Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-12-03
BUT IT WAS LOADED.
How Josephine Welsh Killed Waite,
Her Sweetheart.
HER STORY TOLD TO THE CORONER
James HOlanay Badly Injured by a Pitts
burg Traction Car.
A TRACKWALKER COMES TO GRIEF

The inquest upon the remains of Charles
J. Waite was held yesterday at West Eliza
beth, and was attended by a very large
gathering of the citizens, who were excited,
not alone on account of the strangeness of
the manner of his death, but with sympathy
for the young lady who was the unwilling
cause of his death. The case was fully ex-
planned in The DISPATCH on the day after
the unfortunate accident, and, in accordance
with the facts there set forth as corroborated
in the evidence, rendered the following YER
dict:
Charles ]. Waite aged 23 years, came to his
death at the residence of mrs. Catherine
Welsh, West Elizabeth borough, from internal
right breast and from all other evidence the
jury finds that said wound was received at the
hands of Josephine Welsh. The jury finds that
said shooting was an accident, and exonerates
Miss Welsh from all blame and responsibility.
MISS wELsH's TESTIMONY.
The testimony of the young lady who so
unfortunately caused the death of young
man just in the spring time of life, is prob
ably of interest. and by the courtesy of
Coroner Mcdowell is published. 1t reads
as follows:
Miss Josephine Walsh, sworE, lives at
Z ds
vember %, 1889, we were at home, Mr..
Waite, mother, George and myself. Mr..
Waite had an old-fashioned pocket book
which he was displaying. Mr.. McCoyan,
engineer on P. & c. R. B., was present.
There were some relics from England in the
pocket book. We looked all through it.
He then said: Come upstairs and will
show you my trunk He picked up the
lamp and started upstairs. followed. He
had the trunk ready to close. The revolver
was in the top part. He picked the
revolver mp and tried to run away. was
cold and would have gone down stairs, but
he took the revolver and sat down on my lap
and put tine revolver to my head, saying:
You be my wife or I'll kill you.' L don't
think he meant it. motioned him away,
and told him was afraid. He talked, and
1 told him of man killing his nephew
while cleaning a revolver, and said to
him: Charlie, what would you do if you
killed me like that?' He said: why, I
would kneel down and put the revolver to
my head and kill myself He handed the
revolver to me and told me to shoot it off.
took it and was afraid of it. 1 kept it at
arms length, and he told me several times
it was not loaded"
HOW THE TRAGEDY OCCURRED.
t'I then took the revolver and held it
down, and was afraid it might be discharged
and hurt some person downstairs, and 1
pointed it from me toward the empty side of
the house. The hammer went down, but
there was no discharge. He had handed me
the revolver with the hammer raised. There
was no load in it. He then said again, 1T
amt loaded That reassured me and I was
not so much afraid of it, but still kept it at
arms length. He said to me, This is
self-cocking; you raise the hammer and
watch barrel turn 1 know nothing of
firearms. did so, and he said, Shoot it
off, and it was discharged then. I did
not know it had shot him, as did not hear
the discharge. He looked at me and said,
'Oh, Joe. you've hit me, and started down
stairs. 1 ran downstairs and saw had shot
him. He was always fooling me, making
me believe he was hurt. did not believe
he was hurt, and laughed at him after shot
him. When we got to the top of the stairs
1 said, Charlie, are you hurt?' He did not
answer. He went on downstairs and tell on
the floor. There had been no trouble or i'll
feeling between us. We were always the
best of friends. cannot say what position
1 had the revolver in"