Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1881-06-30
KILLED BY A BRUTAL BLOW
DEATH OF JAMES N. GUINTF LAST
FRIDAY.
A Tranp's Fatal WOrk-POst MOrfem
ExaIninatfOn-Hear Disease, SUI
perinduced BY Excitement.

perinduced BY Excitement
The Holly Tree Inn, n temperance and
semi restaurant and lodging
house, ON the corner of Water and
Market streets, was the scene of an un-
provoked homicide Friday morning, in
which the victim was an eminently re-
spectacle man and the murderer worth
less and disslpated saw-sharpening tramp.
The fatal blow was struck about 3 O'Clock
and, in quarter of an hour afterwards,
| the stricken man was dead
The affair happened i'll this wise The
| tramp, who gave the name of Joseph
| Mowbrey, came into the place and
demanded of the proprietor, Mr.. Mark b.
| Hickman, something to eat.
Being refused, he became insolent and
| said he had come i'll there for something
| to eat and was going to have it.
Mr.. Hickman, not wishing to have any
trouble with the fellow, said ''l am not
| running this place go to Mr.. Warner
and tell him what you want"
To this Mowbrey replied that he would
be damned if he was going to run all over
town to get something to eat.
Mr.. Hickman then ordered him out and
James NJ. Guinty, who had charge OF the
| cooking department, hearing the alterca
tion, came out of the kitchen to assist
Mr.. Hickman if necessary. The tramp
was then standing just inside the Market
street entrance and Mr.. Hickman had
thrown open both the doors and was
motioning with his hand and telling the
tramp to leave.
AS the fellow continued intractable and
insolent, Mr.. Guinty came up close to
him, presumably with intent to take hold
of him, when Mowbrey struck Mr.. Guinty
a blow in the face with his fist. AT this
Mr.. Guinty gave the tramp push which
sent him out on the step.
Just alongside the step was half
brick which was often used to prop the
door open. Mowbrey stopped and picked
up this missile and threw it at Mr..
Guinty with deadly force. 1t struck him
on the right temple, but he did not
Immediately fall and Mr.. Hickman was
not aware at the moment that the injury
| was serious.
The tramp then left the door and Mr..
Hickman supposed he was gone but a
scream from his wife attracted his atten.
tion a moment later and he found that
Mowbrey had stopped at the corner win
dow, which was raised, and reaching in
had picked up a castor from table along
side the window and thrown it at Mrs.
Hickman. One of the bottles in the cas-
tor grazed Mrs. Hickman's right hand
and the contents of the vinegar cruet We're
splashed over her dress.
Hurrying to the door to summon a
policeman. Mr.. Hickman was recalled by
the colored woman employed in the
kitchen crying out that Mr.. Guinty had
tainted. Mr.. Guinty had staggered back
and would have fallen to the floor lad
not the colored woman caught him. As
he was about falling he dropped the halt
brick which he had picked up from the
floor, saying: '' That's the thing he
struck me with"
Several other persons now came up and
Mr.. Guinty, after his wound had been
bathed, was carefully carried up stairs
and laid on lounge. In the meantime
Dr.Morrison had been sent for and arrived
just before Mr.. Guinty died, which was in
few minutes after ne was carried up
stairs.
While the wounded man was being
cared for Sergeant Jones had come up,
and started on the trail of the murderer.
The latter, after leaving the place, had
walked at moderately rapid pace-he
appeared to have been drinking little,
but not enough to make him stagger-out
Front street to Tatnali, where he sat
down on the steps by Simmons < Brothers
lumber yard. Here the Sergeant came
up with and undertook to arrest him.
Mowbrey resisted and struck at the
officer, scratching the latter's face. The
Sergeant, after short and sharp tussle,
got him down and Mr.. Edmund l.. smith
l . 60 Ia
brey while the Sergeant put the nippers
On him. The two then escorted their
prisoner to the Hall, where he was locked
up. He was hard looking case as he
was marched up, dirty in person, and
with his dirty clothing disarranged.
DR.. Morrison made an examination OF
the body and found confusion on the
head just back of and slightly above the
left eye, the center of discoloration being
between the frontal and parietal bones.
So far as this examination showed there
did not appear to be any fracture Of the
skull and DIR. Morrison stated that this
point cannot be determined without a
more thorough inspection of the wound
than he had given it. He said it was
possible that the man might have died
from heart disease as his general appear
|
character.
james Nj. Guinty, the murdered man,
came to this city from Canada in March,
1871, and applied at the Holly Tree Inn,
then newly opened, for job, saying that
he would work for his board. As his
appearance was good and he seemed SC
anxious for work, he was given place in
the kitchen, at washing dishes, &c. H.
/ ua ind lttG Gtrtn ,,l .,,, al !,
rose to the charge OF the cooking depart
ment and made himself so useful thai
neither Mr.. Hickman nor his wife would
have parted with him as long as they
could induce him to remain.
During the four years OF his stay with
them, Mrs. Hickman says he never wrot,
to any relative and she does not know
that he has any living. lie said that Ii,
had been married, but that his wife anC
child were dead and he was alone in tn,
world. Of his conduct and benevolenc,
the Hickmans speak in the highest terms
He would frequently, when Mr.. Hickman
did not feel justified in extending fire.,
board and lodging to applicants, insist OF
paying their bills himself and deportet
himself in every way as a gentleman anC
an honest and conscientious man. II,
was about 40 years old, rather slightly
, built, of sallow complexion, black hair
: side whiskers and full moustache.
Mowbrey is large, heavy, brutal-look
ing man, weighing probably over Isl
: pounds, and evidently possessing doubl
8 the physical strength of his victim. II,
- is paper hanger by trade, and about
years ago worked for Mr.. Ball, No. 81
Market street. On account of his disso
,, lutte habits he was discharged, and sine
that time he has been making semi
; annual tramps from Baltimore to Phila
delphia, appearing in this city ever,
, spring and fall, and receiving odd job
from his old employer, merely as mat
ter of charity. For the past two years
however, he has done no work at his trad
!, in this city, Mr.. Ball having conclude,
that it was no charity to do anything 70
: him, as latterly he had developed into
= drunken worthless beat, who would sci
the shirt off his back for drink of rum
When searched at the police static
! this morning by Sergeant Dolan, Nov bre
had in his pocket a common pocket knit
) with two blades both of which wer
broken, one slightly and the other i
half. In addition to this few dirty rags
, apparently picked out of the gutter, wer
the only things found in his possession
1t is not known that he has any family
!, When told that Guinty was dead he said
"Well, he must have had the heal
disease then, for | didn't hit him hard
THE coRoSER's INQUEST.