Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1881-08-31
THE SHEPARD INQUIRY
BEFORE JUSTICE WILLIAM rH't'rs
LAST NIGHT.
D" Definite in Regard to the Charges
Brought Out-Cleaf Cass ,,. o. ="
Accident About all that
Can b. Made OF II.
PART OF WHAT WAS TOLD THE JURY

saversl Of the most prominent youns
msn Of this city, have been circulated
.n3 numerous inquiries why an inquest
w.s not held have been made Prose-
cr,iny Attorney Jordan thought there
was some GROUND for an Investigation
and accordingly ordered Squire "m'
Phillips to impanel jury, and summon
the Darties who bad started the stores
Sct;pg upon these directions the JUS
,;cs Summoned q jury OF twelve true
snd tried men to hear the testimony
This gentlemen composing the Jury are
as foiloSs. EdwOod Hughes, I'D. MqhIe'
man George II. Hibberd, Wm Graham,
r Smyth, Frank Stanton, William
Hare. Stephen Wilcox, John Clator, l.
c. Morris, John Long and samuel par-
rah.
The iury vas then sworn and the
Justice read the law bearing upon the
case. Then the oath was administered
10 the following witnesses:
Viola DeForest, Minnie McGrsth,
Emma Gray. Mary Mckinney, Mary
Fry, Sophia Weaver, Frank Freds, BY
ron Bagnley. u ". Kelly, Ambrose
ShsfFer and Sue Mckinney.
VIOLA DEFoREsT,
the proprietress OF the rancho, was the
6rs, vitness called. The Madame testl-
fed a. follows: Reside at Ill Alley 10;
VAS acquainted with the deceased; she
baI lived AZ NV house about three weeks;
Was az home al the time OF the explosion;
w,s m INV room bathing at the time;
hrsude, so am tod, ran down stairs
screaming through the parlor and out
into the alley; the accident happened
abou, hall past eight; she ran into the
alley all in ablaZe; some person put the
lire out and she got up and ran into the
house next door; ] asked her how u
happened, and she said It was an accl.
dent. she said she was in the act OF
powdering her face, and in reaching Tor
the puff her hand struck the lamp
and knocked it over; first saw her about
fifteen minutes after the ac-
ridant occurred; no one was in her room
At the time except herself; she had been
living with ME about three weeks.
Miss De Forest vas here told to stand
aside and
MINNIE M'GRATH,
another boarder at the above named
raaisoR ds jois, was placed upon the stand
sld subjected to the pumping process.
she said-I was in the parlor at the time;
ran down stairs screaming,
Viola, Great God, the house is on tire"
met her in the dining room; | ran
10 Viola's door and told her the house
vas on fire; Maude ran out and next
Jaw her in the next door neighbor's;
hen went mp stairs and found the room
All in a blaze; three gentlemen were IN
he parlor at the time she ran down
stairs.
DR. BAGULEY
Sas next called. He said: | reside at
he corner of Market and Fourteen
streets; am a physician tended the
burned woman; found her in a very
serious condition, and told her so; she
,aid she upset the lamp herself; her
mind was perfectly clear
FRANK FREDS
Sas next placed upon the stand. Frank
testified thar his pace Of abode was at
Us seventeenth street; that he was
comm. down Eighteenth street, hen
he heard a scream; that Immediately
lpon hearing it he ran IN the direction
rom whence Il came; that he
found a burning woman in alley IS;
hat some other woman hal \ comforter
ia her hand; that ne TOOK II aut endeav-
pred to smOlnrr the t.,; that some pr
son afterwsrL pulled The comforter FRI m
him, and Ita' hr then tore the girls
from her: b.. then IOld the girl
10 90 into a house R..ar by, which she
did, and he then rn~!e mp AID aSsis.td d
in putting ont the tire at the hous,; that
he saw NJ per. on IN The house when he
20. there.
FHHA GRAY.
who resides on the corner OF the alley
below, Sald she heard The screams aud
SAN the gIrI burning ~ the alley, but
That she hal never said she had seen any
person swinging a lamp before the fire
occurred.
- Z NJ n ENLEA,
ShO lives next door to the pace where
the burnin: occurred said she Was eat
lng supper at the time; that she
heard scuttiing noise in
the house of Miss De Forest; that she
heard the cry Of Fire" and immediate
ly went out; then she saw the burning
girl and she reached into a window and
pulled a comforter of a he'd and at
tempted 10 smother the flames; that
she saw a man standing in the alley and
said 10 him: you rascal, come and
help put her out, you are the one who
set her sfre.' Right here 1t may be
necessary to state, in justice to all par
ties, that the witness could not IDENTIFY
the man and knew nothing about
whether he had done the friUg or not.
II vas simply the first thing that came
into her head, aud she could give no
reason for uttering it..
MARY Fly
said she saw two men standing at the
corner Of the alley, and overheard one
OF them say: Why did you do ito
and the other replied with the remark g;
Good God, let US rum but did not
know who they were.
AMBROSE sHAFFER.
i was in my back ward at the time:
saw q man and a woman in the room
where the burning occurred; saw some
body swinging a lamp; thought from
their motions that they were wrestling:
1 am sure about seeing the man and vo.
man in the room. Mr.. Shaffer, upon
being recalled, said: The window ON
the alley was hoisted, and so was the
curtain, but the shutters were closed
that there was also lace curtain on the
window: that he saw q man come out Of
e the house while the girl Was burning
and get into buggy and drive away
tout could not see who he Was, and con
seQuently did not know his name
DR. G. ". KELLY
was then examined-The Doctor. saiC
he knew nothing of the burning; tha
he was there after it happened, but tha
his business at the house was with
another inmate, and purely of profes
sional nature; that his visit occurreS
after the death OF the girl.
SOPHIE wEAyER,
q very important witness, said that sht
resided at ll4S Charles street; that sh
had known Maude Shepard about 81,