The New Orleans daily Democrat., 1878-05-01
CORONER'S INQUEST.
THE CORONER AND HIS JURY INvEs-
TIGATE THE GIBSON HOMICIDE.
The Accused Remanded to Prison with
out Hall.


The Accused Remanded to Prison With
out Hall.
Coroner Roche and City Physician J. @. Beard.
assisted by DIR. Dreyfus. In the presence Of the
Jury Of Inquest. held an autopsy and inquest
on the body Of VIM. K. Gibson who it ia al
legged was killed by J. r. Lawless. in Fabacher's
saloon. No. Isl Common street Mt midnight.
Monday. the facts of which were published in
our edition of yesterday morning.
The first witness placed on the stand WIS
JOSEPH FABACHER.
reside at 151 Common street, where keep n
Iagar beer saloon. BetWeen u and O'Clock on
Tuesday morning q difficulty occurred at my
was one # them VIM. Van Hill, T. 9. Havard
and J. r Lawlese were the Others, These men
came to nv, house every Monday evening;
he was n white man which is more than you
can say When Gibson repIied, " | am n white
man, too; rs good white man as you are "
one another, took hold of Gibson and hold
him back and told Gibson that lawless had =
knife ia his band Gibson faid He h,aaJ haE
opened his shirt and saw the wound in his
breast, and told him he had better go to q doc
tor. He asked me for glass OF wster tor and T. then zen
have a knife in his hand. did not see the cut
ting. saw the blood after Gibson said he was
wound "s md md and saw blood and froth come out.
then knew what it WAS.
Gibson is between sixty hve, and seventy
and is OF irish descent. Gibson was Q pilot on
the Fanchon LaWlsss also worked on that
boat Gibson and Lawless came to my sal Don
every Monday night to play cards afer the boat
arrived. Dick, the man who killed Gibson.
always paid for the drinks for the party, which
was generally between sixty and seventy cents;
After found that Gibson was cut went and
called the police, Three Of them came together,
when one OF them wont for cab, Gibson was
then removed TO the Charity Hospital. Witness
said the blade Of the knife was short and broad.
The knife WIS here exhibited. 1t is an ordinary
sized pocket knife. with three blades and 81 tor
toise shell handle. The huge blade with which
the cutting was done is, as described. short and
broad. and had blood upon 1t.
C. W. HAZARD
being duly sworn. says. reside In st. Landry
parish, al. Big Cane town, Ny occupation is
o'clock a. M. on Tuesday, the thirteth Of April,
/ was In company with LawIess, Van Hill. Glib
son, Fabaeher, r. G, Butler and others. The
Gaaa maGr :" wsre nR
Dick Lawless said, You can't bluT me. Bill"
Bill then replied, You can't bluff me-" Then
LaWeas hit Mr.. Gibson. Gibson then returned
tho blow, when we separated them. | had no
dea that Mr.. Gibson was stabbed until saw
the blood on his shirt
Witness was here shown and identified the
knife as tho same accused had in his hand, and
who had placed it on the chair beside him an
hour before the difficulty occurred. Witness
said be picked UP the knife from off the chair
and cleaned his nails with 1t before the stab
bng occurred | then closed the knife. whom
the accused asked me for 1t, and | believe he
put 1t In his pocket,
W. VAN HILL.
being sworn testified the same as the others NO
to the time Of the party sitting round the table
playing cards. He said: There were five of us
n Mr. Fabaehsrf u up@ybng bs9n p9keaT ana
Tawless about tho deal. Mr.. LawIess was deal
ing the cards. Mr.. Gibson was not satisfied
and words arose between them. when from that
it. came to blows. They were seutfing when
took hold Of them and tried to get in between
them and separate them, We finally got them
separated, 1t was then | noticed that Gibson
was wounded. did not see any knife just then
but alter the cutting saw the knife knlfe here
shown to wituess in the hands Of Mr.. Lawess
the accused. Myself and Lawless :, started q Tor
he had hurt Gibson, Lawess admitted to me
that he had cut Gibson but did not think that
Witness is the second clerk of the Fanchon
and resides in the town of Washington. st
Landry parish.
T. G. BUTLER.
master and pilot Of the steamer Palmetto, was
in the saloon with the others. and saw Lawless
strike Gibson and Gibson return the blow; as
sisted the others to separate the eombattants
and noticed by the blood on Gibsons attire tha
| he had been wounded.
Thos Thiel, the bar keeper. gave hi'
Testimony in sobstance the same as as aboy' ',
mony. discharged the three gentlemen charged
as accessories.
! After hearing the above testimony the jur,
returned the following verdict:
That after viewing the body OF the said VIM
| Gibson and after post mortem examina
! ton by DR.. J. O. Beard we find that the deceased
came to his death from an incised wound In tn
! chest causing internal hemOrrhage and death
! The said wound was inflicted with sharp cut
| ting instrument in tho hands OF oneJ X. Law
| less now In custody. between the hours OF
and o'clock Tuesday morning.
He was arraigned before Judge Smith and re-
manded without bail.
| Gibson and Lawless were both pilots on th
steamer Fanchon and had always been YER
friendly. Since the arrival of the boat they fre
quented Fabachers saloon. playing cards.
| Tho following is the certificate OF DR.. j.
| Beard. City Physlcian
CENTRAL DEPARTMENT. G. G. POLICE.
New Orleans. April 30, 1873,
| In the presence Of the coroner and his jury 0
/ INQUEST ] held an autopsy on the body OF VIM
| A. Gibson, white, aged about sixty-hve years
| lying dead In the First Precinct Police Station
and found an incsed wound Of the thorax, sit
uated half an inch to the left Of the medial
line, between the second and third ribs; sal
wound was about one inch long and range
from left to right, and slightly downward an
upwards. penetrating pleura. eevering fnterna
mamary artery. causing Internal hemorrhag
| and death. j. u BEARD, City Physlclan.
The accused was transferred yesterday morn
ing from the Third Precinct to the Central Sta
| ton and arraignad before Recorder Smith an
remanded to the Parish Prison without bail.