Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-03-12
THE TAULBEE TRAGEDY.


THE TAULBEE TRAGEDY.
Doctors and Jurors investigating the
Homicide.
BASE OF THE BRAIN-DHArH DUE TO An
ABscEss-rHE coRoSER's INQUEST At THE
SIXTH rREcIscr STATION.
| In little room in the rear Of Zurhorst's
undertaking establishment ON Pennsylvania
avenue southeast is the corpse of William Pres
ton Taulbee, who died yesterday morning from
the effects Of pistol wound inflicted by Chas.
E Kincaid twelve days ago. Around the
stifened form OF the ex-Congressman were
| more doctors than the room could with COM
fort contain The autopsy was to have COM
menced at 1880, but nothing could be done at
that time because Heath Officer Townshend
who was to act AZ coroner, had not put in an
appearance. Outside Of the house the Jury
stood, summing itself and waiting with more or
less patience or impotence for the proceedings
to commence. In the front room, illuminated
only by single gas jet and the few faint
| streaks OF subdued sunshine that peeped
through cracks between the window shades
| and the sashes, was black cloth-covered
|
| cupy it
| just before II O'Clock Chief Clerk McGinn
OF the health Office came in and notified DR.. D.
SLamb, who was to conduct the autopsy, to 60
ahead. DR.. Lamb said he could not proceed
| until the jury had viewed the body. Lieut..
Kelly solved the difficulty by calling the jurors
into the central room. They answered to their
names as follows: VIM. A. Peacock, Mark
| uoU Alaxonlo, n Tol,, u,,v,k
JAS. Ferry and Clifford U. Smith. Together
they held on to a copy of the Scriptures which
Mr.. McGinn had brought with him for the oc-
casion, and when he had finished reading the
oath they consecutively kissed the boo
William A. Peacock Is a livery stable keeps
on New Jersey avenue near d street. He u
familiar with the duties of juror. Mark Ha f.
kins is young man who was at one time EN-
ployed as manager Of George Holmes hotel
He is a mechanic and has served on several
coroner's juries. Clifford U. Smith is q we'll
| known citizen, being brother Of Thos. w.
| Smith, the lumber dealer. James Ferry 10 .
grocer and saloon keeper at the corner of New
| Jersey avenue and street John B. Hunt is a
| master painter in business on Louisiana ave-
nue.. Alexander C. Lambert is q grocer at the
corner of ID and LIST streets.
THE AUTOPSY.
By the time the ceremony of swearing the
| jury was concluded there were many additions
to the force of physicians in the little rear
room and the autopsy was about to commence
when DIR. Townshend arrived, almost stimuli
| taneously with Surgeon General Jno. B. Ham
] ilton. Others Of the medical profession in the
room were DR.. D. $. Lamb, DIR. J. W. Bayne,
| Dr. L. l.. Friedrich, DIR. Ober Hickling, DR..
Wurtmann of the army medical museum, Dr.
Ewing, U.S.A., and DR.. H. L. L. johnson. Dr.
Lamb OF the army medical museum, who had
| the distinction of performing the same service
when President Garfield died and also when
| Guiteau persisted on the scafold, handled the
| surgeons knife in making the autopsy this
morning.
| CHANGE OF PROGRAM.
! The limited accommodations at Zurhorst's
were hardly equal to the occasion. SO it was de-
cided to hold the inquest at the sixth precinct
station. Thither the jury, the witnesses and
MIR. Z. Maurice Smith, Kincard's counsel re-
paired, and when they got there they waited
while DIR. Townshend mingled with the crowd
| OF gentlemen surgically inclined and followed
the course Of the fatal bullet as exposed by the
| operators knife. As noon approached the jury
\ became restless, and at least one Of them went
| out to get "a bite of somethin' to eat" One of
the selected half dozen who were sworn to
render verdict according to the testimony-a
man without the fear of the health officer be-
! fore his eyes-innocentiy and playfully re-
| marked that he wished the temporary coroner
was more OF a coroner and less of doctor;
then the hearing OF testimony would not have
been delayed
POSTPONED TO THREE O'CLOCK.
Precisely at IL o'clock DR.. Townshend ar
| rived at the station house and hurredly an
| nounced to the waiting crowd that the doctors
| could not compile the autopsy in timo to tes-
| tify for more than two hours. He therefore
| dismissed the jury and excused the witnesses
until O'Clock and returned to see the remain
der OF the autopsy
THE WITNESSES.
Seven witnesses were summoned by the DO
| lice to attend the inquest. Besides their evil
| dence there would be the testimony of the
physicians The principal witness was ex- Door
Keeper Sam Donelson who was walking down
| the stairway with Mr.. Taulbee at the Capitol
when the latter was shot. Since that event Mr.
| Donelsons lips have been sealed regarding
| the event, he having stated that he would givo
| his statement when asked before the proper
! tribunal. His story will be told today before
the coroners jury. The other witnesses sum-
moneo, ana who we're waiting at the station
| mouse when the inquest was postponed, were
Lieut. j. W. Jones and Officer S.P Mast of the
Capitol police force; Charles Christian, John
Hunt, carpenter of the House of Representa-
| tlyes; u. II. Shriver and John Daniels
| The witnesses are those who were present
| at the time or Immediately after the shooting.
| There was talk OF a boy who was on the stair
way at the time and who saw the shooting
| Lieut. Kelly discovered last night that this was
probably young man named John Daniels,
| and he had Daniels summoned as witness
| DANIELS STORY.
Daniels, when interviewed by q STAR re-
porter, said he was coming down the steps
| when the shot was fired. The shot was fred
below him, beyond the turn In the stairs, and
he did not see it fired. He waited moment
| in alarm and then proceeded down stairs. By
| the time he saw the parties engaged in the
atray they were in the corridor at
the foot of the stairs. Mr. Kin
caid stood with pistol in his hand
uplifted and pointed as if he were about to fire
| or had just fired the weapon, and Mr.. Tauibee
| had his hand to his head and was walking away
and tottering as if about to fall. There was
another man Daniels saw, supposed to be Mr.
| Donelson. He said he saw on the steps, also, a
colored man who had disappeared when he got
| to the bottom Of the steps. While Kincaid was
| standing with the pistol an officer came and
| asked who fired that shot. Kincaid said II did
IT." Then others came and both Kincaid and
| the wounded man we're removed.
THE TESTIMONY
The testimony at the inquest will probably
| not go beyond the facts Immediately connected
with the act of shooting and the cause of death.
1t is not likely that the question of motive or
| any OF the matters pertaining to the defense
will be entered upon, as the coroner's Jury has
only to find the probable cause.
1t is said that when the case comes to trial
in court self-defense will be the plea made in
behalf Of Mr.. Kincaid. 1t is said that testi-