Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-12-31
GRIM DEATHS WORK.
Some Startling Facts Are Shown by
Coroner McDOwell's Report.
% MURDERS IN ONE YEAR.
Recommendations That Have Proved Safe
guards to the Living.
SUICIDES ARE ALSO ON THE INCREASE

Yesterday coroner Mcdowell nanueo oub
the report of his work for the past year to
the public. .
The number Of inqucsts held during the
year was 9S4, or an increase Of 219 over last
year. This does not alone mean that only
the cause of death in each case has been dis
| covered, but also that hundreds OF RECON-
! mendations have come down from the Cor
oner's office. These recommendations have
been safeguards to the lives of the people, so
that not only the dead, but the living have
been cared for.
Recommendations from the Coroner have
caused the appointment of watchmen in
nearly all the dangerous localities in the
city. Many measures have been brought
or will be brought to the notice of the Leg
isIature so that life in any part OF the State
will be surrounded with fewer dangers.
Among the recommendations are requests
for more strict laws regarding overhead
wires, grade crossings and fire escapes. A
public morgue for Allegheny county will
also be the subject of bill.
WAYS TO CUT DOWN EXPENSES.
A number of methods OF reducing ex-
that the Deputy Coroner should have a
fixed salary
OF the 9S4 deaths investigated % of them
were homicides, but this is not remarkable
in view of the fact that only one man has been
hanged for murder in Allegheny county in al
most eight years. The following list of in
quests on homicides is self-explauatory:
HARRY E. SMlTH-January g. 1890 from fract-
ured skull at the hands of f. j.. Jordcn5acher.
at planning MILL LacocS street. Alle@ @heny. In
qSest held January and 4. Held for murder
and gave bail on January6.
MARY ANN ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS "a, 1889, gum
shot wound at hands of Eggy Conroy. Alex.
kilain and Peter Griffin. Inquest January II;
kilain sentenced 10 hang November 81, 1890,
and Conroy and Griffin still ut large.
Lewis Wagner at Nc Nqlty Bros stable, Center
avenue. Inquest held January 81. June IS, SEN
fenced five years TO the peni. eutiary
INFANT o IT TAM hEKT--Febru3ry 70. strangled by
July !, sentenced one year 10 penitentiary.
ANNIE HAFER-March To- head crushed by Step
father Frank Gcrade, Shady and Allegheny. In
quest held March Is. November s, sentenced to
be hanged.
JOHN O'HARA-April g. grnshot wound at
| hands Of Ulysses wcems with Frank seymour
| William Johnston. William Harris and Charles
| Gancc aiding and abettinS said crime Inquest
held April &. All out on bail.
bar M tb ohio 1G ea nacS fG15d
! ANTONIO RUFFS&-March I6. Killed at stoop's
! Ferry by stone thrown by Peter Carin onia, with
Grace as accessories Inquest held April 2,
anu IL, July Casmohia sentenced seven years
leased.
MURDERED BY HER NEPHEW.
MARGARET DOUGLASS May Is, shot by her
nephew, Edward Myers at Mckeesport. In
quest held May l6 and II. Sentenced eight years
and four months to penitentlary.
MARGARET CONSELY-June T. shot by her
husband, Arthur Connely. at Boston street. In
hol1 .T1un am N p1nif .e1
slaughter and DISCHARGED by the Court Septem-
Der is.
mer at the hands of Frank o. Morrison, at Cas-
tie shannon. Inquest held June 10. Committed
by. the Coroner and released by the Court
CHARLEs RANsoN-June 10, shot by Laura
MeyerS at Douglass Station. Inqu st held j une
L. and 13. october is, sentenced Il Years to the
HENRY L. RALSToN-June 90, shot by Patrick
Narley at McKeesport Inquest held July and
| Narlev committed for court.
| GEORGE IL. SuERlFf-June 20 blow the
head at the hands of John Fitzpatrick at Oliver
q Roberts wire mill. July ; committed for
| court on charge of mansl ughter.
| EDWARD CI;A II ER-July9 Shot by an unknown
colorcd man on hill back of Twenty-eighth
SF%Sr FS lnGHsxsfa 9sS SRE found dead
| 2Ol5 Spring alley. Sadie Alexander was the
mother. ON october she was sentenced six
j. NJ. CAMPBELL-August 10. skull fractured
by John Paradein. on Aliftlin street. Committed
bv Coroner for manslaughter August 10.
DANIEL SULLlVAN-August 10, shot by
Richard Herndon. Held for manslaughtcr Au-
gust L. and discharged by the Court on Oc-
THOMAS DAILY-Septembe- %. fractured skull
at the hands of John Baer at Wylic avenue and
High street. sentenced December to one year
WILLIAM SrEWART-Scptember 2S shot by
Samuel Walker at Swissvalc. Inquest held
September 90. Sentenced five years and four
months to the penitentiary on November 3d.
! MICHAEL GuZOWSKY-October 4, shot by
Joseph Higgins on CHARTERS street, Allegheny:
John Moieki. Anthony Molicki, Levonus Le-
tonius, John Andreius and John Atchas. Access
SORES. Committed for cOur; on OctObcr6
JOHN BOTHWELL-October g. stabbed by Will
liam Finn at Evans alley, Allegheny. Held for
MARY BLANCH PERKINs-Scptember 30, death
caused by malpractice. r. l.. Hcalon held for
the crime October H. ....
GEORGE c. Nc oEkEN-May ]. shot by Edgar
Thompson. Held for manslaughter May {, and
discharged by the Court July 3, 1890.
RECORD OF THE SUICIDES.
Another remarkable feature of the report is
that 81 peIs assisted themselves out of the
world during the year. Reaching eternity by
means of banging is still the most popular
method, q victims having chusen that methcd.
Sixteen persons shook off life and earthly cares
to face the great beyond by means of varions
DoisonS. Twelve unfortnnates passed deaths
portals aided by rs many pistol balls. For
seven others the dark rivers swept away the
wall between life and death. Four passed from
the visible to the invisible by jumping out of
windows while only three persona cut their
throats and the ties that bound them 10 earth,
ard one poor woman ended existence in self
lighted flames.
Durint. the year railroads claim $50 victims:
passenger and traction road accidents, IS: acci-
| dental drowning. IS; accidental shooting, 5;
| poison taken by mistake, Z: burns and scalds
| 81 death from horse fires. Z; boiler explosion
2; hot kettle explosion 2: crushed in mInes I6 /;
in mills, 49, in cranes. 2: in elevators. 5; in build
| ings, 3: III quarrIes and clay banks, Sin Giches
| A. and in stacks, .; caught in belt Of machinery,
3 falls from buildings, etc, 30: falls from or
| rim over by wagons IL; SutfocatIon, 9; aSnhYN-
iation and strangulatioD. 10; falls of iron wood.
ETC.. 8; bridge accidents. o; furnace explosions,
| l: dynamite and powder explosions. Z; electric
| shock, .; extrem heat and sunstroke, y: alco-
holism O;lighUning. 1; from diseases of various
| kinds. 205, of which 103 cases were from heart
| troubles.
The record by manths is as follows: January,
SO: February, 45: March, 6O: APRIL 80: May, 81;
June, lis: July. 81; August, ITO; September, 50;
October, 80; \ November, n; December, 1S.
STEADY INCREASE IN THE WORK.
The records show steady increase in the
work OF the Coroners Office. From 1880 to 1883
inclusive, when Major Hope was Coroner,
there were l.49S inQuests; from 1855 to 1857,
when Coroner Dressler and Coroner Pattison
were in office. the lnquests numbered 2U94; in
| 1857 to 1890 inclusive. under Coroner Mcdowell.
| there have been 327 inquests
Coroner Mcdowell says in tho report: 'In
| submitting the above report the Coroner feels
| the imperative necessity of adding few sug-
gestions, prompted by the numerous inquiries
| from all sources as to the cause Of the number
| of violent deaths in this community. Before
| referring to those causes word might be added
! as to the cause of the increase of expenses In
| this department, despite the fact that every
] effort has been made to decrease the expenses
| of the Coroners Office and at the same time to
| keep abreast of the times. The great increase
| of official business has neeesstated a greater
seem to be needed. But TO offset
this the new system of juries