The morning call., 1891-09-16
A CASE MADE OUT.
II. 3. Curtis Charged With MUIR
der by the COroner's Jury.
The Nippers Found on The Accused Identified
as Those of Grant-Every Link but
One Complete.

More than dozen witnesses were in at
tendance at the CorOner's office at $50
O'clock yesterday afternoon when the IN
Quest was resumed in the case OF Police Ot-
fcer Alexander Grant who was killed on
Friday night.
Actor Maurice B, Strellinger, alias Curtis,
who is accused of the homicide, did not take
advantage of his legal right to be present.
but preferred TO remain in the tanks or
to restlessly pace up and down the gloomy
lower corridors OF the City Prison. A score
of policemen and detectives headed by Cap
tain Lees helped TO swell the crowd of spec
tators and witnesses in the old Morgue build
ing,
Captain Lees sat directly behind Coroner
Garwood and posted him in the examination
of witnesses. Assistant District Attorney
Hosmer was in attendance in the interests
of the prosecution. but took no active
part in the proceedings. Two sten0graph-
ers jotted down the teStim ony, one for the
Coroner and the other for Curtis attOrneya.
who were absent
When the twelve jurors had all answered
to their names, j. Herman Schulthuis OF 622
Jersey street, machinist and engineer,
WAS GHlltQs Ilo WAS ohUhh hAAV H'PpNAS
removed from Curtis right wrist after ar
rest, and said that he recognized them. he
lad known Officer Grant, and once repaired
the nippers for him. The steel bracelets
were identified by their peculiar spring.
GRANT WAS WITH A PRISONER.
Through Interpreter Glover a Spanish
peddler uf tamales named Augustine Mar
coval deposed that he had been acquainted
with Grant and was on speaking terms with
him. "Be was a good man" volunteered
the witness.
when did you see Officer Grant lasts''
asked the Coroner.
''On the night he took in that man aud
lost his life. I think it was early in the
morning on the 18th inst At the time saw
him | was standing by the boOtblack-stand
at the northeast corner of Sixth and Folsom
streets. just as l looked around | saw
Grant taking the man by. Itwas then 10 or
10 minutes after u o'clock"
"Who was with Officer Grant at that
time?"
"a man that was going with him. 1 can't
give a description of the prisoner. The
officer was next to the houses and had the
prisoner by the right hand. l saw them
coming along Sixth street until they turned
into Folsom, and as they passed by L
started of. Officer and prisoner were talk
ing together. 1 cannot say whether the
prisoner was under the influence Of liquor
OF how he was dressed. because l only
looked at the officer. did not hear the
shots because l went home as soon as they
passed"
Police Surgeon r. E. Williams, who made
the autopsy, testified that there was gun
shot wound of the brain, and the bullet en-
4t,. h, hail n,rra- gufta ,,aH
and distorted, and piece was found just
inside the wound of entrance. There was
an abrasion over the right eye and another
on the right check. Tho wound was in-
flieted by a S8-caliber bullet, and the pistol
was held from u to II inches from the fore-
head.
NO ONE ELSE WAS THERE.
There was a buzz of expectancy when
Mrs. Annie johnson of 846 Folsom street
was called as a witness. The investigating
officers expected that she would give some
important testimony, and they were not
disappointed. Her residence is directly op-
posite the scene Of the homicide. In answer
10 questions she said:
Il was awake early on the morning OF the
11th inst, as | was sitting up attending to
SICK child. About 1910 o'clock l heard
noise outside which sounded like two people
quaTreling. | raised my window 10 see what
was the trouble. Two men were standing
on the opposite side of the street, and one
of them said TWO or three times, Come,
come along, now Then / heard pistol
shot, saw a flash and then heard two more
shots. There was only an interval OF a see
ond between the shots. Then l saw man
stagger and fall on his face. | can only de-
scribe the men by saying that one was taller
ami stOuter than the other. After the shoot
ing the smaller man ran toward Fifth
street I could see no one else on the street
al the time.
some officers ran out from the Southern
Police Station, a few yards away. and one
of them stumbled over the body. Soon after
the officers returned with man, who looked
very much like the one who ran away.
From his dress and appearance he seemed to
be the same man."
THEY DID NOT SEPARATE.
In answer to further questions the witness.
said: Before the shooting there was just
a little scutfling. The men were very close
together when the first shot was fired. They
did not separate, and after the first shot the
taller man staggered as though to lean up
against the fence. At the time of the shoot
ing my husband was in the room with me
and asleep"
Do you think you could recognize the
man who ran away if YOU saw him now?"
Il don't know that / could. He was
smaller man tnan the officer"
Mrs. Jennie Holder, who lives at S5S Fol-
som street, opposite the Southern Station,
also witnessed the shooting On Thursday
night friends remained late at her house
and that is why she was up after midnight.
Il heard three Shots" she testified,
'abOut 1920 o'clock. Before that | heard
an alteration in the street Two men were
scUhiIRg, and one seemed to be trying to get
away from the other. The smaller man was
On the outside and the stouter man was
near the fence. The smaller man was
dressed in dark clothes and had dark hat
! heard them both disputlng, and after the
shooting the smaller man ran toward Fifth
street.
II saw the smaller man returned by the
officers, and he seemed to be the same man
who ran away. | think that if they caught
the man who ran away from the scene of
the shooting they caught the shooter. The
man ran swiftly and did not appear to be
drunk. My attention was first attracted to
the men by their pulling at each other.
They were going toward the police station.
AT first l thought they were Two drunken
men"
ONE OF THE TWO RAN AWAY.
Miss Mamie Holder cOrrObOrated her
mothers story, as she was looking out OF
the window with her at the time of the
shooting She also gave some additional
details.
81 saw a fash" said she, land then
heard three shots in rapid succession The
second shot struck the ground and the third
and ran toward Fifth street. The man who
was shot stood next to the fence, and the
man who did the shooting stood sideways to
me, facing the station. The stout man fell
after the first shot. Then who ran away
wore dark clothes and was smaller than the
one shot. Besides the two men saw no
one else on that side OF the street. The
street was well lighted at the time and l
could have seen any other men had they
been there"
George c. Renz, a eompositor On morn
ing paper. testified that be was walking up
Fifth street, near Folsom, between II 10 and
1890 o'clock, on the morning OF the l1th
inst, when he heard three pistol shots fired
in rapid succession.
About the middle of the block" he con-
tinued, heard some one running toward
me, and stepped out into the street to give
him wide berth. The man had long
dark coat, and seemed TO be running with
considerable difficulty. He seemed to be
drunk. Following behind him was a crowd
of men attracted by the shooting l saw
the man turn into Shipley street, and soon
after two men returned with him. l heard
one officer ask, Have You got him? and
another officer said. Yes; why. he's got the
nippers on him now At the Southern Sta
sfrp I % W ba nria lHurffsA na saan,al