Daily Republican., 1882-06-23
THIRD EDITION.
DEATH OF ID. }. GALLAGH EN-.
The Fishermen who FOun0 the
Body Still Say That There We're
Rricks Fastened 10 IL.

A recent issue of the South Jersey
man, published at Salem, n. j., COM
ments upon the verdict of the Coroner s
jury in the case OF Dennis j. Gallagher
and says that representative of that
paper had called upon Richard Baton,
one Of the men who had found the body
and that lie made the following state
ment'
"There were four cf us in the boat
when we found lhe body floating in the
river below Pennsville-Bert Forkum,
Joshua W heaton, Ben Hewitt, and my
self When the body was pulled up
we al saw that two bricks were tied to
his arm. We C'lt of the bricks and
put them in the boat, 50 that we could
tow the body ashore more easily. We
afterwards threw the bricks verboard,
but after we did 30, some of the party
said we ought not to have done 1t, TOR
there might be foul play, and the bricks
would be needed in evidence. The rea-
son we did not appear before the vii"
mington coroner's jury was that we
were not notified. All OF US would
have willingly gone over and testlted
to the facts. | was in Wilmington
yesterday, and they gave us check
for $50 for finding the body.
Joshua Wheaton was neXt visited,
who corroborated young Batten, but
stated be had expected to testify before
the Wilmington coroner's jury, but no
summons came. why said he,
"Hewitt who was with US when We
found the body wanted to go way and
look for work, but he stayed around
Pennsvlle several days so as to be here
when the summons came from the VII
mington coroner to come over and
testify" Newell Gibbon, who was one
of hejurymen at theipquest conducted
by Squire Garrison, and which brought
in a verdict of foul play, said he did
not see the bricks but saw the string
around the drowned mans wrist. There
were two knots, he said-regular
"granny knots.
A representative of the REPUBLICAN
called upon Coroner Weldin yesterday,
and upon lis attention being called to
the above he said that be did not sum.
mon these men, because he had no
authority to do so, as they are residents
of another State.
The Coroner was under the impress
sion the men would be present at the
inquest, as they were in this city on the
previous Saturday and knew that the
inquest would be held on Monday
morning. He says that he was out or
the city that day, holding an inquest at
New Castle, or he wou Il have made
them furnish bonds for their appear
ance. When the inquest was held, he
called their names and was surprised
when they did not answer, as MIR. Gam
bic, a brother in-law of Gallagher's, had
promised to have trtm present. The
Coroner, however, told The jury that If
they wanted to hear the evidence of
these men, they could adjourn The in.
quest and he would go to Pennsville
and hire them to come over. The jury
said they were satisfied, and rendered
their verdict acc )rdingl ,and the Coro-
ner had no power to force further evil
denoe upon them. He called the re.
porter's attention to the contlictingl
stories that had been told by these men,
who at first said that there were four
bricks tied to the body, and while one {
Of them said that the whole four were
by string about ten feet in
len 9Th, one of the others said that there
were two bricks tied with a short cord
to each arm.
They also told two different stories {
to Mr.. Russell, the undertaken, in re-
gard to the number of bricks, one of ,
the party saying there Were five, while
some of the others maintained here
were only tour, and how Baton tells
the reporter of tho South Jersey
hat there were but two. The Coroner
,aid that he Lad seen the owner Of the
,oat which Gallagher and his compan-
ons had hired, and he said that there
we're not any bricks in the boat wheu
'he left here, and parties in Penhsgrove
lad told him that they saw the men
while they were there, and that they
we're not anywhere where they could
have obtained any bricks, and did not
nave any in the boat when they started \
or this side. In conclusion the Coron- ;
,r says that if Mr.. Gamble or any one r
,lse is dissatisfied with the verdict, and r
will get these men who found the body +
70 come to Wilmington, he will reopen . .
he case at any time and take their evil
ienue, and give the fullest opportunity
for investigation.