The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1890-09-23
THE CHARLTON CASE.
me Foreman of the Jury and City
Marshal Publish Cards.

In yesterdays Argus, Mr.. George D. Lor-
Ing, foreman of the coroner's jury who ex-
amined into the Charlton case, published
this statement:
In the first place there was no evidence given
that the blow was caused by falling, or that ne re-
ceived Ii from a club. Fitzgerald says ne 1ounu
him at the foot Of cliff, near Summer street; but
this does not prove that he fell from the Top OF he
cliff, for the jury does not hesitate 70 say tnaI II
this man hao fallen from the Gill when ritzger-
aid speaks OF, he would have to fall some 10 feet
and strike on the railroad track, when, ~ tne
sn5 Of he s es i would at least
have broken the SIX ul; but as matter OF fact the
skin was not broken, but simply showed brulse.
Second, the jury believe that II the proper au-
tbOrities mad arrested the man when the coroner
requested them TO we should have had no trouble
in deciding how the blow was caused and also
who caused It; but he was not arrested, and we
believe he was on board of vessel In this port,
which was lying at Plaster Mills wharf ana
which remained there from Ia st Sunday night un-
last session Friday afternoon, and the man was Sa
not produced, but allowed to sail unmolesIeu'
consequently the jury could render no OF her 'ei-
dict than the one which they did.
GEORGE ID. LoRING,
Foreman of the Jury.
To this statement Marshal Green makes
answer as follows:
CITY MARsHALs OFFICE,
September %, 1890.
George d. Lorillg, Esq: FoTenl IN C0r01er's JurU
Dear Sir:-l notice in this mornings Argus that
the jury In the Charlton inquest say "that the au-
thorities would not arrest the person that they
were requested to do by the coroner" wish to
say In reply that Coroner Gould never made such
request or even intimated to myself or deputies
that there were any person or persons that should
De arrested and held In connection with Charl-
TONS death.
Eben N. Perry, Esq., constable and coroner,
Was called into the case to ASSIST GG f GCo o
GERS procure all the information possible IN Con-
nection with the case, which was done by our ON
GERS, as the police department were pound 10 do
In this or any other case.
MIR. Perry called Thursday and expressed him
self as satisfied with what had been done in the
case. We all have our theories as to how Charl
ton came TO his death; whether he was struck by
some unknown person, or fell over the ledge, or
whether he was struck by the ears. think the
latter theory is the most reasonable, and in this
statement am backed up by the coroner, Mr..
Gould. Imake this statement in justice to the
police department, and in answer TO the letter
from the coroner's jury, and signed by the chair.
man. WILLIAM ii, GREEN,
1t has been stated that Charlton was first
found and dragged across the railroad track
by Fitzgerald as early as 10 o'clock, and that
at u o'clock Mr.. Connell saw him. 1t has
also been alleged that the police, after Mr..
Sawyer had notified them at a. m. Sunday
of the mans whereabouts, dragged him, al
though he was evidently suffering great pain
all the way to the police station, and then
made him climb the stairs to a cell on the
second tier. 1t is further claimed that
Connell, before the coroner's jury
testified he saw a man, dressed in blue suit
come from the yard where Charlton was
found, with his coat covered with iron rust
and dirt, who was shipmate of Charlton's
and that Coroner Perry, speaking of the
case, said there was not the slightest doubt
but that there was foul play.
Marshal Green, in addition to the state
ment published over his signature, said
that if Fitzgerald found Charlton at 10
o'clock Saturday night, why didn't he notify
the station, or if Connell found him at u
o'clock why didn't he do the same thing
If either of them had done so, Charlton
would have been able perhaps to have given
some account of himself. he showed by the
police record, which is made up daily at the
station, that Officer McGrath pulled in for
the patrol wagon on Sunday morning, and
that instead of the injured man having to
walk to the station, writing in "agony,
he merely had to walk from the place where
he was found, behind the pile of lumber neal
the match factory, to the old railroad sta
tion on Commercial street, where the patrol
wagon met them.
Officer Massure, day turnkey, says he visit
ed the man seven or eight times during the
day in the station. The man. when brought
in, appeared like any other drunken man.
His appearance and manner were not half as
bad as exhibited by hundreds of men brought
to the station, and especially one the morn
ing previous, who was drunk and was all
right next day. He was placed in the Sec
ond tier of cells because all the first tier was
occupied. The man gave no signs of suffer
ing until about noon. when he sat up on his
bench and seemed to have sort of collie,
holding on to his abdomen. Mr.. Massure
then got him some jamaica ginger from Mr..
Ways store. Later, as the man appeared to
be still suffering, Massure notified the city
physician, who came and examined Charlton
and did not appear to consider him seriously
injured, but thought he had better be sent to
the Greedy Hospital, and that some resting
powders be given him. The man was taken
there and died the next morning, as previ-
ously reported.