The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-12-03

p NJ. on Thursday. March 30, 1871, and was
brought to the Central Police Staten and
locked up. l gave my name as w. D. Wright:
laid down and went to sleep; some person
called nv name from the opposite cell, and l
awoke; l suppose had been asleep an hour.
After 1 got up saw Mr.. Dunn and another
prisoner standing at the door of the cell,
talking; recognized Mr.. Dunn and spoke to
him. He and the man commenced to quar-
rel; I suppose l stood about fifteen mi nutes
talking to Maggie Elliott in a cell diagonally
opposite. She was the one who called my
name.
| again laid down and went to sleep; the
parties were still quarreling, and when | woke
up again Mr.. Dunn ran to me and asked me
to protect him, as the other man was killing
him; I turned around and took hold of Mr.
Dunn, who was bleeding all over his face and
head, and sat him down on the edge of the
bunk, in which two men were sleeping; i'm
mediately gave the alarm with tin cup on
the door of the cell, and called for help; the
turnkey came after I gave the alarm and
asked where the man was that struck him; |
pointed to the bunk and he grabbed the
wrong man, I told him he had the wrong
man, the man who had done it was up there
he dragged the man out and put him in the
dark CELL
WITNESS being escorted to the lookup,
identified Ccminskey as the man who was
following up Mr.. Dunn at the time he asked
witness to protect him.. am satisfied that
Cominskey was following up the deceased to
strike him at the time he called on me for
protection 1 told Cominskey to keep away
from the deceased, and he afterwards made
no further advance toward him; l heard
Maggie Elliott say that the deceased was
struck with piece OF iron.
Ia lad tIn Eftrnk
Precinct Station on Thursday, NJ .rch 80, 1871.
was in the upper bunk talking to some men
who were in the opposite cell. l saw tall
man beat another man with piece of iron
about foot long, The man fell; the tall man
struck him while he was down. | then hal
loed to Bill Redwood to get up, that they
were killing man. The turnkey came and
took him out. Witness identified Cominskey
as the man who struck the other man with a
piece of iron, on the night of March 80, 1871.
I saw the wounded man when they took him
out of the CELL he was covered with blood.
saw the accused place the piece OF iron
in the slop tub.
Sarah Jane was locked up on the night in
question, in cell opposite the
statement of Maggie elliott
Several other witnesses were examined.
The Coroner's jury returned the following
verdict
STATE OF LOUISIANA,
Parish of Orleans, City of New Orleans.
An inquest held in the city OF New Orleans,
in the parish of Orleans, on the 6th 7th and
Sth days of April in the year of our Lord one
thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, be-
tore me. P Creagh, Coroner for the said par
ish of Orleans, on the view of the dead body
of Felix Dunn. aged A years. nativity Ire
land, then and there lying dead at No. 13 st.
Thomas street.
The Jurors, whose names are hereunto sub
scribed, having been duly sworn, and
charged diligently to inquire on behalf of the
State of Louisiana how, when, and after what
manner the said Felix Dunn came to his
death, upon their oaths do say, that this
day the body of the said Felix Dunn was
found dead at the above described place; and,
after viewing the body of the said Felix Dunn
and after care III post-mortem examination
of the body by Dr. J. B. Cooper, City Physi-
clan, and James Jones, Jr., nj. d.. we, the
Jurors, find that the deceased came to death
from fracture OF the skull. Said fracture
was caused by some blunt instru-
ment in the hands of one P. Cominskey,
now in custody, in the cell OF
the First Precinct Station, on the night of
March so, 1871, between the hours of 10 and
IL P. NJ, and from the testimony ELECTED we
give Lie dDOSt NeIulCt.
In testimony whereof, the said Coroner and
Jurors OF this inquest have hereunto sub
scrlbed their names the day and year afore.
said P. CREAGH, Coroner.
p H. COTTON,
JOHN WELDON,
THOMAS LYNNE,
PATRICK CARRAHER,
THOMAS MCDERMoTT.
Coroner Creagh appeared before Judge
Houghton and made the necessary affidavit,
charging Cominskey with willful murder. The
case was tried shortly afterward and the &C
cused was sent before the First District Court
without the benefit of bail.
The Grand Jury found a true bill of muir
der against Cominskey on the 21st of April,
1871. The accused was arraigned on the Goth
of the same month before Judge Abel, and
pleaded "not guilty.
| motion was made by John McPhelin,
E O., attorney for Cominskey, to have him
admitted to bail, which motion was sustained
| by the court, and the accused was released OF
| SO, 900 bonds.
| The case was fixed for trial on the 18th day
of October, 1872, and continued, and has
never since been fixed for trial. Attorney
General Field also appeared at that time as
counsel for the accused.