The daily gazette., 1879-12-08
SECOND EDITION
n KiIyissg at ChristianU.

INJURIES THAT RESULT IN HIS
DEATH.
Coroner Butz rode out to Christiana,
yesterday, to examine into a homicide
case reported from that village.
The victim in this case was one Isaac
Palmer, COL, aged about 80 years, and
unmarried, who lived with colored man
named Jacob Price, in New Castle Hun
dred, about half q mile from the old
Bear Tavern.
On the night of Saturday, Nov. 22d,
Palmer, in company with two other ne
gro men-Eljah Price, alias Taylor and
benjamin Matthews-went to Christi
ana, and after indulging freely in beer
and bad whiskey, started home in a
drunken and ausrrelsome condition.
Palmer went to his home at the house of
Mr.. Price, (the father of Elijah PRICE,,
aud went to his bed. According to his
statement, made previous to his death,
he heard the other two men outside talk
ing about him in very uncomplimenta-
ry manner, and finally they applied to
him an Objectionable epithet that anger
ed him so much as to induce him to come
out of the house for the purpose of retail
iating.
When he got outside the other men
were still there, and an alteration at
once ensued. Words led to blows, and
the men assaulted Palmer so violently
with clubs that ne soon fell to the ground
insensible. His assailants Immediately
fed, and Palmer was helped into the
house by Jacob Price. DIR. Francis l..
| Springer was summoned and attended
the injured man for nearly a week, but a
blood vessel had been burst by the blows
received, and this ultimately caused his
death on Saturday morning, between o
and 10 o'clock.
Arriving at Christiana the Coroner
proceeded to hold an Inquest, with the
following jury: Thomas J. Bennett, N.
Jenny, John F. Leach, VIM. M. Haw-
thorne, W. T. Cam, W. r. Nickersou,
George W. Humphrey, Hiram Cook, j.
A. McClintock, George w. Currinder,
Thomas Morrison, Jr., Isaac N. Morri-
| son.
The following testimony was taken:
Oliver George, who lives at Prices
house, testified that as he was going to
bed on the night of Saturday, Nov. 22d,
he heard Elijah Price, Samuel Price,
Nick. Ballet and Benz. Matthews cursing
and swearing in front of Jacob Prices
house. He heard Elijah Price call Pal
mer son-ofa-b-h, aud say if he came
down ''he would hurt him." Heard
woman upstairs say "Isaac, don't go
| down there, you might get hurt" Pal
mer, however, went down, and witness,
who was up in the garret, saw no blows
but heard tone hard lick" He also
heard Palmer say to Elijah Price, "if
hot 10
also said, "Lige, you are no man for me,
nohow." Did not hear Palmer say any
thing after the "hard lick" Before this
l saw Matthews pull Of his coat and lay
it in a dearborn near by. After Palmer
got in the house he came up stairs and
sat on a chair, but in about fifteen min
utes he fell off, Then witness and
Samuel Price went for doctor, and
Elijah and Ben Matthews started out
ahead of them and went across the fields
back of the house, in the direction of
Newark. Witness had not seen them
since. Witness saw Palmer every night
during bis illness, and he said that while
he was watching Elijah Price during the
fight Ben Matthews hit him back of the
head with a green stick of wood, and
that Elijah Price hit him afterwards but
he did not know what with. Elijah
Price and Ben Matthews live near New
ark. Witness was with Palmer when
he died, which was about o'clock in
the afternoon, on Saturday, Dec. 9th,
1879.
Nicholas Ballet, who came home from
Christiana in company with the previous
witness, stayed outside of the house and
saw the fight, which he described as fol-
lows Elijah Price called Palmera a black
| Of h md Dol ri II
to say that again. Then Elijah called it
over again, and Palmer hit Elijah with
his fist. Then Ben Matthews struck
Palmer witE a stick of green wood about
foot and half long and as thick as a
pitch fork handle. He struck him twice
with it and the second blow knocked
Palmer down. Between these two blows
Elijah Price also struck Palmer with a
green wood stick. No blows were struck
after Palmer fell He laid on the ground
about five minutes, and then went into
the house. Elijah Price followed, but
, witness stopped him and took the stick
of wood out of his hands. During the
and Palmer's assailants got their clubs
from the wood-pile where he was al
work.
Jacob Price, and his wife Sarah Price
and Fanny George, who all live In the
house together corroborated the testi-
| IuOny VI buc hhob WitncsSp OuN0T tOTRe
in regard to seeing Palmer 60 out of the
house, and hearing the noise of his fghl
; with Elijah Price and Ben Matthew'S
F DIR. Francis l.. Springer testified thai
he visited Isaac Palmer on the morning
of Sunday, November 23d. He was theI
conscious. Found large wound on hi,
forehead, from l ! to 3 inches long, which
appeared to penetrate to the bone Aboy,
, this wound was dent, or mark of
blow as if from q club, but no abrasion
, of the sAin. The patient complained O.
, sorent IS in the back of his head and OF
his left arm, but there were no abrasion
of the skin at either place, though he IN.
sisted that he had been struck there will
the clubs. When witness first saw Pal
mer he was splitting blood and his nos,
was bleeding. The bleeding of the nose
continued until December Sd or 4th. Or
, Wednesday, Nov. 26th the man was bet
ter, and witness did not see him agair
until the following Wednesday. Ther
the bleeding of the nose had been stop
, ped and the wound on the forehead ha(
/: healed, but the man was very feverish
The next day he was more rati Dnal
! though in a kind of stupor Saw him oil
Saturday morning, betweeen 8 and II
o'clock, and then he was dyiog. In ths
opinion of the witness death was caused
, by the blows upon the head.
The jury, after hearing the above tes
/; timony, rendered the following verdict
"That Isaac Palmer came to his dealt
from wounds upon the head inflicted b,