The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1884-06-23
WAS IT SUICIDE?
A DEATH MASKED IN MYSTERY
Jep Whorton j. Found Dying in ui'
He'd A. the ~. George Hotel Yes
tersay Mornin.--A Woman
In the Case.

Jep Whorton, u bartender In the en-
ploy Of T. s.er, q e. cp r. yns,.r Tas
morning M the II. George hotel In n dy'
ing condition, and ut . o'clock he ex.
pircd. IL was given out ut first
that he had committed suicide.
hut there was an air of mystery about
the affair which was ut least partially
dispclled by the facts elected before the
close most foul, dark deed. After hear.
ing tho testimony of witnesses and put
ting together this, that and the other. II
IL evident that there has been foul play,
and that the man who was at the out
set supposed to have taken his own
e life by means OF morphine was poisoned.
TO make short long story. IL appears
that Jep Whorton, who arrived In the
city u Few days since, took room No.
10 and retired about II o'clock In com
pany with Mr.. j. ID. Ice, an attorney OF
torsicana, who slept with him. Mr..
Lee arose about 1880 and left him sleep
ing. Some throo hours later
IL was found out that
he was suffering from morphine poison
ing. DIR. Thompson was called in and
administered antidotcs and the patient
apparently rallied. In the meantime, II
young man named Frank Con
nett come to see him, who
stated that Whortoi had sent
for him; There no, are ,oi strong h Sns-
II was developed on the inquest that
Whorton was annoyed by woman
named Clara Lee, formerly of Corsicana,
, who claimed that he was the father OF
>her unborn babe. She had come TO this
kcity, and Whorton, who was paying at
Mention to woman here by the name
Sf Elma Mansfield, who is stop
tI,.. IA
Gn "1 Elm street. From All accounts
! Whorton was infatuated with this
woman, who turns out To be the legal
or illegal wife, ~ the case may he, of
Frank Connect.
The testimony rs adduccd at
THE INQUEST,
held by Justice Kendall, explains i all,
however, pretty fully. The first witness
called was
DIR. D.. L.. THOMSON
being sworn, said: | was called to see
the deceased this morning about III
O'Clock and found him with his surface
cold, pulse, feeble and pupils contracted,
slow, sluttcrous breathing, and | re-
garded ID us certainly a ease of opium
poisoning; there was n vial of NOR.
phne on his dressing table; did not
know the man, having never met him
before. This gentleman, Mr.. Frank Con.
nett, was in the room with him and had
the morphine in his hands; IL had the
label of Eisenlohr on ii, and j sent II
down and he said 1t had not been used
as the same amount was still IN the bot
tic; gave him the usual antidotc, but
without the desired effect.
JOHN u. LEE
after being sworn, said: That | have
known deceased intimately for about
six wears: he was a barkeeper mt Cor
sicana; he came up to Dallas on Thurs
Inc .,,s an Ia.
go'ciock train, and when at the corner
of Austin and Main streets, ] passed q
party of three persons, one lady and
two gentlemen; | passed on toward the
Grand Windsor, and deceased came NJ
behind me and called To me and told me
he was stopping at the st. George and t.
90 down and stay with him; consented
and went down with him; we went into
the bar to get drink and noticed that
he was drinking; after getting drink
we went out and sat in front of the hotel
and he wanted to go to bed; | told him
| would go after awhile, and he went up
and in about n half hour | went in and
registered and the clerk told me that
Mr.Whorton wanted me put in his room
/ went up and we had some trouble IN
urousing him, but we finally succeeded
This attributed to his having drank toe
much; | undrcssed and went to bed
pretty soon he got up to get some water
or said so; | remained with him all
night. and got up this morning about
1880 o'clock and went down; ] left hin
asleep, breathing rather loud, went
down to breakfast and returned to the
hotel about 1890 and was told
he was very sick; | went up and found
him i'm Il profound stupor, and sue
ceeded in arousing him sufficiently foi
him to open his eyes and recognize me
l remained with him until about
4 bn
ali the while; we had the doctor with
him from about 1880 O'Clock
and he seemed to revive;,
left him about $3.50 o'clock for my din
ner, and when / returned he was dead
i'm conversation last night, asked hin
when he was going back to Corsicana
and he said he did not know he would
ever go back; he said he was in some
trouble about n young lady and that hf
had paid some one $40 to take her OIL.
PHIL. SMITH
being sworn, said: / met deceased FRI
day morning and he said that he came
up last night, and told me that he came
up about some trouble about glri Una,
WINS encicnte; said he was trying To gel
some one to take her of and seemed
very much troubled about II; told him
/ Would not let that bother me; he
seemed to he drinking, and | met him
again Saturday morning; he toid me
that he was disguised and that he was
going to let things take their owl
the express Office and was going for 1t
and when he returned we took another
drink, he taking soda water; he SAID nc
wanted to see me about IL O'Clock; IN tht
afternoon met him again and we loon
u drink, and he had said in another con
versation that he was going home sun
day morning, and told him he might ~
we'll STAY till Sunday night, as he was
not ready Sunday; was up until neal
12o'clock last night, but did not see any
thing of him; heard he was up mt Myers
beer garden with another young mar
and lady.
FRANK coNNETT
being sworn, said: am about q years
old; / am from Little Rock, Arkansas
/ was from Missouri there; from FAIR
mount, Missouri; believe Clark county
I was born in Louisville, Kentucky; We
moved East and lived in New Jersey
then we moved around and have liveo
all over the North; l met Jep YESTERDAY
and he told Inc he had an appointment
with Elma Mansfield mt O'Clock, a.
Maycr's garden and went up there anc
she was not therc,a we played several
games cf pool and went out ana founc
her i'm the dinning-room OF the Mayer
garden and we walked around CONSIDER
able; he had obtained License 10 marry
him. he had told me that he had paid .
party 800 to take the other girl on
and that he had got rid of her; and
he said to Elma that he, after she
declined to marry him, had some
thing in his pocket that would fix IN.
whole thing, and showed Il TO me, ana u
was marked morphine; he said 10 III,
that IL was only quinine; that ne mao
been taking IL, and that he had been sick
with chills; we walked around all over
the city and until II o'clock last night
while at the corner of Austin and Main