St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-07-07
LIFE IN INNEAP0LIS.
A Ooroner's Jury Decides That the Shoot
ing of Welch by Marion Was
Misadventure.
The School Board Finds School Buildings
IN Bad Condition and Will
Remedy the Defects.
Michael Sullivan Crushed to Death al
the Washburn B--Suicide of
Jacob Michel.
The st. Paul and Minneapolis Gro
GERS to Picnic at Minnetoaka--
G. G. Harris Dead.
MARION ACQUITTED.
The CorOner,s Jury Decides Il
shooting Accidental.

MARION ACQUITTED.
The CsrOner,s Jury Decides the
Shooting Accidental.
The coroner's inquest over the remains
of William D. Welch, who was shot and
killed by revolver in the hands of John
Marion, his friend, Monday afternoon, was
held yesterday afternoon at Conolly'S
morgue. The following jury was inpan-
eled: II. r. Mcclellan, A. W. Hawkins,
T. j. Smith, E. r. Milliken, Geo. Vetter
and w. r. Guile. Marion was represented
by Russell, Emery & Reed. Judge Welch,
the uncle of the deceased, was present and
was given the opportunity OF cross-eXamln-
ing the witnesses. The point to which he
gave particular attention was as TO Wnethef
the deceased had acknowledged his belief
that the discharge of the revolver was acct
dental. He overlooked all seeming discrep-
ancies in the evidence and confined his
questions only to the material points.
Robert Montieth. agent for the Chicago,
Milwaukee Il st. Paul road at Milwaukee,
brother-in-law of the deceased. was also
present. The testimony of
CHARLES N. sEMoN,
bartender at his brothers saloon, No. 1S
Third street, was substantially the same as
given in Yesterdays GLOBE. Welch had
met him at the Clark house and asked him
to go over to his room in the Sample block
and see him shoot at a mark. Arriving
there Welch shot out of the window five
times at a mark in the alley. striking a
piece of card board which served as target
once. He turned around and said to
Marion ''Fll bet you $40 to SIS you can't do
that" Marion answered LET me try"
Welch removed the empty cartridges and
loaded the revolver again, laying it on the
stand. Witness was certain that it was
cooked, because he did not see Welch let
down the hammer after he had put the
cylinder in. Marion picked up the revolver
and it exploded almost instantly. WEIGH
clasped MS hands to his right side and said.
Pm shot" He helped him to chair and
then onto the bed. Marion said to WEIGH.
''You know 1 didn't do it on purpose,
Billy" and Welch answered, mo, it was
an accident" He told Marion to remain
there while he went for policeman.
Marion, however, jumped out of the win
dow. The witness first thought he had
jumped to the ground below. but after
wards saw he had jumped into the window
of an adjoining room. Marion had after
wards asked Welch in his presence to tell
two ladies who had come into the room that
the shooting was accidental. WEIGH said,
''Yes, twas an accident" and afterwards
said twice, "Oh, why did you do it?"
MRS. DANIEL W. WEBB,
the lady who rented the rooms to Marion
and Welch, said her servant girl had told
her someone had been shot in room on
the second floor. She went there and found
Marion running up and down the hall
wildly. She went into the room and heard
Marion say to Welch, For Gods sake,
Billy, save me: tell these people we were
only fooling." Welch answered, eyes, but
why did you do it?" Marion was very much
excited and was half crying.
ToNEY KLoTZ,
the servant girl, testified that she was
making up bed in a room on the third
floor, heard the shot, and someone groan-
ing. She went up and told Mrs. Webb. d.
W. Webb was called but his testimony
threw no additional light upon the case
At this point Coroner Hill asked the counsel
for Marion if they were willing he should
testify. Mr. Reed answered atfirmatively.
Judge Welch, the uncle of the deceased,
here addressed the jury, saying:
am the nearest of kin to the deceased that
is present. and desire to say that am salts
fed, and have been from the first, that the
shooting was what is called misadventure,
and that there is no evidence Of malice in it.
In this I have the concurrence of Mr.. Mon
tieth, a brother-in-law of my nephew. This
is q terrible misfortune to the survivor. AT
the same time there is a statute which makes
party responsible for criminal recklessness.
/ urge nothing. l am sorry for this, but
thihk public conscience has been satisfied by
the painstaking investigation that has been
made and in behalf of the relatives of the
deceased thank the jury for its patient dill
gence. I commiserate with the unfortunate
young man, who must go through life with
the remembrance that he killed a friend. To
kill an enemy even is a misfortune but to kill
friend is bitter affection.
Several of the jurymen expressed de-
sire that Marion should testify, and he was
summoned.
MARION ON THE STAND.
His appearance evidently made a good
impression. He gave his evidence unre-
servedly and in a straightforward manner
The only material points upon which he
contradicted MI Semon's evidence was as
to the manner in which he got the revolver.
His impression was that Welch handed il
to him, and that it went off almost in
stantly. He was sure he did not cock it.
He explained his reasons for leaving the
room and jumping into his own room
through the open window by saying that
when Semon spoke of going for help he
suddenly recollected that he had left a
couple of friends in his room shortly before
meeting Welch. He felt certain that he
was not intoxicated, and thought he had
only drank a portion of three cocktails.
He had known Welch only six weeks.
and he considered that they were
the best of friends. He came
to Minneapolis year or so ago and has
been employed by the Porter Steam Heat
ing company at 10 Third street south
+po+l hal od -o6 II
f. Osborne Steam Heating company at ST
Paul.
AT THE CLOSE OF HIS EVIDENCE
Coroner Hill charged the jury, which,
within few minutes, returned a verdict
that William D. Welch came to his death
by the accidental discharge of a revolver in
the hands of j. j. Marion, and that such
discharge was a misadventure. The YER
dct.was generally received as entirely war
ranted by the evidence in the case The
feeling of those who heard the evidence
was that the revolver was cooked in such 2
manner that the trigger was only slightly
held. and mere jar or touch was al
that was necessary to discharge it.
The logical conclusion to be derived from
the testimony of Marion and Semon is thai
Marion only took in his hand the revolver
at the invitation of WEIGH, who had himself
loaded and cooked it. Perhaps
THE REAL CAUSE
is to be attributed to defect in the weapon,
although no one will question the folly OF
leaving loaded revolver cooked even for g
few minutes. Marion says it went off sc
suddenly that he hardly realized that he
had it in his hand. According to DR.
Spring, who assisted at the autopsy, the
bullet passed nearly through the body OF
the deceased, entering between the fourth
and fifth ribs on the right side, passing
through the liver, striking the eleventh rit
on the left side and lodging just beneath
the skin. The body of deceased was last
aua,,inor tnl1ar To Madison Wis and To-