The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-01-26
THE MURDERED SAILOR.

INQUEST INTO THE CIRCUMSTANCES ATTENDING
THE KILLING OF HENRY MADDEN-THE OIL
YER STREET SALOON KEEPER HELD FOR THE
GRAND JURY.
In the Coroners' Office yeterday an inquest was
held in the case OF the sailor, Henry Madden, who
was killed in Oliver street OH Thursday night. The
gathering in the room as motley one as has
filed that chamber of mortuary investigation in
many day. Broken down sporting men of low
degree champions OF the Oliver street scums; sea-
men fresh from shipboard and score of the monde
script denzens of the locality which yields rich
harvest of wild carousals and bloody ARRAYS were
there. John Smith. the keeper of the Sailors Re
turn sat on side. with his wife. He was ut once
repulsive and pitiable object. brutal, bcsotted
face. which u ray of intelligence seldom fitted,
looked from underneath shaggy OF hair
and all dabbled with the blood which
had trckled from three ugly wounds in
the head and stained the garments beneath.
That was the picture presented by the man who sat
there. the self-confessed murderer of the sailor.
There were other groups around that caught the
The two Jack tars of the Omba who had engaged
in the melee hand; sturdy fellows, who
looked upon the prisoner with friendly eye, and
there, too, were the abandoned creatures who
had been inmates of Smiths den, most
of them bearing sad traces of an ILL
spent life. There was one exception. Nellie
Whitbeck, the girl about whom the trouble began,
little more than child. and from her face de-
bauchery had not entirely eaced the freshness and
comeness of youth. She seemed timid, retiring
thing, and the tears which sometimes her
eyes. seemingly to the great dsapprobation of her
hardened companions, were explained by the entry
OF her age on the blotter--hfteen.
STORY THE
When the called the prisoners counsel
himself with a sutiiciency. William H. Howe took
up "A position in his front while Mr. Hummel hanked
HIM and Colonel Spencer moved down upon the Cor
They each INDUCED in few predatory
marks calculated to tone down II jury repugnance
to tale OF blood and then the taking of testimony
proceeded with.
Della Ross deposed that she saw struggle between
William Green and John Smith; she nterfered and
separated them in the scutfie she received black
eye at the hands OF Green she then went into the
street and called tor the police.
Nellie Whitbeck stated that the night in ques-
ton she was stupid from liquor, and was lying on
the sofa when Smith came home he drae ged her up
stairs and kicked her; she screamed for help, and
two men, William Green aud Robert Keating, came
to her assistance; blows were interchanged on the
stairs and her rescuers were thrown down.
William Green, sailor, had known deceased Henry
Madden for two years; on the 23d inst. witness,
Madden Heating ana Roberts went into Smith $
saloon, where they remained drinking and carousing
until about half past eleven z. NJ at that hour Smith
into the barroom and began to kick and beat a
girl who was lying on lounge the witness inter-
ered to protect the girl, and he too assaulted
by Smith, the latter fastened up stairs and de-
scenueu, holding IN his hand revolver, which he
presented at Witness the weapon missed fire and be-
fore Smith had time to discharge it the pistol
wrenched from his grasp; the prisoner then went up
stairs and returned with shotgun; he stood ut
door leading from the entry into the barroom and
in the act OF leveilng the rearn when his wife
slammed the door in his ia the prisoner next pro-
ceeted to the yard and fired through window which
opened into the barroom the shot took effect the
neck OF deceased, killing him Instantly witness tried
to leave the premises, but found that the door was
locked.
SMITHS DEFENCE.
John Smith, the prisoner, testified in his own do
fence He had returned home from sleigh ride
about eleven o'clock he found the GIRL Nellie " hit
beck lying intoxicated the sofas he tried to in
duce her to 10 up stairs; while doing he as
saulted by deceased and the other who belonged
! TO his party; witness went to his room and armed
himself with a revolver; when he reached the
| Darrooln the revolver WAS wrenched from his
grasp by Green, who beat the witness over the
mead with the weapon; witness was badly wounded
and was bleeding from several cuts; he went to his
room again descended with u double-barrelled
shotgun: fearing that his lie i'll danger he dis
charged one barrel at the men i'll the barroonl.
The jury retired, after the Coroners charge and
brought i'll verdict that deceased to his death
from gunshot wound i'll the throat and they added
1--WE furthermore OF opinion that the shooting
unjusthable."
This addendum to the ordinary verdict of q cor
beginning to define such finding when the
Coroner by an explanation led the jurors
to withdraw the last portion of it. Then
Mr. Howe and Colonel Spencer went into
lengthy arguments showing why Smith
should be admitted to bail in some sum, matter
case too aggravated to admit of such eniency
the prisoner was committed to the Tombs and the
most important witnesses were sent to the House Of
Detention.