The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1886-11-18
MURDER OR ACCIDENT g?
WHICH WASTE LET THE GRAND
JURY SAY
Whether Pat O'Brien Fell Out Of the
Window or Was thrust Ont
by MurderOUs Hands.

Between hehours Of - and l -o'c'ock
Saturday night, NOVEMBER 9th, the
officers ON the beat that includ' Main
street between Adams and Washing
ton heard g'oaus proce eding from the
alley that di'id,s the square. On GO
ing to the epot whence they appeared
to emsnste, they found man bruised
and bleeding anu half unconscious.
His jaw was broken, his chin mashed
into a pulp, number of bis front
teeth gone and one Of bis legs broken.
They carried the unfortunate man 10
the Station House, where ply stefan
was summoned and his wounds a
tended 10. AS soon as be recovered
consciousness he stated that his name
was Pat O'BIiep, and that he had been
pitched out Of the window Of his own
room, distance of thirty feet He
gave the names OF two men, John"
and Charley" he called them, who
he said had pushed him ont of the
window. As sron as these facts were
ascertsined, Officer Scott returned to
the building where the wounded
man lived and arrested a
woman named Mrs. Sarah Tin.
dali, with whom the injured
man had been living in illicit inter-
course for period OF two or three
years. Two men, answering the
description given, were arrested, but
"a 30 evidence wss adduc' against
them, they and Mrs. Mndall were dis.
charged on Monday morning, Novem-
Der Sth, thirty-six hours after the &C.
currence. O'Brien was taken to the
home of his brother, corner of Main
aud Commerce, and tenderly cared
for. DR.. Hen1ing was in daily at
tendance, and did all that surgical
skill could do to alleviate his pain and
save his life, but it was ell to
no purpoee, aud Tuesday night he
died, and was buried yesterday. Dur
log The ten days of his suffrrir gs at
his brolher's house he had frequent
spells of consciousness, WIS in COM
plete posses sion of his faculties, and
persisted IN declaring that bis fall was
not accidental, but that he had been
precipitsted from the window by the
hands of "John" and Charley" This
statement was made not only
to DR.. HeDning, his attending
physician, but 10 his brother
ard the ladies OF the family
who ministeredto his wounds. By
some strange overs ght no attempt was
made to confront the dying man with
those he accused of the crime with the
view to their Identification. The fam
,lxx 1H khn AnnnoacA raonlrntalyy oi n.
tain that the deceased was murdered,
and in support OF that theory point to
the fact that while his chin and jaw
were mashed, his nose escaped with
out scratch. This, they say, indi-
Gates that he was beaten and kicked
into unconsciousuess before he was
launched on his fatal fall out Of the
window.
Lsie yesterday afternoon an APPEAL
reporter
VISITED THE PREMISES
where tn, tragedy occurred. The
house is numbered POI Main street
and the ground floor is occupied by
Scheibler & Co.'s hide and leather
store. On the second floor are num-
Der of rooms rented out 10 families.
One OF these was occupied by 0'Bfien
and Mrs. Tidal, their nearest neigh
Dor being one Mrs. Smith, who, in
company with her little girl, aged 10,
occupies the room adjoining where
the fatal window looks out upon the
alley. NJ 8. Smith is q tall ladr, thin
and scra wny, past the middle aga and
a glib tAlker. She readily acCeded to
request Tor an interview. She said:
81 knew Pat O'Biien very well; we
called him mike he lived next door
to me. On the night he
FELL OUT OF THE WINDOW
no. was drinking, and about $50
o'clock that evening Mrs. Tindall
came to my door and said; For
Gods sake let me in; Mike is beating
mel opened the door and let her
into my room and kept Mike out.
Mrs. Tindall was sick snd lad down,
and aft Mike had gone back to his
room l went out to visit my daughter,
leaving M 8. Tindall in my room. l
returned about IL O'Clock that night
and found her still there, and there
she remaintd until after midnight,
when an officer Knocked at the door
and told us that O'Brien had been
found in the alley. l suppose he must
have fallen while vomiting out OF the
window"
Mrs. Smith, on being questioned as
to Mrs. Tindsll's whereabouts, stated
that she had left the building, and
that she MRS. Smith) did not know
where Mrs. Tindall was.
AN INSPECTION OF THE WINDOW
by the reporter developed the fact
that the sill is about two feet from the
ground and unusually broad, and the
theory OF an accidental fall over 1t
did not strike him as likely to occur
even to drunken man. The next
place visited was the house OF the
dead mans brother. No information
was obtained there beyond the state
ment that deceased had persisted in
accusing John and Charley OF murder
ing him. One of the ladies about the
house intimated that she knew more,
out did not think the
TIME HAD COME TO SPEAK.
After diligent inquiry the discovery
was made that Mrs, Tindall lived at
No. Al Poplar street, house occupied
by Mrs. Danials. In response to the
reporters ring a frowsy looking,
drunken, slovenly woman opened the
door and led the way to a dimly
lighted apartment, whore Mrs. Tindall
soon made her appearance. She Is
tall, slim, and by no means an attract
i've looking woman, OF sallow COM
plexion, nigh on 10 so years Of sgey
and il is difficult to understand how
deceased, who had not yet reached
his thirtieth year, could have formed
q liaison with 30 old a woman. That
ehe has eeen better days Is
clear. There is nothing about her to
indicate either the criminal or the
wanton. Her story is a sad one. The
epidemic found her the inmate OF q
happy home, surrounded by 3 prom
iainR family. and comfortably sup.