Daily Republican., 1885-08-25
.Coroner's inquest.

HEARING TEsTyMONY-BE LIZ
HELD TO ANSWER FOR THE
KILLING Or McGINNIs.
HE ENGAGES COUNSEL.
The Coroner's 3 jury In the case of the
killing of Horace Lee McGinnis by
Theodore Becker at an early hour Sun
day morning st the SSheutzen Park,
m ct again At o'clock sy kterday after.
noon at the City HALF tor the purpose
of hearing additional testimony.
Deputy Attorney General Biggs was
present, and there was q la.ge crowd OF
spectators outside the rail.
Alexander Boehm was sworn, and
testified that he is o travelling show
man and has no stated home. Last Sat
urday night about IL o'clock he came
to the Scheutzen Park, but did not lay
down until after o'c clock. About 12. 80
O'Clock he heard a conversation In
Becker's q ard, which,got hotter and hot
ter; he heard a ayoung person s AM dan old
PERSONS voice he Thought at one time
they were going to have a stone throw.
ing match, as he heard something hard
strike against post, but lie did not
know IL it was q stone. He heard
something said about burning property
and don't you forget it,.
After this things were little quiet,
but in little time he heard q shot, bu t
did not know what 1t was. He was at
that time about 120 feet from the house
but did not see the flash Of the gun. l.
was about half an hour after that before
he went to bed at the gypsy 3 house,
md did not hear that any one was
shot until the next morning; he did
not see any women come cut before lie
went to bed. At tee time the gun was
fired 1t was drizzling rain, and was SO
dark that man could not have been
seen even o short distance. As near as
he could Judge it was about ? o. clock
when he went to sleep, as he had spent
which was on a wagon.
William NJ. Walker testified that he
resides at No. ll14 Lincoln street, and
a laborer. He was at the Scheutzen
Park last Sunday morning with
Horace Lee McGinnis. He came home
fr ON work Saturday night and went to
the Park about 7.15 o'clock and met
MEG innis there went down to the
Columbus Inn and then went back to thu
Park and stayed until abont 1915 o..
clock. They then came to L nion street,
and went to an Italian house and had
a couple of bottles of beer, and sat and
talked good while. When they left
there they went over Seventh street
bridge, over the railroad, and went
hack to the Park, but before going to
the house went to the water closet
Becker was sitting on the porch and
called 60 them, and they SAID "hello,
Becker"
Becker then came over to them and
asked where they were going, and the
witness told him to the water closet.
When they came out Becker was on
the porch, and they went over to him
and asked If the bar was open, and he
said no. McGinnis then asked for half
pint. He said he eeulln's -. hem
have it, aud they asked what the light
was burning In the bar.room for. Beck
er said he had the lights for the dog to
see to run around.
The men then told him to keep his
d--n whisky, as they wouldn't t drink
it, and he replied they wouldn't drink
it because they couldn't get il. They
also told Becker that II he would not
let them have the whisky they would
make it all right with him. They then
concluded TO 60 back and go along the
sheds, and see II any one came out of the
bar room, which. they did they walked
down inside of the fence, and stopped
by ono that had some hay in 1t In a
few minutes McGinnis said here
comes Becker with gun," and the wit
ness told him not to run out that way as
Becker might shoot.
McGinnis called to him, and begged
him not to shoot, but Immediately
after wards Becker fired, but the witness
was n the shed and did net see Nc.
Ginnis fall; McGiunnis had started to
run when Becker fired. AS soon as he
shot he said "wh here is the other one, !"
and the witness begged ham not to shoot
him. Becker tben came over TO the
body and the witness said to him you
have shot him Dead" and he replied
yes l have done enough, and turned
to 90 away. There were n stone
thrown that the witness knew Of,
neither did they climb she fsnce.
The gate is open at all hours, and
they went in that way. The witness
then went to house near the Park and
called s man named MAhoney, To
come ard stay with him and watch the
body; while he was there Becker also
came to the door, and the
witness said i. was a bad job fer him,
when Becker replied that It vas
Just as bad for him. The witness
thought Becker was abou: ten yards
from them when he fired. Ii was
pretty dark, but lie thought McGinnis
10 ust have seen Becker. or he would
no5 have begged him not 10 shoot
There were no threats made OF barning
the place.
Barney McNey was sworn and testi-
fed that about 2.39 o'c.ock Sunday
morning Becker came to the hall, where
the witness was, and said he had shot
man. Tho witness obtained car.
riage and went out to the Park, where
he found the body with a hole in The
forehead. There were two women with
! the body, and Mrs. Becker showed the
witness some stones, which she Claimed
had been thrown at her husband. The
witness obtained the gun that the shoot
ling was done with, and found an emp
| ty cartridge case In tue right nand bar
rel, and a cartridge in the other.
/ Inls WAS tne lhsb !" "ithseo inou
and the jury without the slightest hesi-
tation adopted the following resoln-
/ Ition:
Resolved That Horace Lee NcGin-
Ipis came to his death about 1.30 o..
clock on the morning of August %, 1885,
Dy a gunshot wound from gun in the
lhands of Theodore Becker, Il. place
known as the ScheutzeE Park, n the
city of Wilmington.
A commitment was then drawL
by Deputy Coroner Smith, aud Becker
was taken to New Castle this morn
ing, he having requested that one of bis
lown wagons be us,,d to- day Tor that pur-