Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1880-01-16
----y
The Hirth Murder.

young man of good character and re-
spectability by the name of George P. Hirth,
was killed on P street, between Seventeenth
and Eighteenth streets, northwest, Wash
ington, d. c., on Wednesday evening last
about 8 o'clock. The event created much
excitement in the city and no time has been
lost searching for the perpetrators. On the
Saturday following negro man named
Ben. johnson, who said he witnessed the
murder by being misled to the place, but
took no part in it, informed the authorizes of
those who committed the deed. There names
were Babe Bedford, Edward Queenan, and
Sandy Pinn. These parties were arrested
and appeared before the coroner's iurv.-
johnson gave the following testimony
against them:
On Wednesday night at $50 o'clock |
met Babe Bedford, Edward Queenan and
Sandy Pinn, at the corner of Twelfth and
L streets northwest: they said they were GO
ing to concert on Nineteenth street and
asked me to go along; said they were going
to have nice time and good lot of fun 1
told them | would go along: we went up
Twelfth street northwest TO Thirteenth
street, through vacant lot betweenyThir-
teenth and Fourteeth streets, and then out
IL street to Fourteenth, and then down Four
teenth to Sampson street Babe Bedford
asked man what time it was; he said .
Its twenty-five minutes past 7; then went
round on Z street, walking pretty SLOWLY
went west on p street on north side Babe
said If you don't walk faster well be too
late for the concert; then walked faster
Babe stopped down and picked up rock !;
didn't say what he was going to do with the
rock or anything when he did this there
was man ahead of us, about as far as from
here to the pavement about forty feetl; he
was going same way as we were going; we
walked up and overlook the man; Babe up
with the rock and struck the man back Of
the head; didn't know the man; the blow
that Babe struck knocked him down: the
man said For Gods sake, Babe. don't xiii
me- Babe said, You s. of a b. I've got
you now and I'm going to fix you;' then
Queenan ran up and caught the man on the
side OF the coat; the man was on the ground :.
Queenan kicked him under the arm; Pinn
then ran up and struck the man while he
was down; | cried, For Gods sake. don't
you fellows Kill this man here ; then ran ::
saw the stone that Babe picked up; the
stone was bigger than my fist; they were
still beating him when | ran away; Pinn
struck him with his fist while he was down !;
the man couldn't make any resistance: he
dropped at the first blow; there was no talk
about killing anybody as we went along;
don't know why they went down p street |;
that is the way they carried me; | ran by
the Minor school building, on Seventeenth
street, near p; they hadn't attempted TO
rob him before | left; didn't see these par
ties again until this morning; after got to
the Minor school building / went through
field, past the baseball grounds, Seventeenth
and X streets, and then went through the
vacant lot where Johnson's lumber-yard is :; |
didn't stop anywhere on the way home didn't
come out any more that night; was by N.Y.
self when | went home Babe Bedford
didn't wear the rubbers he's got on now on
Wednesday night; | met colored woman
on my way home; | didn't get anything /:
heard Bedford and Mr. Hirth had Lad some
falling out; met the coiored woman about
half square from the place where they
beat the man; haven't seen that colored
woman since till to-day | said something
to the woman that | met; don't recolect
what it was; | was running didn't stop
and talk with her; didn't see ANYBODY
take anything off his person; saw one stoop
down and take him by the collar and kick
him."
Confrmatory evidence Of what John
son had said relative 10 citizens of the city
was given in by them.
The verdict of the jury was:
THAT said George Philip Hirth came TO
his death, between and 8 O'Clock p, m,
January n 1880, at the drug store Of s. C.
Hanson, oRrner of Nineteenth street and
| ConnecticutN Avenue, from injuries Of the
head infictefwith a stone or other nlisfle
or weapon in} tho hands of Joseph, eaiias
Babe, Bedford, Sandy Pinn and Edward
Queenan, abo9t eight o'clock on said eve
/ ming, on p STREET. between Seventeenth and
Eighteenth streets northwest, and we also
find that Benjamin johnson, whether guilty
or not of violence towards the deceased,
was accessory to the deed
The desperadoes were committed to Jail.
Tho funeral services of the deceased
| took place at the Methodist church, corner
of Fifteenth and r streets northwest, last
Sunday. The church was crowded to its
utmost capacity, the young man being we'll
known in the community,