The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-06-18
BY ACCIDENT OR DESIGN?
Charles Munhall Falls from a Win
dow with Fatal Result.
His Wife, the Once Notorious Mrs. Tull-
Rabb, Arrested, Charged with Having
Murdered Him.

Charles II. Munhall, dissolute wreck, who
for the last eight or nine years has been an
habitual drunkard, was found dead in the alley
in the rear of No. IT'S West Washington street,
Saturday night, about o'clock He had fallen
from window in the third story above where
he was found. His neck was broken, and from
The position in which he was lying it was evil
dent that in falling his head and shoulders had
struck the ground first. The nature of his in
Juries was such that death resulted instantane-
ously. The circumstances incident to tine case
leave the death of Munhall In some suspicion.
Shortly before the man was found dead in the
alley he had been quarreling with his wife, and
it is asserted by people living on the same floor
OF the building that they had been heard fight
ing. Mnnhall had come home in his usual ine-
br:ated condition, and had sat down in the win
dow OF the hallway. The words which passed
between him and his wife are not known, but it
is claimed that they were of angry nature,
and that the woman showed some violence of
temper. They have lived kind of Kilkenny
life, however, and there nothing
usual In the matter to those who occupied
adjacent rooms. No one saw the man fall from
the window, and there is no other evidence that
he was pushed out than the circumstances pre-
ceding his death, which give to the matter
somewhat suspicious caste.
CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE KILLING.
Munhall was found by George Gait, the pro-
prietor Of livery stable, on West Washington
street. but Mrs. Muuhall, who claims that she
discovered her husbands body lying in the alley
upon looking out the window where he had been
sitting, reached him about the same time. The
woman claimed that she had no money to pay
the expenses of funeral, and the remains
were taken to the undertaking establishment
OF Kregelo q Whitsett. The woman
time. She told conflicting stories about the
circumstances of the evening, and upon the evil
dence OF the trouble which had occurred just
prior TO MunhalPs fall, she was placed I'M
der arrest by Sergeant Reid, on the charge of
murder. She was interview we'd at the police sta
tlon, shortly after the arrest by Journal re-
porter. In giving her story she several times
broke out into crying, and in her emotional YER
satility she would in the same moment laugh.
whatever, aud 1t would require no sharp detec-
tive work to fasten guilt upon her
IT nr,ro she With had really committed the
She stated that Munhall had come home in the
evening intoxicated, after having served on a
jury in Justices court during the day, and gave
her fifty cents with which to purchase provis-
ions for Sunday. Upon her return she had some
words with him in the hall, because he wanted to
go out and get another drink of whisky. She
claims that she tried to persuade him to come
into the room, but that he obstinately refused.
She left him, but shortly afterward claims that
she heard shutting noise, and went out to find
that he mad fallen from the window.
AN OLD ACQUAINTANCE.
Mrs. Munhall is forty years old, but has the
appearance of being much older. About twelve
years ago she figured VIGOROUSLY as a woman of
the demlmonde who infatuated Morgan coun-
ty farmer named Tull, about eighty years old.
He was very wealthy, and to induce the woman,
who then Mrs. Rabb, to marry him, he
agreed to settle upon her the larger part of his
estate. The marriage strongly Op-
posed by the relatives of Tull, but
they were unable to dissuade the
ting about $50 900 of Tul's property irrevocably
within her own hands she began to make life
very burdensOme for him, and their marital re-
lations were severed within a few months after
the ceremony had been performed. The woman
shortly afterward married Munnall, who was at
the time tirstcl machinist and man OF no
excessively bad habits. AS a beginning, he
squandered $4,000 in cigar store, and by his
reckless extravaganza and dissipation the for
For some time the two have been in the most
destitute circumstances. Both were d1ssipated
and lived In drunken squalor. Munhall for the
last eight years, has made no pretensions to
working. The woman had son by her first hus-
band, Rabb. He is now a young man. but has
refused TO give his mother any assistance be-
cause she continued to live with Munhal. The
estate obtained from Tull has all been exhausted
with the exception of farm now in litigation.
from which the woman stated that she expected
to realize something in the fall.
The statement in morning paper yesterday
that Munhall was brother of the well-known
evangelist, l.. W. Munhall, is not true The ex-
animation by the coroner in the case will be
held to-day.