Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1891-09-22
COOLING, THE uxoalclpe.
Coroner Sparks Holds Howard Cooling
Tor killing His wife.

his wife, LenA ~ COOLING. a nome Is
broken up, and two small children are
left worse than orphans.
Last evening the coroner's jury met at
the office of Coroner Sparks, on Front
street. At 80 o'clock they went to the.
scene of the tragedy on Walnut street,
viewed the body, and were sworn.
George Mccall was elected foreman aud
George Carter of the EVENING JOURNAL,
Was chosen secretary.
From the house the jury proceeded to
the City Hall, where the inquest was
held. Long before the jury reached the
court room almost every available spot
outside the railing was occupied by
persons who were filled with morbid
curiosity to hear the details Of the kill
ing. The jury had some difficulty to
force its way through the crowd.
Foreman Mccall called the meeting TO
order and Coroner Sparks called the
witnesses
DR.. Josephine M r. White was the
first witness called. Her testimony was
substantially the same as that printed in
yesterdays EVENING JOURNAL She
found Mrs Cooling dead on the lounge
when she arrived, and Cooling told her
he had struck her with a mustard
bottle.
DIR. w. g Winner testified that he
was called in by DR. White and zorro
borated her story as far as death was
concerned, and said there were blue
marks on her neck.
Thinks the Fall Killed Her.
Coroneris Physician j. r. Smith. who
with DR.. John Fahey, held the post
norton yesterday and found the
vertebra. dislocated at the base of the
skull, told the jury that he did not be-
lieve the blow could have caused the
dislocation, and further than that, he
said that it was his belief that her death
was due to the fall He failed to fad any
marks on her neck TO show that she had
been choked
What the Downing Family saw.
Benjamin J. Downing, who lives two
doors below the Cooling residence. took
the stand. He said that he and his son
and daughter went to church Sunday
evening When they returned they
heard little girl crying bitterly. he
went to see what the matter was. Just
as he resched Cooiing's steps, the muir
derous husband rushed out aud asked
Downing to come in, saying that his
wife had fallen in an epileptic IT He
said he would 60 for doctor. Downing
found MIS- Cooling on the lounge her
pulse wss beating, but the pulsations
were quisk and faint They ceased be-
fore Cooling returned with the doctor
He did not think that Cooling was so
drunk that he did not know what he was
doing He denied the statement that
Cooling asked him what he should do
and that he advised him to give himself
up He went with Cooling to the
station. Downing did not know who
put Mrs. Cooling on the lounge. BE did
not
The testimony OF Miss Cora B. Down.
ing and Harry Downing did not sdduce
any material facts further than that
| Cooling was able to run for doctor He
did not hear Cooling say anything about
suicide
The EIotherless Boy on the Stand.
When Coroner Sparks called Leslie
/ Cooling every eye in the room was
strained to see the son Of the murdered
woman. He Is manly intelligent LITTLE
fellow, with light hair and dark eyes
Bis face showed signs Of weeping. Whel
he took the stand against his father b
looked around for a few seconds, ant
with difficulty controlled his emotions
In substance he said that he and BIZ
little sister were lying on the sofa asleep
His father was away and his mother was
at church when they went to sleep ID
did not know which of his parents came
home first. He was awakened
by the noise of struggle in the kitchen
He jumped up. but arrived just in time
to see his mother fall. de did not see his
A So
was lying on the floor back of where shl
fell He picked it up and placed 1t on tn
table There was no one with his father q
the time. he remembers seeing some on'
drag his mother to the sofa and place he
ppon it. but does not remember who ii
was When asked whether his father or hi
mother reachsd home first, he said he di,
not know. BE was asleep He thought
however, that as his father had hi
things of and his mother did not, tn,
father must have been In the house
before she came He did not hear hi
mother call his father drunken bum.
When a member OF the Jury asked him
it his father and mother ever quarreled,
he hesitated for moment and replied
Yes sir. They got mad sometimes, ?
"Did you ever hear your fathe
threaten herr
mo, sir
He was dismissed.
Cooling Responsible for Her Death.
After hearing Police Captain Theodore
/ Francis relate the circumstances Of TIL
surrender, the room was cleared OF dis
interested parties and the following res
oluti0n was adopted:
"aesolved, That Zslia f. DING cam
to her death on September 20, 1891. from
violence at the hands of her husband
Howard Cooling
What VIII HIS Sentence Be?
Cooling Will now be held without bal
to await the action of the grand jury
his crime is really equivalent to man
slaughter He killed her in a it of pas
sion, and there was no evidence of pre-
meditation given. Levi @. Bird has beef
retained as his counsel, and will probabl
attempt to prove that it was the fall anC
not the blow, that was the immediat
cause of death. he will not probsbl
serve more than ten years, If that long
The Kerosene Went on.
Mrs. Miller, who lives at No. 1923 Chest
nut street, had narrow escape yesterday
Late In the afternoon she went to ligh
the FIRE, and poured some coal oil on it q
l f- ~. ah 10