught him across the face
with the back of my hand. He then tried
TO strike, and L jumped and backed him
against chs wall, and said, You behave
yourself now, or I'll shake the life right out
of you.' He didn't tall when slapped him,
and 1 didn't knock his head against any.
thing. Why, saw him on Vine street last
night: and Meade's Brother, who was with
me at the time, can tell you the same
thing"
Are you sure you didn't strike him with
your fst?"
"Tss, sursi-only with my open hand.
There was man named Roberts-Wiliam
ROberts-sitting with me. and he'll tell you
the same thing. Rebel came and got be-
tween las, Just to keep the fellow quiet. 1
didn't want to hurt him any more
Wilson then explained tbst, owing TO the
RESPECTIVE positions occupied ny the parties
at tue time, be could not have struck him in
the right temple. He seemed perfectly COM
posed and cool about the matter, and seemed
TO tell pretty straight story. On being
asked his age and weight, he answered: |
"Weii, don't quite know how old l am, |
and ! haven't been weighed for a good |
while; but 1 suppose must be about 1S5 or
100 pounds anyhow. You see l am thinner
than lock. Pm a circus performer" The /
inquest Will be opened up again to-day; and