Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-12-15

THE F-sTREET TRAGEDY.
The Cor0norss Inquest TO-day.
TESTIMONY OF VARIOUS WITNESSES or TIE SHOOT
ING.
The coroner to-day summoned the following as
jury OF inquest in the case Of John c. Miller who
was shot last Wednesday on f street, near 9th,
ana died yesterday: W. II. Douglass, Robert
Leltch, II. ]. Eisenbeiss.F. b. Hopkins Thomas
walsh and John j. Hogan.
The jury viewed the remains at SpeereS under
taxing establishment and at o'clock assembled
~ tne nrst precinct police station to take testi-
mony. Major Walker sat with his brother the &C
cused, in the room while the testimony was being
1aKen District Attorney Worthington was also
present. MI. VIM. A. Cook and Mr.. D. E. Cahill,
counsel for Walker, were present. Mr.. Cahin
sCatsd 10 the jury that the accused would not ask
W De represented by counsel before them, but
"oulu IeaVe the case entirely with the coroner.
THE TESTIMONY.
The first witness was q. w. Cragin He said
ne was sitting in his Office at 914 street little
after one o'clock last wednesday, when he was
startled by rapid firing. He threw up his window
parties struggled into view. Miller seemed to be
sIr1Egnng to get possession OF the pistol He saw
four times and hit him In the head The parties
tnen seemed to be exhausted. The crowd rushed
IN. Walker was arrested and Miller was taken to
MT. Argyle Mackey, a young man about twenty
years oid the next witness, said the shooting oc-
CURED cur about twenty minutes after one O'Clock.
HIS Dack was turned he said, when the first shot
was fired. He turned around and saw two men,
one With stick uplifted the other with pistol.
and as WsSes rasasa e sSag
them. but four or i've shots were fired before he
got there. Miller was forced out in the snow in
Ter said: sTake his pistol witness
then closed with walker and managed
large stick, but he seemed to witness to be strik-
Ing at the pistol in Walkers hand. He saw Wall
ker strike Miller once with the pistol. The wit
saw only that lone man had light moustache
and the other beard. The witness said that he
took the pistol home with him It was seven;
SnOoter 32-calfber. He found fve chambers fired
and one cartridge had been snapped upon.
John 7. Silence, the next witness, was standing,
he said, near HOltZman'S building. When he heard
shot fired he turned and saw two men, one firing
ana the other with cane. After four or FIVE shots
fired the taller man, the man with the cane
smaller man fell and the taller fell upon him.
There they stayed until the crowd came around
man on top was striking, the witness thought he
mans hand.
John Crenien, an elderly gentleman, the next
| witness, saw the two men meet, he said. One
| man, he said, raised his cane in his hand in q
threatening way. The witness here illustrated by
witness did not hear. Then he said shot was vas
fired. The man with the cane struck the other
shots were fred. The iarger man With the cane
| did not seem to be hurt, and witness thought
there was nothing in the pistol at all. The larger
man, who seemed to be the stronger, forced the
man with the pistol into the street.
WAS the cane raised" asked the coroner, 'sbe-
fore shot was f1red?"
witness said that when he first saw the men they
were rushing together-one with the pistol held
out, the other with his cane uplifted The witness
picked out the prisoner as one OF the combatants.
He said he could not swear, but believed he was
one OF the men. The stick carried by Miller-a
the witness said he believed that was the stick.
He saw Miller walking very fast just before the
encounter. The witness, who was an old soldier,
said the men were about two feet from the 'para-
pet" when they encountered each other. He meant
the curbstone.
| the Emergency hospital yesterday, assisted by
other physicians, said there were four scalp
| wounds on the left side of the head looking as
There were two pistol shot wounds, one a flesh
wound on the side. The fatal shot entered the
right side OF abdomen, passed upwards fractur1ng
the eighth rib, and was then detected dOwnwardS
and backwards through portion OF the liver, then
passed through the lower part OF the stomach and
inches below the point OF entrance. The hemor-
rhage following the wound Of the liver and the
inflammation resulting, together with the wound
or the stomach, caused death.
Cornelius Campbell, eolored man, testified that
he witnessed the shooting, and that Miller had
his back turnedto Walker when the defendant be-
gan firing at him.
81 was sitting in my Office near the scene OF the
shooting" said Mr. Hosea b. MOultOn, "when my
attention was attracted to the street by the re-
port OF two pistol shots, fired in rapid succession
looked into the street and saw Walker brandish-
ishing revolver, which he continued to fire at
Miller, who was then approaching him with cane
Matthew McCully, the next witness, said he was
standing at the corner of 9th street when he beard
md trn
lying in the snow. Mr.. Walker said Immediately:
81 shot him in self defense; If had not done it
he would have killed me-"
James NJ. Tinker, the next witness, said he had
a conversation with Miller On the Sd or 4th OF this
month at the Evans dinlng-room: Speaking of
told him that he had better let up
on George as he would make him crazy.
Miller said he did not calculate to let the s. Of
b get the start OF him; that he would kill
him on sight. He said when he went near Major
Walkers office he always cooked his pistol. Wit
ker, Miller told me that he has his revolver cooked
in his pocket for you every time he meets you and
you have got to do pretty quick work when you
advised Walker to get a warrant, but Walker de-
INJURED. as he said he did not like to make trouble
The next Wtnes Thongs
oner interrupted, saying: ''Well, we won't go
back SO far as that; DO you know anything about
corrected himself and said he meant 1885, but the
coroner said he would not take testimony as to
matters before the shooting.
WALKERS STATEMENT.
George N. Walker, the prisoner was then sworn
first being cautioned by the coroner that he was
not required to state anything that would crmi-
nate himself.
81 have nothing" said Walker, (which wish to
avoid stating"
The coroner then requested him to cOnflne him
| self to the day OF the shooting and not speak OF
occurrences prior TO that
"On the morning OF that day." said the witness,
| II came TO Washington for the purpose OF making
| out a warrant for libel, or something, for
| the purpose of having Miller, arrested.
He went first to Mr.. Fillmore Beall,
and then went to the court to get the warrant
MI. COyle, he said had made information respect
letter witness had received was libel
| on himself uhe wltness) personally. and he
desired to get a warrant on that. Ofcials at the
court suggested that he could not make much OF a
case out OF that. He stated to Mr.. Lavender at
the court the necessity OF the case and how this
man :. was perrsecuting him: After a
evening for warrant. He went from there
to Mr.. X. p. Evans Office. Mr.. Evans not there.
II was about quarter to II o'clock:
| Witness was anxious to advise with Evans and
anxious to have the warrant issued that day. He
| walked from there hoping to meet Mr.. Tinker,
Evans partner He remembered having been
| told that Mr.. Tinker took his meals
| at Fred. Evans dining rooms. When he got there
he suddenly recOlected that Miller also took meals
| there, and he did not want TO meet him. He then
i