Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1878-11-19
H0BREeHF HOMICIDE.
4 Jury Of INQUEST sEMpAHNELLEO.
Witnesses Examined and the Cause Of the
Death Fastened upon Kiger-Post
Mortem Examination - Yer
dict of the Coroner's
Jury = Personal
of kiger.

of Kiger.
Yesterday morning a coroner's jury
was empannelled by Squire Mix, OF
Richie district, for the purpose OF In
curing into and ascertaining the cause
OF the death OF Franz Hobrecht on last
Sunday evening at 3 o'clock.
The jury empannelled consisted OF
Adolph Fritz, Chris Eiewig, Frank
Fisher, Fred Bishop, Anderson Fulton,
VIM. kratz, Edward WestwoOd, Will
liam Sondamann, Fred Siebrecht, Charles
Kettler, Adolph Hillebrecht, and John
Merschrod, all of whom assembled at
the residence OF the deceased, at No.
%. Forty-second street, where the re-
mains OF young Hobrecht were lying in
the sitting room of the house.
While DR.. Wilson, county physician
and DIR. Hazlett, the physician called in
to see the deceased, when stabbed at
the club house, were engaged in making
a post mortem examination, the evil
dence in the case was taken. The first
witness called and sworn was
CHARLES JONf-S,
who stated that on the evening Of the
10th day of Nov. 1878, he, with others
were at the shanty, having gone there
about 8 O'Clock P. NJ There were pres
ent Fred. Elder, Joe Dudly, John Mil
Ter, William Miller, August Schrump,
Christ. Wolf, Henry Wolf, John Miller
and Christ. Hobrecht. The shanty was
used to keep out OF the weather. The
witness further said: / saw some OF the
trouble; / saw Ed. Kiger lying on a
board in the shanty; he got up and
moved his bench over to the opposite,
side of the shanty where a boy named
Karl Klos tilted the board and threw
Kiger off Oh the floor. Niger turned
round and struck Edele on the
right hand with knife which caused
blood to flow from the hand between
the first and second knuckles. Franz
Hobrecht, the deceased, told Niger that
he ought not to have the knife out in
that wav. Kiger then rose, and said Il
want none OF your lip about it. Ho-
brecht replied, "You dOn't?' kiger
said, "No, don't kiger thenpushed
back i'm the corner where some OF the
bows tried to quiet him, as Hobrecht
had struck him about the head with his
fist, probably on the face. The knife
was in his right hand, the blade being
about three inches long. The boys then
put kiger outside the shanty and let
Hobrecht remain in the room where he
sat on bench with his body bent for
ward. There were not more than five or
ten pounds difference in the two boys.
| have known kiger Tor about SIX
months; never associated with
him very much, but under.
stand that he was in the habit
of going to this place. There were
about twenty boys in the shanty, and
they had II hall keg OF beer. | saw
Hobrecht stirring the fire with poker,
but did not see him strike any one
with it.
CHRISTIAN WOLF
being duly sworn said: was at the
shanty on Schrun's property on Sat
urday night. ! went to the shanty
about O'Clock and there. saw Chas.
Jones. VIM. Downs, Henry Wolf, Robert
Speidel, Thos. Clcgg, August Schrump,
John Miller, VIM. Miller, Louis Strout-
man, VIM. Stroutman. | also saw Ed
ward Kiger at the shanty, but did not
notice Hobrecht until after DR..
Hazlett had been called, which was
about 9 o'clock. did not see any
trouble because | was lying on Il bench
asleep, having laid down about an hour
after went into the shanty. When the
doctor came he sent for a thread and
needle and sewed up hole in lio-
brecht's side. The doctor then told
some one to take Hobrecht home.
drank two glasses of beer At the shanty
and was not in fit condition To know
ANYTHING about the affair, as Fhad had
something to drink before went I" the
place.
HENRY WOLF
testified that he had been drinking Sat
urday evening and had gone to the
shanty about seven o'clock, where he
found Edward kiger. The witness said
that he and IHobrecht had gone to the
house together, where he (the witness
saw Kigcr cutting up in the corner.
Some one asked him to sing, but he re-
fused to do it and picked up a board,
put il on klos foot and laid down on it.
klos took hold OF one side OF the board
and upset it, throwing Niger on the
floor. Niger then got the board and
laid down on it again, when Franz llo-
brecht touched him ON the back with a
poker with which he had been stirring
the fire. kiger then turned around and
struck at Fred E,lelc with a knife, the
blade taking effect in his hand. Ilo-
brecht told him that he ought In keep
his knife in his pocket and not have it
out that way. Niger told Hobrecht that
he did not want any OF his lip. Ho-
hrecht then struck him with his fist
lightly, not being angry. Niger had his
knife in his hand and stabbed HObrecht,
having struck at him three or four
times. Niger did not say anything
while striking at the deceased. The poker,
which, is iron, was not hot at the time.
Hobrecht playfully put it against kiger's
back. Kiger was tiourishing the knife
before he struck Hobrecht or before the
trouble begun. The blade of the knife,
which was a common pocket-knife, was
about three inches in length. No trouble
had ever been known to exist between
Niger and Hobrecht, as far a. witness
knew. When lIobrecht was cut in the
side, and Niger had been put ont OF the
shanty by Klss, he lHobrechtl said: Il
will kill him il ever i get well" Ho-
brecht, with the most Of the boys, had
his coat off all evening. and after the
stabbing there was visible a cut in
Hobrecht's shirt, on the left side. The
witness stated that he lett about five
minutes after the trouble.
DIR. l.. d. WILSON,
county physician, being sworn, said
he found an incised penetrating wound
two inches in extent, over the cartilage
of the eighth rib on the LETT side, five
inches in verticle line below the left
nipple. The instrument in its passage
cut of portion of the cartilage OF the
eighth rib, passing into the cavity Of the
chest through the diaphragm, penetrat-
ing the cardiac extremity ofthe stomach,
making in the latter wound one and a
half inches in length. Death resulted
from internal hemorrhsge, caused BY
the wound described, the same being in