Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1878-02-20
LOCAL NEWS.
Nm. HORSER KILLED BY HIS
sON-TN-LAH.
His skull Crushed With "a Stove
Poker.


This morning. about So O'Clock. the well
known Nm. HOmer. OF " Horney'S Mixture
notouety, and formerly a hackmau, was killed
At his residence, No IL Virginia ayepua
southwest, ny his son in-law. Thomas ClaNton.
The weapon used was common stove poker.
While an alteration was in progress between
the parties this weapon was lying on the table
and ClaNton seized il and threw il, striking
HorneT over the ear and he tell To the floor
and soon expired. Immediately after the fatal
h ow. ClaNton sent fOr ply Sician. and tWure-
Sponded. when ClaNlOn left the house. aud
walking up ID Geary'S stable. in jackson hall
ailtN, aSkt Il Mi GearN Ia 20 over IL the house
and ste The extent ot the injury Ia HoTner,
with a view to giving himself up IL IL was Seri-
Gus While Mr.. Geary had gone on this en-
Iahd tlaNtoE asked Mr. Tom CToggOn. lfOre-
man lor Mr. Geary,) IL IL was not best Ia go 20
noilce headquarters, and he told him IL was.
The TWO at once started To police headquar-
trl>, entering the building from the alley run
ming into A. street. Here ClaNton surrender
ed himself To Detectives Miller aud McElfresh
and was sent over 10 the first precinct station
10 await the result of the coroner'S inquest.
WHAT CLAYTON SAYS ABOUT THE FATAL
ALTERC ALTON.
To representative of THE STAR ClaNlon
stated that he. with his wife and boy, reside
At the house with Horner, and hIS single
daughter U.llieD and boy aged about II years:
that when he came down stairs this morning
Horner was moi i'm the house, hut come i'm. in
about ten minutes, and commenced abusing
his daughter Lille, and after while he told
the child of the deceased tabout three years
old 10 take paper next door The child said
he wouldn't. and HOrner cursed il, when he
tthe prlSoner) told him not 10 abuse the child.
horner then commenced 10 abuse him (ClaN-
ton), and they both got excited. Finally the
lie passed between them, but he CClaNton) was
50 much excited that he did not know who
passed II first, and they both raised from the
table. Seeing The poker on the stove" said
ClaNton. " / took ii and threw il, and think
struck him somewhere about the temple, and
left Immediately.
THE FATAL WOUND.
III appears that when the poker was thrown
The prong entered HOrncr'S head, over the left
ear. h" deceased. after receiving this wound,
did not uttera word, but died in very few
minutes.
was native OF this city and was about 81
years of age. Notwithstanding he was re
EarGed as pretty rough fellow he had many
good traits of character, being kind and char
liable To the extreme. He has always been
| rather bOl>teTouS man, but full of fun. For
many years he Was a hackman here aud be-
| lore The war he was for a number Of years a
| member OF the old Auxiliary guard, then our
! only police force, aud was regarded as very
| good ofhcer. lie was always a Jealous poll
tlclan and an active member of the old Jack
son Democratic association. Since about 1860
! he has been engaged in the manufacture of a
medicine Cthe receipt of which. il is said he
! got from some IndianS) known as "Homer'S
Mixture, and by its sale has made a COM
! Portable living. He married here, and his wife
! died during the early part Of the war He has
| three children, one of them married and two
! single.
TIE PRISONER
! Is quite small man of sandy complexion, and
! from his appearance would be taken for a
| very good natured man. He is plaSteFer by
| Trade, about ZS years OF age, and has been
| married about four years having one child.
| For some time past he has been out of work
| and IL is said that from this cause H0ner had
| bad feelings toward him and frequently
! abused him for not going 40 work aud that
| the alteration really resulted from this cause.
| THE SINGLE DAUGHTERS STATEMENT
| The only eyewitness To the act, beside the
| little child. was Miss Emily HOrncr, better
| known a. Miss Lille Horncr daughter of the
| deceased. Her statement il aS follows: When
! Tom came down stairs, father was sitting 10y
the table ard quarreling with me. Tom sat
| down by The stove ton the opposite side Of the
! room. Father asked that little boy tthe child
! OF TOm) TO take paper next door, and he said
he would NJ and father said: "All right d-d
| if you'll get any more ginger snaps" Tom
! then said: What in hi are YOU ctIrsing that
! boy for" and father said: Why in h-ll don't
you go TO work: I'm sick and tired OF keeping
you, ana You aon support your vile, and D
Won keep you any longer From that they
! both got mad and quaTreled. and Tom said
something about father owing money. Pap
| said: " How do you know, if dO?" and Tom
| replied: e. know you do; : when Pap replied:
You're id liar" Tom answered: You're
another" Pap simply moved his chair, and
did not get up. when Tom picked up the poker
and threw il, striking Pap over the left ear.
| Pap fell out of the chair, and as he did So the
| poker fell out and as he fell hailoed: "Oh,
| Tom, what have you dOnc?" Tom immedi-
| ateIy got up. and. Temarking. I'm going 10
| give myself up, he went up stairs, and getting
| his hat, left the house. We sent after phySi-
| clans, and DTS. Bowen and Riley came. but
father was dead when they came. lie never
| spoke afterwards.
THE WEAPON
is an iron rod, three eghthSO of an inch in thick
| ness, about II inches long, and appears I'd have
| been a poker which has been Strengthened.
| One end of il being, however, a tritte heavier
than the other, when thrswn ii would 20
| straight 10 a mark, like an arrow
Sergeant Huntington and Officer Hutchin
| son took the prisoner over to the frs, pre-
| cinct. but on the way he declined to have any
! conversation with them about the ease. The
| coroner. Dr. Patterson, shortly afterwards ap-
| peared at the station, and also visited the
house and left orders 10 summon jury 10 as
semble at the house al one O'Clock.
| THE INQUEST.
AT one o'clock to-day, DIR. Patterson held an
inquest AT the residence, a neat little twO-stoTy
brick house, fairly furnished; Drs. Hartigan,
j. c: Rilsy and Charles A. Bell made a post
mortem previous. The following were sworn
as the jury: Thomas w. Geary, James NJ.
| EliaSOn, VIM. Pullell. Morris Fitzgerald. ROb.
! ert O,Neal, Jere Breshahan, =. III. Williams
John Hartnett, Michael O'Conner, VIM. Fagan.
Robert McCann, Cornelius McAulifie.
Lille Homer was the first witness. and She
testified that when her father came home he
1uSSed with her and then talked with Tom Mr.
! ClaNonl did not see Tom pick up the poker
but saw him throw it, and when she turned the
| poker was laying on fathers shoulder; they
had passed some angry words before but no
! threats were passed: father was sitting at the
ldDlc 1T llit tlillt- ana IldNIO WAS also SItlng
on chair about six feet of.
! DIR. Hartig testified that the cause of death
! was shock and compression, the result OF the
! injury.
| STATEMENT OF THE PRISONER.
The prisoner (ClaXtOnD was brought i'm, and
was Told that he might make statement or
| decline. as he was diSpOSed-any statement
should Do voluntary ClaXtOn then stated that
When H0rner came in. about 50 o'clock, he
abused his daughter. He (ClaNtOn) did not
Interfere, and he then wanted his &C. 50 little
child TO take paper next door lie then re-
peated his statement as above, and contin-
| ulng- said - HOrner got To abusing me: the
| lie passed, and he jumped up. and ] jumped
| up and threw the poker. He was near the
! BACK door and i was near the stove. He had
! made The remark TO his daughter about pick
| ing up cup and smashing her head.
THE VERDICT.
The jury, after deliberation. returned A yer-
| dict that the deceased came 10 his death ''by
reason OF injuries inflicted with an iron poker,
| thrown by Thomas ClaXt0n i'm the heat of pas
| sion, without premeditation while engaged in
| family quarrel"
The coroner committed ClaXton to iail To
| await the action of the grand Jury.
THE CHINPANZEEs at the aquarium are the
| latest New York sensation. They are about
two feet long, weigh nearly % pounds each
and are supposed TO be three years old When
full grown they will be five feet long Their