Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-04-14
Coroner Mcdowell DisDoses of q Num-
Der of Important Cases.
DRAWN DEEPER INTO TIE MESHES.
More Circumstantial Evidence Produced
Against Anderson.
THE GAS COMPANY HELD RESPONSIBLE

| the suspect The Braddock explosion was
taken up and the blame fixed upon the
Philadelphia Company. A complete in
vestigation was made into the Allegheny
infanticide case, and three inquests were
held on minor cases.
The principal case was that of the murder
OF John Gunsaulis, at West Liberty. on the
night of April 8. ALI the testimony adj
character, but it begins to narrow closely
about Holmes Anderson, the man under ar
rest for the crime. One important witness
who found the pocketbook that belonged to
Gunsaulis, and five silver dollars, near the
scene of the murder, could not be present.
He had broken his leg and went to some
friends, taking the purse with him. Yester-
day he could not be found.
More Work for the Detectives.
Beside this, County Detective Beltz-
hoover said he was not quite ready to give
the result of his inquiries, and therefore only
a few witnesses were heard, after which the
inquest was continued until Thursday
afternoon.
W. R. Knolson first took the stand. He
lives at West Liberty. On the evening of
the murder he met a man on the hill just
above the falls going toward West Liberty,
at TAO o'clock. He identified Anderson as
the man. At the schoolhouse he met an
other man, but could give no description of
him, save that he was about feet inches
In height, of medium build. and wore
black overcoat.
Charles Rosenfelt. who is only IA years
old, when put on the stand said he lived be-
side the house of "Granny" Mcfarland,
which was about 150 yards distant from the
falls. He was IN Mrs. McFarland's house
shortly before $3.50 that night and when he
came out he saw man standing by the
window aud recognized him as Holmes
Anderson. Mr.. and Mrs. Albert Moore were
in the house. When he went home he told
said he thought he was Mr.. Anderson.
Charles Weeser, the husband of the
woman at whose house Anderson went to
dry clothes, related the same story told by
his wife. He could see the mans clothes
were wet. Anderson explained this by
saying he had fallen off train into the
river.
SIS there river anywhere near there?"
asked the Coroner,
Could Have Found a River
'"No sir" replied the witness. "but he
could have. found one if he had walked far
enough"
luc WlIuSsS Sdlu " WAS ~ y ClOCk WuSu
Anderson was there, but he did not know
whether his clock was right. He noticed
that the man was shivering and very nerv-
Gus.
Casper frost lives in West Liberty, but
had been visiting his uncle in Beltzhoover
borough. At 1040 he met Anderson on
Washington avenue, at the lower end OF
Beltzhoover. He was positive Anderson
was the man.
Mrs. Charlotte Rosenfelt, the mother of
the boy witness, corroborated his testimony.
After her Mrs. Ellen McMulger testified
that she had heard three shots fred shortly
after 10 o'clock. She was positive of two
having been fred and thought she heard
the third. She lives just below the falls.
Free B. Gunsaulis was recalled to the
stand and described the kind OF pocket
book his brother carried. It answered the
description of the pocketbook found at West
Liberty. He also said he had been unable
to find the man from whom his brother was
to have gotten the 81, $50.
No Statement Made by the Prisoner.
The prisoner was then asked if he wished
to make a statement, but he refused, and
asked that Mike Gardner be called. That
gentleman stated that he lived in the Thirty
first ward, Pittsburg, on Beltzhoover ave-
nue.. On that Sunday night Anderson
out before he came in had said it was 10 |
O'Clock. He gave Anderson a bottle of |
beer, and told him to hurry and drink it, |
because it was after 10 o'clock, but Ander- |
son said it was 10:30 He told the witness |
he had been in West Liberty and had been |
drinking beer there.
Detective Beltzhoover was called, but he |
said he was not ready to make statement.
For that reason the inquest was continued. |
Another case before the Coroner that at
tracted a great deal of attention was the in |
quest into the cause of the death Of the |
Hungarians killed at the gas explosion at |
Braddock on April 8. The names of the
dead men are Joseph Resko, John Sikerak |
and John Honuovsky. The Philadelphia
Company wvs severely censured for gross
negligence.
John Esher, the owner of the house, testi-
fed that on the site now occupied by the
tenement house there stood formerly an old
house, which was destroyed by fire in $780,
The tenement house contained 16 rooms aud
was heated altogether by coal. The old
surface pipes, however, which had been
used for the object of heating the former
house with gas, still remained running into
the cellar OF the new house. On the day
before the explosion the witness had made
a call at the tenement. He received no
complaints from the tenants, but his wife
declared she could smell gas; when he
heard OF the accident next day, he suspected
it was an explosion and went Immediately
to the cellar, where he found gas leaking.
1t was coming from the pipe used before
the fire in July, $780, The witness stated
that the pipe belonged to the Philadelphia
Company, and that all employe of the COM
pauy had promised to see thar the pipe was
in good shape.
Shut-Of Places Not Examined.
Michael O'Herron, OF the Philadelphia
COMPANY, said the company had connec-
tion from the main to the curb, and that
Mr.. Esher had one from the curb 10 the
house. After the fire last July the company
cut off the supply at the curb. Witness
said that On April 6. Monday, one of the
employees of the company went and turned
off the gas. The company makes no exam
ination Of places shut of.
Thomas Barrett, another employe of the
Philadelphia Company, testified that two
DAYS before the accident in the Esher teue-
ment he had turned off the gas on st. Clair
street, where the building WAS located. He
remembered distinctly of turning the gas
off from the Esher house. He had found
three stops open in the building.
George Kroney said he had seen some
man turn the gas off after the explosion.
He had heard il escaping. L. HildeJrick
saw the gas burning after the explosion AMI
heard 1t coming from the pipe.
The jury, after few moments discussion,
returned verdict aitrbntlng the accident
to negligence on the part of the Philade!-
phia Gas Company.
The Allegheny Infanticide Case.
Beside attending to this work the infanti-