The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-08-31
POST MORTEM AND INQUEST.
CHAPTER IN THE Will
LIAMS-OAkLEY CASE.

The Dead Ntgro's Body Examined ana the
ptstoI Rail Searched For. Hut Not
Found - verdict Rendered - Funeral
aMonday IN Jail.
Thomas williams. lately the Free-bridge
Waterman, will now have to answer the
grave charge Of murder. The accusation
in the Police Court against hm-mailcious-
" shooting John Oakley (colored)-wa
erased yesterday morning, and the follow
ing words were written IN their place;
.sIhomas Williams. on warrant, ala I'M
lawfully and feloniously, and of his malice
aforethought, Kill and murder one John
Oakley on the 9th day of August, 1871.
Early Yesterday morning, Justice Crutch-
field issued the above bench warrant Tor
Williams which was placed in of1cer W.
4. WilkinsOn's hands, who went down 10
the city iail about O'Clock yesterday morn
ing and brought the prisoner before court
Justice Crutch6eld said: "Mr. Williams,
Oakley is dead, and the charge against you
now is murder" He then told him that ms
case would - over until the resultOl lhe III
quest was learned.
MIR. Meredith. counsel for Williams, stated
that he intended taking Williams before
Judge Witt that morning ut ii o'clock ON a
writ of habear corpus for bail, Dut the
Judge was out Of the city and he was com
Delled 10 continue the case. justice trutcn-
field said that he had decided to give the
prisoner a hearing on the charge OF murder
next Wednesday.
POST-MORTEM.
Coroner 4. L. Leltwich, Of lIenrco
county, held an autopsy and inquest over
the body of the dead negro yesterday after
noon. AT 1881 Jay street. The inquest had
been set for noon. The-p0st mortem exam
nation was begun about D O'Clock, ana
lasted until :. DR.. Leftwich, assisted by
Oakley's physician, X. r. Tancil (colored },
probed for the ball about two hours with
Ruthless results. The abdomen was opened
and il was difficult 10 find the ball. Dr.
Leftwich finally succeeded in tracing IL 10
the spinal column, when he thought it best to
discontinue the search, since il would have
been necessary TO disarticulate the body.
The coroner said that he was pretty certain
that it had lodged in the spinal cord.
THE INQUEST.
At o'clock the inquest began in the par
lor of the house, which is just beyond the
city limits. The negro constable had only
one white witness present; the rest were
negroes. all of whom seemed eager to bring
ont every fact possible against Williams.
The white witness was Mr.. VI. \. Campbell,
who saw only the latter part OF the dill
Guilty. and could not testify that the negro
made an attack upon the bridge policeman,
as several of the other witnesses did in the
Police Court, Friday morning.
A NEW WITNESS.
There were six witnesses at the inquest,
all of whom testified at the examination on
application for bail last Friday except one
Sunday Harrison, negro, who says he
saw the fight. lie testified that he came up
lust as the difficulty began. When he first saw
the white man and John, as he called
them. they were "fighting fist light The
white man cursed John and JOhn said, who
are YOU talking to; The white man then
ran to the house and got stick and PTS
toll. and struck John several times.
John hit the white man with
short stick he had. The white man
then Shot and the ball scraped the top
of Johns head. which caused the cut he
had on the top Of his head. The blood be-
gan TO flow freely. The white man then
shot John again. and ne let his stick fall
and turned around towards Richmond.
The white man struck John first, ana iol-
lowed him up until he shot him."
The other witnesses were: DR.. Tancil.
Peter Wren. Jim White, Richard Parsons
(all colored), and Mr.. Campbell. all Of whom
testified in substance as they did in the Po-
lice Court last Friday, and their statements
were published in The TIMES.
THE VERDICT.
The Jury consisted Of three white men and
three colored Henry Boiling, X. Rruce
Evans. George W. Brown, l.. l.. Frussell,
W. &. singleton. and ). W. Hum
phreys. They rendered the following
verdict: We. the jury sworn 10
inquire into the death of John Oakley rs
to how. when. and by what means he came
to his death, do say that he died on the 18th
day Of August, $780, from the effects of
pistol wound in the hands Of Thomas Will
lams."
Oakley's funeral will take place Monday.
Williams is still in jail.