Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-02-14

the wound--Shot Through the Heart
The Testimony ELECTED at the Inquest
Cow IF the Letter Found on His Body
Was T. a Suicide ?--Continuation of the
Inquest To-Day.
The hurried examination of the dead body,
found on Tuesday evening in the upper part
of the CITY, was held under disadvantageous
circumstances, owing to the prevailing dark
ness. which was barely relieved by the feeble
rays of two not over brilliant lanterns. The
light of day yesterday morning revealed, at
the morgue, the CHASTITY spectacle of the re-
mains in all their grim horror, as we'll as
afforded more minute inspection of the
corpse, which modified, in many particulars,
the hasty conslusions of the night previous.
The fatal wound was not through the mouth,
as at first supposed The blood in large
quantity around the mouth and especially
over the upper lip originated this suppose
ton. In front Of the right side of the fore
head is wound, considerably swollen, which,
at a first glance, and with all the
gore around it, appears like bullet wound,
but the reporter of The GLOBE, who exam
ined the body both on Tuesday and yester-
day, considers it mere confusion from fall
ing upon the ledge of rock upon which the
corpse was found, its position upon its face
corroborating this view. The front left side
of the shirt is stiff with blood, which did
not dye the garment continually from the
neck, and in all likelihood, when the re-
mains are stripped, the fatal wound will be
found in the vital regions of the heart.
The coroner's persistently refusing any
disturbance of the remains, or even touch
ing them, prevented yesterday morning any
thing more than merely superficial
view, and the foregoing conclusions
are based simply upon what the outward
signs on the clothes and face alone indicated.
The GLOBE reporter yesterday encountered
an Individual who, in the absence of the cor
oner, had taken advantage of that fact to lay
back the vest of the deceased which had been
opened to gain access to the contents of the
inner pockets. This individual says that the
shirt is powder burnt, thus attesting that the
weapon must have been close to the body
when discharged. There is, so said the in
formant, hole in the left side of the vest
but the shot could not have penetrated there
as the lining of the garment back of the hole
is sown up, and the stitches are
intact. All this, of course, is hearsay
evidence, merely given for what it is worth
and is not now, at the present stage of the
investigation, vouched for by The GLOBE.
Granting, however, that the statements are
true, the theory of accidental death is admis-
sible. The pistol, carried in the inner left
breast pocket of the vest, may have been dis
charged by fall of the deceased upon the
ledge where found from the top of the bluff
or, while he was clambering up it's face, h
may have stumbled and caused it's discharge
In either case, the inside of the vest will alst
be charred, and that fact is not yet devel
oped. 1t should be remembered, too, that
pistol exploding IN vest pocket rarely, i
ever, causes a fatal wound. the course of tn
bullet being naturally outward.
Long before the hour appointed for tn
inquest yesterday morning, prurient Grove
kept coming and going to and from tn
morgue, or collected in little knots around it
By the aid of box placed against the wal
OH the west side of the building, the lovers
of the awsome could poke their head
through narrow opening and obtain
coveted glance of the corpse in the diml,
lighted interior. The box was nearly worl
through before the coroner arrived shortl
after ten o'clock, when he opened the doc
and the people of all ages an
ranks rushed in. Meanwhile, th
Jury of inquest, composed of Fritz Lehman
Henry Fret, Adam Iyd, TIL. Orbin, Conra
Wurm and Thomas Heraft, impaneled o.
Tuesday evening, had assembled in the oil
court house. The morgue being cleared, tn
jury entered viewed the remains, and pro
ceeded back to the court house, and the pro
ceedings commenced. No post norton ex
animation having been made, the testimon
body and to that of persons who had recent
seen the deceased alive and could identif
him.
Robert Niderhofer, lad of about 16 or
years of age, testified that he was the on
who first saw the body at about p. m. o
Tuesday; was going for water; the body VIZ
lying on ledge, about IL feet down tt
bluff; it was lying upon it's face; saw n
blood, except some upon the cheek; saw II
weapon; did not touch the body; though
the man was drunk; told Adam Wurm
the discovery.
Adam Wurm, another lad of about Nide
hofers age, had the body pointed out to hi
by last witness: was fetching some beer whe
Niderhofer met him; saw the body about ]
feet down the hill at the foot of Stewart av
nue.; it was about o'clock in the evenin
did not 20 down the hill: did not touch Il
body: considered the man was dea
went home and told b
brothers the body was face down with bot
hands under.
Nicholas Coley, clerk of the America
House, had viewed the body at the morg
and identified it as that of ma
who registered at the American House
John F. Rice on January 30; Rice left t
American on February 10; deceased can
again on February 4, but not to stay sayil
he was ''going to work for a man on t
hill,' but never told the name of the par
he was going to work for; witness new
saw the man drunk or saw him drink
was quiet and good disposed when he {
rived at the hotel he had gun, valise Al
bag, the contents of which the witness new
saw the deceased received no letters VIII
at the hotel; in paying his bill, Rice bad t,
$40 bills, one of which witness took a.
changed in part payment for board the m
never talked of hard times, but was anxio
to get work: the deceased said he expected
friend, George, from the country, but Geol
never came.
Layton Lyon, son of X. Lyon, clothier,
Third street, had viewed the corpse at
morgue; saw the deceased alive on the eve
ing of Monday, Feb. II, when he came il
the store of the father of the witness a
honoht a nair of drawers for which the .