Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1884-03-10
WAS IT MURDER2
IuE MAN rousp srAN m,,,.w.

Yesterday morning Coroner Shincr om-
pannellcd jury composed Or James BIick.
ell, IL. +. Benedict, T. T., McE'lgutt, W.
III, Doiohler, John IL Shiller aud John NJ.
Bocdinger, for tho purpose of holding al
irquest on tho man who was found fatally
injured ON tho Reading and Columbia
railroad, between Millway and Akron, ON
Friday evening. Tho particulars of the
affair arc about as published in the INTEL.
IIGENCER Of Saturday. Tho man was
found lying near tho railroad track, his
skull was fractured aud there was "a cut
on the head extending from tho Iighl tD
the centre of the forehead. lle was taken
to the house Of u farmer near by whore he
was kept over night, aud was brought To
this city on Saturday and taken to tho
hospital. He remained In an unconscious
condition up to tho time Of his death,
which occurred ia the evening.
rho Mans hiIory,
There were no papers found on the
man which would lead TO his iden-
tiication, but from his appearance
the persons in attendance a. tho hos.
pital believe him to DO Edward Haley, of
Bridgeport, Conn, who was a tramp. aud
among men of his kind was iamiliarly
known as Bridgeport Fatty" He had
been an inmate of tho workhOusc hero at
different times and is said to have como
| from Carlisle recently, whore ho had boen
IN tho almshouso. 1t is said that at differ.
ent times he received money from his
mother in Bridgeport. The man was
about 80 years of age aud measured 3 feet
Z inches. He was reasonably we'll dressed,
| but his appearance does not indicate that
| he has done much work recently. Both
| of his arms are tattooed, Ga one is tho
| representation Of tho Cruciix and the
other a Goddess Of Liberty. Both wrists
have bracelets in India ink and tnere arc
anchors, &C., on tho arms. A haudker.
| chief, razor and pocketbOok we're found
| on his person.
Tho Theory OF Muru'r.
When the man was first found il was
| believed that he had been struck by train
| on the railroad, Since that additional facts
have been learned and many are inciued
TO believe that ho was murdered. Of
ticer Hoffman, of the Reading railroad
police force, began Investigating the affair.
lie learned that deceased was Eccn with
four other tramps at Midway on Friday.
They had whisky with them and all were
drunk and quarrcling. The officer
thought that ono of the party struck
Haley with an iron fish plate which was
taken from the railroad track, aud that
they then placed him along tho railroad
track 80 that it would look like an acci.
| dent.
what the Tramps Say.
Ga Saturday the officer arrested the
| four men and Squire Kraatz, of Ephrata,
committed them to jail To answer tho
| charge of telonlOus assault and battery, as
| the man was not yet dead ut that time.
| Tho prisoners gave their names as follows
| with their homes Charles Manning,
Willamsport John Stevens, Harrisburg,
John Jones, Duchess county, New York,
and James Dell, Wilmington, Delaware.
One OF the party is mere boy and the
| Others are all known here, having scrv Il
terms in " Bummers' hail " At different
times. They claim that they are innocent
Of the crime and do not know how their
| companion received his injuries
All toll substantially the same story
which is about as follows: They met
Haley on Thursday on the Lititz pike near
this city and all started 10 walk together.
! They travelled the pike until they reached
Littz on Friday where they started To
walk on the railroad track. They received
considerable whisky, of which all drank
freely, except the boy who refused To take
any. The four men became intoxicated
but it seemed to affect Haley more than
the others. Somewhere in tho vicinity of
| Millway, Haley left the party for the
purpose of going to sleep in a barn, which
was situated some distance from tho
railroad track. The others did not SEQ
him again until he was found in an uncon
soious state by tho farmers. They sup
pose that after he found that they had
gone on and left him he started to follow
but being very drunk laid down on the
track to sleep and was struck by the
| train.
The corouer's jury, after viewing the
body, adjourn d to meet at the call Of tho
coroner al such time when the men who
found the injured mau and othor witnesses
can be present.
| Tns Coroners Inquest.
Contrary to expectations Coroner Shiffer
called the jury in the case together this
morning at II o'clock. They met in the
court house and tho railroad meu were
present. The first witness present was
Officer Hoffman of tho railroad, who gave
his theory of the case as has been related
above. He stated that he had heard some
additional facts concerning the quarrel
which the tramps had on the day that
Haley was found, but he would reserve IT
until the hearing before Squire Krantz on
Wednesday.
Alfred Gregory, engineer Of the train by
which 1t was at first supposed Haley was
struck, testified that no was on his way
to Reading, and when near Millway no
noticed an object, which he afterwards
found To DO man lying near the track.
lie thought that lie was too far away to
be struck by the train aud he did not stop
at the time. The train was afterwards
stopped and witness went back they
found the man lying 10 exactly the same
position they had first seen him. He was
at least two feet from the track, at q dis
tSnce where it would have been impossible
for the engine or any car Of the train to
strike hun. They then informed the sta
tion agent of the affair.
Thomas Williams, fireman of the engine,
corrOborated the engineer.
Joseph Brubaker, the station agent, tea
titled that the train men Informed him of
tho affair, and he had the body removed
when witness first saw him he was lying
exactly in the position described, and too
far from the track to have been struck by
that train.
The coroner's jury rendered verdict to
the effect that deceased came to his death
at the hands Of some unknown parties.