The Leavenworth weekly times. [volume] (Leavenworth, Kan.) 1870-1880, 1878-01-24
A Dark Mystery for the Police to
UnraveI.
from Wednesday Mornings Daily.

i From Wednesday Mornings Dailyl
Another of those terrible tragedies which
causes the blood 10 run cold occurred at No
81 Seventh street, between Cherokee and
! Choctaw, yesterday morning, between the
hours of one and Jour o'clock. The victim,
Mr.. Jacob Becker, VINO has been for a long
time known as a baker of some business
in his neighborhood, was found about
noon by Mr.. Chas. Linder and a coIored man
named Berry lying stiff and cold in front of
his ovens, with a terrible wound in his fore
head. Mr.. LindcT had occasion TO visit the
bakery TO discov r, if possible, why his bread
had not been delivered as usual.
He found that reason 10 be more than an
ordinary one. On going into the cellar where
he was most likely TO find Mr.. Becker at work
at that time in the day, he, TO his horror, dis
covered the object of his search lying on his
back with his body resting on the floor Of
boards with his head in a coagulated pool of
blood, and his feet resting on the ground
floor in front OF the ovens a few inches lower
than his body. He at once gave notice to
Constable James Franks, who, after learning
the status of the case, notified Coroner Jno. G..
Lynch.
The coroner at once caused jury TO be
summoned and the body as found was ex-
amined where IL was, after which the
jury went to Hon. ii. Miles Moore's Office in
the old market house, swhere the following
evidence was heard, coroner Lynch, presi-
ding:
| THE INQUEST.
Charles Lindner being duly sworn, deposes
as follows:
..Do you know the deceased 90 Ellis name
l u-aS R..eE lr Tl.al a>f / lin.
alive was half past To-"
| told me he had some trouble with his family,
| but sand he would 60 TO his bakery and TO his
work"
dead - "a little before II O'Clock NJ, TODAY,
1 went TO his bakery to know why he didn't
deliver his bread as usual. I went into his
cellar where he works and found him Iy ing
| as the jury found him, dead
"How long was he then dead, in your opin-
ion ?" Il do not know the cellar door was
| shut, but not locked. / saw the blood on the
| floor, but no pistol. then left and informed
the Constable.
CHARLES LINDNER
Nathan Berry being sworn. says: II follow
ed Mr.. Lindner and saw the body on the floor.
Neither of Us touched him. 1 saw no pistol.
but saw him all surrounded by blood. heard
some trouble between him and his wife YES
terday: About IL O'Clock in the forenoon /
heard him crying, and knew he was much
troubled" his
NATHAN y BERRY,
marx.
Henry Yerkes being sworn, says: II know
by sight. the deceased. Being informed of
his death, visited the premises at a quarter
past ii 10 day, ana found him lying dead with
"a pistol along side of him examined IL and
found one chamb Der empty; observed then
in his forehead the probable cause of his
death, by the discharge of the pistol along
HENRY YERKERs.
Mr.. +. Guartney being sworn, deposes and
says: 81 know the decreased. saw him about
.aEs lnSf alDfl nj m Sfatn
enth street"
Ibid you talk to him. "He said he WIS
unhappy and lived unhappy with his VIII
know him to be always in the habit of car
fying pistol. l was left the key of the
house by his step son, in the evening late, and
the deceased soon after, called for ii. 1 gave
him the key and he went towards his house.
He drank a good deal and lived unhappy
with his family.
E. GgARTNEY.
Fred Spring being first duly sworn deposes
Ibid YOU know the deceased" "His name
is Jacob Becker"
O'Clock. last night, and again at o'clock"
"Where." "At the Third Ward House,
WAS he sober3" He vas sober. had no
FRsIDEcH SPRING.
Mr.. NJ. J. Curran being sworn, deposes ss
follows:
sDid you know the deceased" ayes, a lit
tie. l saw him last night, at half past l
House,"
"Did you observe in that conversation that
then alluded to his wifes leaving him, and |
that seemed to be the cause of his trouble. He |
took glass Of soda water and left. apparent
~ SOBER al the time. NJ. j. CURRAN.
After hearing the above the Jury were left |
to themselves, and after considerable argu- |
ment, and at the earnest request of Mr.. De- |
Meyer, one of the Jurors, a further examina- |
ton was decided upon. the impression of |
self-destruction which had prevailed during
the earlier part of the examination had, /
not been fully sustained by the evidence al !
though it had been established that a pistol |
had been found near the right hand of the |
deceased. The size of the ball of the pistol, |
and the mere hasty glance given AT the wound |
did not, as in most cases, suffice. The wound /
in the forehead was too large
and too angular in the first place. and /
i'm the second, there seemed To- have been too !,
much blood on the floor around the head of |
the deceased TO have flowed from a wound /
caused by the six-shOoting revolver which |
had been found 10y his side. As no verdict 4
could be ached without further scientific
evidence, DIR. Viewer was summoned, and in
company with the jury, and a TIMES reporter
visited the premises where the body lay, at
about four O'Clock in the afternoon The, de-
ceased was found lying in much the same po-
sition rs when first discovered AT noon, lying /
on his back in the basement of the building /
that sle-p which knows no waking.
On inquring, the reporter discovered that /
Mr. Becker had been, shortly before the ira
Tor The next baking" Near the body, TO lis
left, lay an empty striped cloth pdacn,
which had contained smoking robac-
have been smoking. The deceased was in
his shirt sleeves, with his arms barred to the
elbow. His feet had no other covering than
a pair of socks. His body was enveloped in
a large white apron, showing clearly that he
had been at work
which was a large one in the center Of the
forehead, was CHASTITY indeed. By actual
measurement IL was an inch and quarter
long. and fully an inch in width, disclosing
the entire remaining portion Of the brain,
which was little TO make one think at
the first glance there was nothing inside of
the skull, but coagulated blood. DIR. Viewer,
nsr and hAsy csqsin H look the a, tine
wounds in the head exclaimed, gentlemen,
NO PISTOL MADE THAT woUxp'r
A general buzz Of appreciation was heard
among The bystanders and it suggested
by the coroner and members of the jury that
q post norton examination was Necessary.
DIR. Viewer, with the assistance of those pres
ent, after placing the body in a proper pos
ition, removed the scalps a bove the waupd in
the foreh nd and found the top or pariefal
bones of the skull wide apart, as though sep
arated by a wedge or perhaps pick such as is
used by miners. On cutting further down to-
ward the occipital bones or back part Of
the head, he discovered i've distinct /
wounds and fractures, which had evident
ly been caused by some heavy instrument
On removing the top Of the skull, and
taking out the remaining portions OF the
brain, no signs Of bullet were found,
but on the contr y, further evidenc of
foul blow. Toward the center of tine brain in
the line of the incision made by the iustru-
ment used, were found several small pieces
of bone which mad been driven inward.
The d,Ta ssafer or skinny covering OF
driven inward as IL forced by heavy
weight. On examining the base Of the skuii |
a small radiated fracture was found, 81 u As
might have been caused by the p-pint OF D
"pick, !" striking the bone from the inside.
After the exami nation the body was placed
in a condition TO BE- taken in charge by
friends, and the jury rturned TO their room,
where DIR. Viewer was examined substantially
as follows:
DR. VIEWERS TESTIMONY.
you have examined the deceased"
"Yes sir"
From that examination, what do you
"che death Of the deceased was caused by a /
blow nom q blunt instrument, graduating in
size, passing in through the forehead, and
passing entirely through the brain, fracturing
the skull at the pOsterior part. The size of
The instrument was square; the extreme
hole Was from an inch to one and hail.
DO You consider that blow was given by
the deceased, and BY his own hand :"
no. dr; the lining membrane OF the skull |!
skulfs pieces Of the bone were found carried /
Into the middle o. IL brain, and some fyund
near IL hase % tAe egA1n q lsee1ioe No
eeo0 1o4ec uu ~ bgna % th0 |