The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1878-08-15
HOMICIDE AT MANTUA STA
TION.

AT MANTUA STA
TION.
Coronsr's lmquess-The Finding.
A little after noon last Thursday .
man was found in an insensible con-
dition lying in secluded spot be-
tween the high embankment of the
railroad. and the Cuyahoga River
about q quarter Of mile east of Man
tua Station, with bullet hole in his
right temple and bruise upon the
left side of his head. The man was
seen the afternoon before by brakes
man on the train going east, lying in
the spot where he was found, and up.
on the return of the train the same
brakeman saw him in the same posi-
ton. Upon the train reaching the
Station the circumstance was related
to Mr.. j. M. Folger, the Station agent,
when Q number Of citizens repaired to
the spot desigated, and found the man
lying among . pile of large rough
and scraggly stones under butternut
tree . short distance from the river
bank, and just at the foot of the heavy
railroad embankment, with his hat
drawn down over his face, ono shoe
of, and his shirt bosom stained with
blood. Two small limbs of the tree
were broken aud bent down over the
body ON the aide towards the railroad
apparently with the design of hiding
the body from view of any one pass.
ing along upon the track. He was
still breathing, but all efforts to arouse
hlm were unavailing, and hasty in
apection revealed the fact that he had
been foully dealt with, or that he had
attempted his own destruction. He
was taken from the spot where he was
found to the Station andbfrom there to
the Bradley House, where every pos
sible attention was shown him. He
showed no signs Of returning con-
sciousness, but died little before five
o'clock on Friday morning. An en-.
velope was found in his pocket bear
ing the name of John Trapphahn. No.
1O2 Starkweather Avenue, Cleveland,
O., and . telegraph dispatch was sent
to his friends there, which brought his
father and other relatives and friends.
We visited the Station Saturday morn.
ing where we learned the following
facts and circumstances contested
with the sad affair: The deceased
was German, and cigar maker by
trade, who had been working for q
brother-in-law in Cleveland for q
number of years. He left home Tues.
day evening intending, as his friends
supposed, to go to Detroit in search
of work, leaving his trunk packed to
be sent to him where he should after
wards direct, and taking no baggage
with him. He reached Mantua Sta
ton OH the IL O'Clock train Tuesday
evening and obtained lodging, paving
therefor IN advance. He got up late
iu the morning and after washing
himself left without getting break
fast, aud went to q store near by and
asked where he could obtain some
whisky, but there was no one knew
of his getting any, and his friends and
acquaintances say that he was man
of temperate and industrious habits.
| About the middle Of the afternoon on
Wednesday, person answering his
description was seen going in the di-
rection Of where he was found in COM
pany with two strangers, ami the
brakesman who first saw him under
the butternut tree among the rocks
says he saw ut the same time another
man sitting upon the grass near by.
One hundred and fourteen PAGES from
where the wounded man lay revOlv-
er with one chamber discharged was
found ALSO a shoe, the mate the to one
on his foot, and stone about the size
of an ordinary hens egg having stafns
of blood upon it, was picked up. No
money or other valuables was found
UPON his person.
A post mortem examination was
held upon the body which showed
that the ball which caused his death
entered the right temple, passing
through the right lobe of tho brain
taking back ward and upward course
and lodging in the lett hemisphere OF
the brain. 1t is the opinion of the
physicians who made the examina-
ton that the prostration and uncon-
sciousness produced by the wound
prccludes the possibility Of the man
having gone from where the pistol aud
shoe were picked up 10 where his
body was found.
We found DR.. A. M. Sherman, the
county Coroner, at the Station, Satur.
day morning. who had just concluded
an inquest upon the body. From the
evidence given before him he reports
that, "the said John Trspphahn came
to his death from the effects of q NOR
tai wound caused by . bullet fired
from q revolver by the hand of some
party to me unknown"
A Cleveland detective was at the
Station looking into the affair and re-
ports to the city papers of that city,
that in his opinion the man came to
his death by his own hand.
We learn that further examination
of the body was made after it reached
II