The record-union., 1891-06-11
ELEANOR FASOLER'S DEATH.
The Coroner's Jury Finds That 1t Was
a Case of Murder.
Some Queer Testimony Given-The
Husband Testifies-Mrs. Treige1
is a Sound Sleeper.

FaSsler the elderly lady who was found |
horribly mutilated at her residence,
Twenty-first and streets, on Friday
last.
Justice of the Peace Henry presided |
over the inquisition in the absence of Cor
oner George Clark. There were present |
District Attorney Ryan, City Attorney |
Hart, Chief of Police Drew, Captain Lee, |
Stenographer Davis, and among the wit
nesses was Siegmund Fassler, the youth |
ful husband of the deceased, who re-
turned from Contra Costa County yester-
day.
There were some very peculiar dis
crepancies in the testimony adduced, |
which may give the police something
upon which to work in running down
the murderers of the old lady.
MRS. FAssLER's FRIEND.
The first witness was Mrs. Mary Geh-
rig. She said: 81 live at Twenty-second
and L streets, and have lived there twenty
years. / have known Mrs. FaSSler, the
deceased, ever since she kept the Ridge
Home at Twenty-second and X streets.
She moved from there two or three years
ago to Twenty-third and p streets. She
lived there q year, and then moved to the
house at Twenty-tirst and streets,
where she resided until she was found
injured. Mrs Fassler was married twice
that know Of Her husband when she
was at the Ridge Home was Mr.. Spill
ner. She afterward married Fassler. The
last time 1 saw her alive was the night
before she was assaulted. She was
well then. On Friday morning Mrs.
Treigel came to my house and told me
Mrs. Fassler had been killed. a Mr..
Cummings and | went down with some
tools to break in the door, as we under
otD + cd hon
we found the front door of the saloon
open, and we went in. | asked her what
was the matter, and she said, 'Oh, please
take me to your hOme.' | asked her
how she got the cuts in her head, and she
said that three loafers broke in and
wanted whisky; when she refused them,
the largest one of them struck her with
something. Cummings then went up to
my house and told my husband what had
happened. He got wagon and we took
her up to my house. Mrs, Fassler told
us that she was assaulted at about II
O'Clock the night before
In answer to questions by District At
torney Ryan, Mrs. Gehrig said that
Mrs. Fassler owned several dogs, bat the
witness did not see them when she went
to the house that morning. Mrs. Fassler
would not allow the witness or her hus-
band to send for doctor until II o'clock.
Drs. Tyrrell and Nichols arrived in the
afternoon.
did she say anything to you about her
husband?'' asked Mr.. Ryan.
''Yes, once. She said, Poor Henry
His first name was SicgmUnd, but she |
always called him Henry"
Judge Henry asked the witness why it |
was that they took tools to the FaSsler |
house when the front door was open.
Mrs. Gehrig replied that Mrs. TreiGel |
had told her that the doors were locked. |
FASSLER TESTIFIES.
10 nd &C. 10
ceased, was the next witness sworn.
He is a good-looking young man with |
a pronounced German accent.
He testified that he was % years of age,
and had been in this country about five !
years. His wife, he said. was 81 Years of
age. Fassler said he became acquainted |
with the deceased about three years ago, |
when he was sick and was stopping at
her house. She was Mrs. Spiilner then. |
Last April he left his wife and went to |
San Francisco. lie worked on various |
ranches in Sonoma County and Contra /
Costa County. He stated positively that !
he was in Contra Costa County last Fri |
day. He did not know that she was dead |
until this week.
Ibid your wife commence divorce pro- I
ceedings against you?'' asked Mr.. Ryan. |
Yes, | believe so. She sent me paper |
while l was in San Francisco" replied /
Fassler.
did you ever have any trouble with |
her?''
"Wen, l left her because she struck me /
on the head witha whisky glass. She had !
been drinking too much"
Continuing, Fassler said his wife was /
very abusive to him when intoxicated, !
but he never paid much attention to her. /
They had had several rows, but he always |
kept quiet. FasSler said a man whose /
name he did not know raised g rumpus |
with Mrs. Eassler shortly before the sepa-
ration, but he did not think this man
could have killed her.
The witness said that he had talked
with his wife frequently with reference TO
her property. She had always said he
was TO get all of the property
Have you any idea how she got
hurtY' asked the District Attorney.
'Well, think a good deal that she fell
down stairs. You see she drank good
deal"
POINTED QUESTIONS.
Just as Fassler was about to leave the
witness stand, Judge Henry turned to
him sharply and said:
''Fassler, who killed your wife?"
FaSsler looked theJudge straight in the
eyes for fully a minute and then replied
slowly, 81 don't know
well, who do you think did it p"
Well, my idea is that She fell down
stairs"
''Why so?''
because she drank, and then she fell
down once before when / was there''
Mrs. Gehrig, upon being recalled, testi- !
fed that when she found Mrs. Fassler
the latter was sitting on the lounge in the
sitting-room. There was d pillow and a
quilt on the lounge. There was very
little blood on the pillow, most Of it was !
on her clothes and head and some WAS !
on the wall. Mrs. FaSsler did not tell [
the witness where she was when she WAS /
assaulted.
Mrs Ann Treigel was the next witness. /
She testified that she was married and 7
her husband lived at Elk Grove. She |
had known Mrs. Fassler about nine |
years, but had only been at Mrs Fass-
lerS house n few days before the murder |
She was there last Thursday night, and. |
with her two children, slept in the
kitchen on the floor The witness went
60 bed 1T about IL O'Clock that night. The
last time she saw Mrs. Fasser was at the
supper-table at s O'Clock. There was no.
body else around the house that night, so
far as the witness knew. The saloon was
closed all day.
At about O'Clock Friday morning tho
witness heard Mrs. Fassler calling,
Annie. Annie, open the door. I'm
bleeding TO death' The door between
Sae kitchen and saloon was locked. how
ever, and she could not get in.
HEARD NOTHING.
Mrs Treigel said in conclusion that
Mrs. Fassler WAS intoxicated when seen !
at supper. She could not walk and ate
but little. After supper time Mrs. Fasslcr
went into her own apartments, and the
witness saw no more of her. She did not
e1R!l pE