The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-07-11
MATRICIDE HIS crime.
The Coroner's Jury Decides
That Herman Pr0bSt
Killed His
Mother.
HIS SUICIDAL ATTEMPT.
Testimony That He Shot Himself
While the Doors Of His Room
We're Being Forced.

That the excitement over the tragedy in
which Herman Probst, the young mat
ricide, figured on July 8, has not entirely
died out in the Fourth district, is attested
by the number of residents who loitered
in the vicinity of Coroner Brackner's
Office last night awaiting verdict of the
jury empanelled to investigate the death
of Mrs Probst.
The testimony was substantially the
same as already published, and, though
several hours were consumed in the hear
ing, the jury rendered verdict in less
than three minutes after the last witness
was examined.
The witnesses were Mr.. and Mrs Charles
Meisel, who occupied the first two floors Of
the tenement in which the tragedy oc-
Cured; Mrs Bechtol, Mrs. Probst's
friend, who resides few doors away
from the house; Captain James McNulty,
Policeman Mcdonald. DR.. Converse, DR..
Henry, and Charles Rudinger, of whom
Probst purchased liquor the night before
the deed was committed.
The jury was:-Daniel II. Cagney. fore
man; George Smith, Lewis Robbins,
John Brewer, Henry Korbel, Jr., Emil
Engelman, +. Gluck, Christopher Schoff,
John Dunn, Henry Spellmeyer, Leonard
Rauch and Mr.. Shoenfeldt.
The verdict was:-s'We, the jury EN-
panelled for the inquest on the body Of
Mrs. Probst, do find that the said Mrs.
Probst came to her death from pistol
shot wounds, said shots fired by her son,
one Herman Probst."
Mrs. Bechtol was the first witness. She
testified that she had known Herman
Probst for some years. He was a nice
young man, and was good to his mother.
On the morning of the tragedy she was
told by Mrs. Meisel, about eight o'clock,
that shooting had been heard in the
Probst apartments, followed by noise
like the falling of stove. She climbed
the steps leading to the rooms occupied
by the Probst people, knocked at the
doors, which were bolted, and received no
answer. At half-past twelve p, M, she
intimated to Mrs. Meisel that she should
look into the matter.
THE MEIsELs' STORY.
Mrs Meisel's testimony was significant
principally from the fact that she had
noticed Probst's irrational conduct at
times. She had once heard Probst scold-
ing his mother because she could not do
| the work of the household, but she had
| not heard him threaten her.
| Mr.. Meisel told the jury that he was in
| his shop about half-past six o'clock on the
morning of the murder. He heard a
pistol shot, and, going to the back yard,
| he asked man at work there who fired
| He was told that it was Probst.
| He went back to his store. Between
seven and eight o'clock his little girl came
down stairs and told him that Herman
| Probst had shot through the floor over the
| bed room Told Mrs. Bechtol, who went
upstairs and knocked at the door, but did
| not hear anything; nobody was in. After
! telling his wife that If she did not hear
anything nor see anything soon she should
send word to the station house, he ate his
dinner and went of to the slaughter house.
| Meisel had never heard any qHarrels
between the Probsts.
| PRoBsT's SUICIDAL SHOT.
Captain McNulty described his visit to
| the house with Policeman Mcdonald.
! They first burst the door of the front hall
room and found it vacant. Then they
| went to the rear bedroom. AS they We're
| forcing that door they heard something
like a pistol shot. Then they went in.
The smell of the recent shot was still in
the air. The witness described the find
ing of the body of Mrs. Probst, his own
return to headquarters, and the summon
| ing of the doctors.
When DR.. Converse came he said that
| the wound in Probst's head was recent,
| thus explaining the shot heard as the
| were DGlLS lOlCCQ. 4u1 %. L AObSp AAtlS-
| evidently been dead some hours. From
an examination of the two revolve.s in
| the room it was evident that eight shots
| had been fired.
DIR. Converse described the wounds upon
Mrs. Probst's head One bullet had
passed entirely through and another was
fmbedded in the brain. The post mortem
examination showed that the woman had
been in o reasonably healthy condition.
There was no doubt that her death was
caused by the bullet wounds alone
DR.. henry gave some corroborative
testimony.
Policeman Mcdonald described the dis
covery of the two pistols on the bed with
Probst. One was still warm from dis
| charge. The condition of doors and Win
dows was such as to preclude the
| possibility of any other persons than
Probst and his mother being concerned ID
the tragedy.
Charles Rudinger who tends bar in a
saloon near by, testified that he sold the
bottle of whisky to Probst which was
found near him.
PRoBsT GETTING WORSE.
Young Probst is reported by the City
| Hospital authorities as worse this morn
ing Since his admission week ago, he
has lain quiet, never speaking 20 any one
unless he wished something. Not single
word has he yet uttered in regard to his
fearful crime, and unless something is got
out of him very soon the cause, or causes,
that led to the commission of the fatal
deed viii never be known.
DR.. Faison, who is attending the case
said this morning that change for the
worse has set in since yesterday
The patient is weaker and he has not
heard him speak since yesterday, The
doctor is of the opinion that he is steadily
growing weaker, which he seems TO think
will soon end the matter. He says that
there is a slight chance of recovery, but
he does not think it worth much.
Another gentleman connected with tne
hospital said that he does not think thai
he will last more than few days.