Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1890-02-25
THE INQUEST.
Thomas Thornton Came to HIS Death
from Hsmorrhage of the Brain.

Thomas Thornton Came To MS Deh'h
from Hsmorrhage of the Brain.
Coroner Boyd, of Bellsire, yesterday
held an irquest over the remains OF
tt omas Thornton, the details Of whose
psculiar death at West Wheeling,
Saturday night, have been fully
chronicled. The Inquest began about 8
o'clock and a number of witnesses were
examined. Drs. Cook, Heinlein and
Fisher had made post mortem examina-
ton of the remains Sunday morning, com.
mencipg about one O'Clock, perhaps six
hours after Thornton died. Their state
ment was to the effect that the
liver and kidneys we're found to be
in normal condition, the lungs
were also in a normal condition aside from
a slight congestion. The heart was found
to be of normal size and the valyular struc-
ture healthy, but the muscles we're soft
ard fabby and the fingers could easily be
pushed through them.
The brain YVES examined and number
OF clOts Of blood were found in the convO-
lutions of the brain. Several heavy clo.s
we're found in the cerebellum, or base of
the brain, and 10 the judgment of the ply
sicians death wac caused by the rupture Of
a blood vessel, causing hemorrhsee OF the
brain, which was the cause OF Thornton's
death.
Asto what caused the hemorhage Of the
brain the physicians did not say, as it is
possible and p Obable that death might
result from such canse 10 man VINO is
in the habit Of drinking TO excess, aud they
could not say whether it was the result
of blow or not. Their statement also
set forth that they had found a confusion
on the left cheek bone, ss il blow had
been struck, but that was the only evil
dence OF bodily irj1ry they had been able
to discover, except a small scratch ON the
right cheek.
Hugh McCAuley, the man who was in
the room with Lse and Thornton at the
time the trouble occurred testified that the
two men got TO talking about girl who
brought coal up to the room, and that Lee
showed ThOrnton scross the room onto the
bed, aud struck him two or three times;
that Tnornton did not touch Lse at all,
bat only teased him.
Mrs. S.lby, who keeps the boarding
house. said she wac in the kitchen, 0nc
hadn't heard any noise, when little girl
came in ard said there was fight. S1e
thought il was in the street and paid no
attention. Some one else told her they
we're fighting upstairs, and che went up.
She went into the room and Lee was lying
quietly on his Ted. McCauiey Was sit
ting on chair, leaning against the
msntel, smoking, while Thornton was
sitting on a chair leaning his head on the
pillow Of his bed. She asked what vas
the matter and Lee said he bad hit Thorn
ton in tbs mouth, and che said ne oughtn't
to have hit him. Thornton was breathing
hard at the time, but she had heard him
breathe in the same msnGer while he wGs
lying on sofa in the house during the
afternoon, and che thought nothing strange
of it, thinking that he was ia drunken
stupOr. She went down stairs and pes
emily some one came down and told her
that Thornton was dead.
Several other witnesses teatiGed that
they hsd seen Thornton drunk during the
day, one man stating tat he had seen him
fall in the gutter. Afser the evidence was
all in the Coroner pronounced verdict OF
death from ham0rrhnes of the brHin.
The remains Of Thornton were yesterday
taken 20 the home OF Michael Feepey, at
Bellsire, to whom he mad iOaned some
SO, 600. and yesterday afternoon they were
inferred in the Catholic cemetery.
Lee still remains in the Bridgeport M,
and he will probably be given a prelimi'
nary hearing this afternoon.