Los Angeles daily herald., 1886-04-16
sHoT IN THE NECK.
p. Cristy Done 90 Death BY Hands
Unknown.

Yesterday about noon man was en-
gagged Ia making garden near the river
some three hundred feet below the rail-
road bridge over the river known as the
aYuma bridge, andfound in the willows
the body of a man. He Informed Mr..
w .F.Gilbert who reported the matter to
McBratney & Howry and one of those
gentlemen repaired to the spot and in
spected the corpse. Being convinced Ia
murder had been committed he reported
to Deputy Coroner Frank Oakley. The
officer bad the body conveyed to the
office of Orr h Such to await the arrival
Of the county coroner DR.. Mcfarland,
from Compton, to hold an inquest. BY
the body, on the branch Of a willow,
was red pocket handkerchief. and on
the ground box of iodoform.
An examination OF the remains shows
he deceased 10 be o young fellow named
p. Ghfisty, a tramp well known around
the city, and often an inmate Of the
tails. He had only been released about
| ioity.eight hours before he met his
death. He died OF pistol shot wound
which entered the neck on the left side
inst below and back Of the ear. The
ball ranged upward. There is
bruise on his right cheek and another on
tho left arm.
It looks like murder, but so far
there is absolutely no clue to who if
any one committed the crime. IL is
possible thing that it may be a suicide.
it is hard to get motive for either act.
The man was poor, and the tramp does
not often commit suicide. II he was
murdered il was either by some enemy
who did it for an old grudge, or n pal
who did it to get both shares of some
loot taken by the two.
WHO is THE MURDERER?
AT s o'clock last night Coroner Nc
Farland held an inquest on the remains
before nine jurors. The persons oou.
cerned in the report OF the discovery OF
the death aud in the removal OF the
body, testified, excepting the one who
first discovered the body. No one
knows who he is nor what he was doing
at this unfrequented spot. w. f. Gill
bert to whom this stranger reported the
discovery, says he does not think he
could recognize the stranger II he saw
him. James Martin swore he saw Geo.
Williams and the deceased together
either Wednesday or Thursday evening.
They went away along Alameda street
together and Williams pressed on de-
ceased some bundle. The latter was re-
luctant about accepting it, but he
at length did upon the persistence OF
Williams.
George Williams was the most mater
ial witness. He said he h ad known de-
ceased few months. They had been
partners Were arrested a couple of
times, once for vagrancy and once for
petit larceny. Last Thursday night he
had found deceased near the new depot
aud had given him 10 cents to get
doughnuts, as he knew his partner had
no money, Then they went off to
sleep in the Oregon lumber yard, Che
vez and Date streets, Some one had
given Williams permission TO sleep
among the lumber and he took his part.
ner in on the sly They went to bed at
s or 0 o'clock. Williams got up at 5
yesterday morning and tried to awake
his partner, but the latter was so fast
asleep the effort failed. He went away
then and after awhile got his breakfast,
telling the person where he ate that his
partner would be along bye and bye and
to give him his breakfast. About eight
o'clock Williams went back TO the lum
Der yard and found the man gene. He
went to work in the yard, but later
went to the house where he breakfasted
and asked the woman If the deceased
had been to get his breakfast. She told
him no, and that the poor boy was
found dead near the river. During the
day two men passed The yard. He did
not know who they were, but he asked |
Them where "Red" was. They told him |
he had been found dead. "Red" was
the name he called deceased. He never |
knew his name. He did not know the |
men, but tramps often ask questions
such as this not knowing each
other. The witness did not make
clear how he expected these
strangers to know about his friend. 1t
ia dark point. The physicians all say
the man was killed at an hour much an
terror to daylight of Friday, at most not
later than about midnight preceding.
There are no reports of shots heard in
the vicinity at any time during Friday
morning, but there are of two shots
heard about midnight preceding. There
is great mystery about the two crimes
noted in this issue, and it will be well
for the officers to keep their eyes and
ears open and catch the men who
robbed Kelly and the one who killed
this man. They may be found sleeping
under the same blanket.
The deceased was proven to be Peter
Christman, aged Is, and native of
Il anosho Wisconsin