Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1890-08-29
DEATH WAS ACCIDENTAL.
THE coRoNER's JURY ExoNER-
ATEs MCKEE FROM ALL BLAME.

Him-The Jury Only Delibsrates About
an Hour-A Husbands Grief.
The Mckee jury reassembled at ? 40
o'clock yesterday afternoon to hear evil
| dence in relation to the manner in which
| Mrs. Mckee came to her death.
George II. Leech, who lives about one
quarter of mile from the scene of the
accident on the new ROAD, east of the
bridge. said
81 was sitting on the porch of my
house, which is about one-quarter OF a
mile from the bridge on the Wilmington
side. MY attention was attracted by
cries My children were out of the house
at the time and as the cries came from
down towards the stream, | told my
boy to go and see If anything was the
matter with them. Just at that time |
heard horse coming up the road at a
rapid gait and thinking | would see a
good piece of trotting | watched for the
approaching team. The team came up
the road and the bows who were driving
it excitedly told me that woman was
killed, NV son and / went down towards
the stream and | found Mr.. Hall and
several others there besides Mr. Mckee
| asked Mr.. Mckee who was hurt. He said
it was his wife, and he thought she
was killed. We went to work aud tried
to revive her and | sent my boy home for
sheet Mr.. Mckee was somewhat ex.
cited and told me she was kicked and then
he was kicked | did not hear shy noise
of runaway, but heard two or three
screams / did not hear a wagon cross
either of those bridges and would prob.
ably have heard a runaway, as | am gen
orally attracted by any unusual noise
down by the bridge"
D.. Willard Springer was next called
and said: Il was called on sometime
after o'clock at night and told that q
woman had been thrown out of carri-
age and probably killed. got on Will
sons ambulance and rode out to where
the accident occurred. The body was
lying on the bank with a sheet over it.
pulled down the sheet and saw that
she was dead. Such being the case
made no examination of her wounds. but
did notice that she had wound on the
top of her head We placed her in the
ambulance and when we arrived In the
city helped carry her into the house.
That is all know about the mat ter
Thomas Leech, son of George II
Leech who had previously testified,
was placed on the stand He
is about II years old, and substautiated
his fathers statement in every particu.
lar He said:
Il had just come out of the dining room
to the porch where father was sitting
when he told me he had heard screams
J down by the stream, and that had bet
ter go down there and see if anything
was the matter with the children.
started TO obey, when the boys drove up
! in a carriage and said that a lady was
killed and q man almost killed Father
told me to 60 for a carriage and a sheet
} but Mr.. Mckee told me to get
! the ambulance and not car.
riage. He was very much excited and
was walking in the road moaning and
crying When the boys came back from
town | got into Mr.. Mckee's team as il
, passed our house and drove down to the
bridge. / did not know it was his team
al the time. The horse drove all righf
! aud did not try to run away. ! noticed
! that the dashboard of the carriage wa
! bent outward, but did not see any other
Z damage it had sustained =
Tax Collector John J. Dougherty
said he knew nothing whatever of the
! accident. Mrs. Mckee dropped into the
: tax office early that evening and saiy
l that her son Charles was outside with
the team and she thought she would hav,
him to drive her home. The team wa!
there for the purpose of carrying som,
: books from Que office to another. Mr.
Mckee told her he wanted to use thu
team for that purpose and then she said
: she wanted to go out riding that evening
and asked her husband to TAX
her. He said he could not a
Z he had an important meeting tc
!. attend. Mr.. Dougherty said; Il toll
= him he might go; that | would attend
!, the office for hiln and he would hsv
= time when he came back. So he vert
= saw him afterwards and never saw
: man in a worse condition. he was Gu
3 and bruised and there was the print o
) the carriage wheel across the sid
) of his head where he ha
! been run over. / know nothing &
|, his social life. as we were thrown bu
= very little together outside the office bu
!, / saw no indication of any unpleasant
ness between them in the Office that ever
: ing in fact, it was quite the revers
Neitl er did he act strangely as a N a
/. would who was premeditating any thin
. of the kind
y Dr. R. q. Jones, who lives on Dels
ware avenue, this city testified that 0
ii the night Of the accident Mr.. McKt
/, came to his house in quest of DR.. G
: Lawton. He seemed to be very muc
Il excited and in great grief and upo
n being asked what was the matter wit
= him replied Gamma is dead /" Ir. Jon,
:. told him he was talking nonsense, bI
- he assured him it was 50 and then D
- Lawton came up and Mr.. Mckee said
n him: Anna is dead The horl
II ran away and threw her out. My Goo
= this is bad business. and | had bette
!, never have taken thai drive. The
" went with him to the house and examine
~ her. Funeral Director Wilson said h,
~ neck was broken. They stripped her
- the waist and found no finger mari
- upon either the throat or the body. The
~ questioned Mr.. Mckee as to the mann'
ii of her death and he said the horse "a
Al away while she was driving and she fe
~ out he didn't know Just when or ju
~ how, but he thought as the carrial
struck the bridge. Mr. Mckee was in bi
M shape when they saw him at the hou
~ and was cut on the head, face and lie
- His clothing was also soiled, and he a.
pearsd in great distress.
NJ M. Clever, who was next calle
ell could testify to nothing but that he HI
d. been behind the horse and considered
nv fractions one, in fact unsafe, and
ut horse be wouldn't care to drive. Ere
as erick Kienle, butcher in the Secol
Ter street market. this city, said that I
Ter first thing he knew of it was about TO-
i've o'clock that night. He was summon
IL and went to tine house Of Mr.. Mch'