Wilmington daily commercial., 1875-06-11
FIRST EDITION.
The Accidental Shooting Cave.

INVESTIGATION nY THE coRoNER-THE JURY FIND
THAT DEATH WAS CAUSED NJ SERGEANT o'NEILI's
BULLET, BUT ExoNEnATE HIM FROM ANY cRIsII
NAL INTENT.
Coroner Groves, yesterday afternoon, inquired
into tho manner of the death of Miss Sallie Doyle
whowas found mortay wounded in all area back
Of her residence, S37 Church street, during the
morning. The Jury assembled at o'clock and
proceeded with the investigation at the resi-
denco of tho deceased. The facts in the case
were moro fully brought out in the testimony OF
the Witnesses which is here subjoined
The first witness called was Frank Stewart
who testified that while standing at Taylor and
Bennett streets, he saw Sergeant O'Nei pursu-
ing Wingate. also saw the officer fire his pistol
when the shot was fired ONeill and Wingate
wero both on Church street, above Epworth
Chapel.
Mrs. Annie Doyle, mother of the deceased
testified that she left her daughter standing near
tho back gate, sweeping out the yard ; she went
to tho atore. and on her RETURN few minutes
later, found her daughter lying on her back
just outside the gate she carried the girl into
the house, where she died in few minutes.
X. II. Cook testified that while sitting on a
fence, on Eleventh street, near Church, he saw
Sergeant o'Neill pursuing Wingate Wingate
was north of the chapel and was running across
to the west side of the street when the officer
first fired Mt him witness thought this shot
WOIIu uOU reacn blfl, hB IL WOulu DC likely TO
strike the chapel fence.
Miss Fannie Hickman testified to looking out
OF her window and seeing Sallie Doyle lying on
the ground. She thought the girl was in fit,
and alarmed the neighbors.
Wm. X. Galloway testified to seeing the Off
GERS in pursuit. of Wingate and to seeing the
Sergeant shoot; he thought the place where the
girl shot was in line with the officer s,pisto at
the time he fired the first shot; lie must have
been $50 or $50 yards away from her at the time.
Ian fnatt ta.1t nt.tt, tS
the girl into the house after she was shot; she
WAS not then dead, but expired in a few minutes.
Lewis Mason testified to seeing the pursuit
and the shooting.
shooting; 0'Neil was on the east side of Church
etreet north of tho chapel when he first fired,
and the direction i'll which he fired was on line
with the place where the girl stood.
The jury here adjourned, and examined the
spot from which the officer fired the first shot.
They found it to be on the east side of Church
street, near Eleventh, and from 225 to $50 yards
from the spot where the girl was killed. 1t lis
marvellous low tho ball 80 directly reached the
victim, as i'll its course it passed houses, trees
and fences, and must have closely grazed some
OF these intervening objects, but not, however,
with sufficient force to divert it from its direct
course.
Upon reassembling, two other witnesses were
examined but their testimony was not of impor-
tance. The testimony of Drs. Wales and Grim
shaw, who examined the body of tho deceased,
was then received, as follows:
I'VE examined the body of Sallie Doyle and
found an external wound in the head two inches
behind the lower part of the right ear. The
wound was circular and admitted the tip of the
little finger. The skin around the wound was
tumted. We took off the skull cap, and took
out the brain. Followed up the wound, from
the internal table of the skull, and found it
(the table of the skulD broken up to the ex-
tent of several inches Traced the
wound in the brain, and while doing
so a bullet and piece of bone fell out. { The
bullet and the bone were then produced and ex-
hbted to the jury.) The course of the bullet
WAS directly horizontal tearing through the
lower brain, called the cerebellum, carrying with
it two pieces OF bone and lodging exactly in the
centre of the brain Immediately above the me-
dua oblongata. In our opinion death was in-
Simultaneous and resulted from a pistol bullet >
The jury then adjourned until o'clock p.
M, to the Delaware House, at which time and
place. they again assembled.
John O'Byrne, ESD, appeared for Sergeant
O'Neill and Deputy Attorney General HodSson
for the State but objections being raised by
some members of the jury they withdrew.
Officers Bernhard, Legg and Sculley were
examined, and testified to the circumstances of
the pursuit of Wingate, and to his general bad
character.
The jury then deliberated and after long
discussion, agreed upon, by vote Of II to 2,
the following verdict 4:
"That the shooting and death of Miss Sallie
Doyle was occasioned by the shot fired from the
pistol of Sergeant 0 Neill in attempting to ar
rest O notorious character by the name of Albert
Wingate /; and while we do denounce the use of
fire arms in tho arrest of any but criminals OF
great crime, we exonerate the said Sergeant
ONel from any intention of the death of the
person above named.
The Jury then adjourned.