The morning call., 1890-08-08
RIDEOUT JUSTIFIED.
So Says a Coroner's Jury After
Hearing the Evidence.
Witnesses Examined at the Corouer's Inquest.
The Testimony Bears Out the Orig;-
nal Version Of the Killing.


urday night, by Walter Rideout. an ap
prentice employed at the City Iron Works
A number of iron molders were present
and manifested considerable interest in tn,
proceedings. The relatives of the deceased
and the Molders' Union were represented
by ex-Judge NJ. S. Koran. c. B. Darwin
appeared for the Foundrymen's Associa
ton, and FL. S. Dibble and j. N. E. Wilson
were there on behalf of young Rideout
DIR. John W. Heerdink was the first wit
ness. He was riding on the car in which
the tragedy occurred, and sat next to Sic
bert, when the trouble began.
He testified that he was not acquainted
with Rideout, and he did not know The
dead man.
- first knew of trouble" the witness said
when heard one man call another a =
-. The man who used the expression
then struck in the face the other, who was
next to me. There was a struggle. and as
arose to leave the car shot was fired
THE MEN SEPARATED.
The two men separated, and the one who
staggered as il he was shot walked out of
the car. l followed, and asked him if he
was shot, and he then fell in the street. He
was carried into a butcher-shop near by
and from thence to the Receiving Hospital.
L heard no other convers alton in talk except
the word --. Icould not say whether
the man who struck the other had been
sitting in the car or had just entered 1t. L
saw no pistol"
John w. Sweeney. who is the President of
the Pattern-makers' Union, testified that he
had known Siebert very we'll and had heard
OF Rideout. On the night of the shooting he
was at the molders' headquarters, on Second
street, and q telephone message was sent in
for President Valentine. 1t was to the
effect that molder named Louis Brown had
been shot, was at the Receiving Hospital,
and wanted to see Valentine.
AS Mr.. Valentine was not there, witness
went to the hospital and there saw Siebert.
Witness leaned over him. and the wounded
man said he recognized him. He then told
Sweeney that the people around were both
ering him with questions.
tie then told me-" said the with ess,
that lie got on the car at Powell street and
he and Rideout or Rhinehart, as he said,
recognized each other. He got beside Ride
out to talk with him and Rideout shook a
pistol in his pocket at him.
WHY He GAVE ANOTHER NAME.
'.As he feared harm, Siebert arose and
Rideout grappled with him, and the shot
was fired Yes, Siebert had his proper
senses about him when he told me this. He
also said he gave the name of Louis Brown
because he did not want his mother to hear
OF the trouble. He did not deny that he
was a moldsr."
Henry A. Horn was a passenger on the
car when the shooting occurred. % was at
the extreme end of the cal" he said, read
ing paper and paying no attention to who
was coming In or going out. The first thing
knew l heard the expression -7, and,
on looking up, saw one man strike another,
and then followed the report of pistol. |
got out of the car at once, and when |
lN..A& afY,ar -
holding his hands to his stomach.
II asked him If he was shot, and he said
yes. He then fell. did not see any scuf-
fling or hear any loud talking prior to the
affair which resulted in the shooting.
After we had carried the man into a
butcher,shop he was again asked who shot
him, and he said 'Quinn's brother-in-law.' :"
A. b. Eckstein, a special police officer,
followed as the next witness. He was rid
ing on the outside of the car, and at the
corner of Clay street heard an angry voice
inside, and looking in saw one man hit an
other. He entered the car as soon as pos
sible, and found the conductor graphing
with man for the possession OF a pistol:
Witness tried to assist the conductor, and
the pistol slipped into his hand.
HIS COAT WAS ON FIRE.
The witness asked the man who had the
pistol whom he had shot, and he replied
that it was molder. Eckstein then hur-
ried him 10 the police station, but on the
way down noticed that his prisoners coat
was on fire and extinguished it with his
hand.
w. Chappell, the conductor of the car,
testified that he had just passed through
the car collecting transfers, when he heard
scuff1ing and shot inside the car, and
hurrying in grappled with the man with the
pistol. Officer Eckstein then came up and
took the pistol.
John Dufton. the gripman Of the car,
heard the scuffling and some one on the
dummy remarked that there was q fight
going on in the car. The shot followed, and
looking in the car he saw q pistol in the
hands of man. Witness did not see either
Siebert or Rideout board the car.
William E. Oman was standing on the
southwest corner of Clay and Powell
streets on Saturday night, and as a car
came along he saw man In STOPPING p0-
sitlon inside wave an arm as If he struck
at something. In another moment shot
was fired and witness stepped inside gro
Gerry doorway. Siebert then came out of
the car and started to 60 down Clay street.
but fell before he had gone many steps.
Witness picked him up and carried him,
with the assistance of others, into butcher
shop. Seibert said lie had been shot by
Quinn's brOther-in-law. When asked the
cause he lost consciousness.
HE WAS A "GoNER."
William j. Siebert, brother of the de.
ceased, testified that he visited him In the
Receiving Hospital on Saturday night about
8 o'clock and found him in great agony.
Witness asked him how he felt and he re-
piled that he was 'goner." He asked
then II the man who shot him had any
cause to do so and Siebert answered mo,
no."
Coroner Eaton asked the attorneys If they
wanted RideOut to testify and they replied
that they did not.
The nnte-mortem statement made nv Sic
bert before his death and which was pub
lished last Sunday was then read. IL is as
follows:
Realizing that am aboet TO die make this
my statement. NY name Is Henry A, Siebert. :,
his pocket. He shot through his coat. said
nothing to him. He put Oh terrible look. He
| shot through his coat. L says "Don't shoot"
scuiiied with him to prevent his shooting. / was
never acquainted with him. / knew him by
sight and knew where he worked. have moth
Ing more to say.
| That is the man who shot me. / am positive
that Is the man. l think his name is Rideout or
Renhart.
DR.. NJ. B. Estes testified to the result Of
the autopsy made by him.
Special Officer John Gleason testified that
he was asked by Rideout at North Beach
Saturday evening to accompany him to the
cars, as he feared violence from some union
moders, who were hanging around the
place. He accompanied Rideout to the cal
at chestnut and Taylor streets. Iney saw
four men on corner, and as they ap.
preached one of them ran away. This man
was seen atteTward on Greenwich street
After RiCeout entered the car the witness
did not see him again that night.
ACTED IN sELF-DEFENsE.
This closed the testimony, and the jury
proceeded to deliberate upon the facts. In
half an hour the following verdict was rem
dered:
We. the jury, find that Henry A. Slrbert, de
ceased, age % years. native Of California. camt
TO his death In the City Receiving Hospital, CITY
and County OF San Francisco, August 2. ID
1890. from gunshot wound at the hands OF w
Rideout. and we further lind that the said Ride
out acted In selfdefense.
The jurors were as follows: F. w. Lipp.
man, James Wilson, III. II. Crane, j. l.. Ar
bogast. w. A. Schultz, Samuel Irving, j. A
Lukin.
Rideout's Case.
The examination OF Walter Rideout was
continued in the Police Court by Judge
LAWYER yesterday until to-day at 80 P. NJ
Property-owners at Pomona refuse to pay
the high insurance rates, as their city has
good water supply and the loss by fire has
m oil v1.NE e. Nlxrv.