The record-union., 1892-10-18
DAMON'S FATAL DOSE.
Dick Reed Tells How and by Whom
Administered.
He Saw the Poison Mixed, But It Was
None of His Business - The
Strybes Held for Trial.

OA4NS OOQiI lOI DA1 iLO
charge of having murdered A. G. Damon
in this city in March. 1883, the particulars
of which tragedy were recently published
in these columns.
The prisoners were defended by Hiram
w. Johnson, and Deputy District Attor-
ney Buckley and George G. Davis con-
Quoted the prosecution.
The first witness called was DR.. w. II.
Baldwin, who attended Damon after he
was found in the alley and removed to
the City Prison Witness said he at
tempted to treat the patient tor opium
poisoning but owing to his condition
witness was not able to administer the
desired remedies. The patient soon died.
On cross-examination witness admitted
that excessive smoking or eating Of
opium would result fatally.
County Physician q. A. White testified
that he made an autopsy on the body of
deceased and found no marks of violence
and no disease OF the vital organs.
The conclusion arrived at was that death
was caused by narcotic poisoning. No
analysis was made of the stomach. lie
saw no marks OF violence on the body.
J. Frank Clark, who was Coroner in
1885, at the time OF Damon's death, testi-
the 9Th of March in that year.
BOYS DISCOVERY.
Fred Butler, who lived in the alley be-
tween Second and Third, land NJ streets,
in March, 1oSS, testified to having found a
man lying in the alley one evening near
house known as the "Mobile'' house.
The man was groaning. Ibwas quite
dark at the time.
James y. Barron testified that ore even
ing III March, 1888, he saw a man lying in
the alley referred to. His attention was
called to the man groaning there. and
witness found Officer Dunlevy and told
him Of it. They went to the alley and
1ound the man moaning there. His coat
was turned over his head. They turned
him around so his head would be higher.
a little later officers Ash and Franks
came and took the man to the police sta
ton, where he died that night.
Witness met Dick Reed that evening
near where Damon was found. There IS
an entrance from the alley to the yard of
the Mobile House. When witness visited
the man he met two men coming through
the alley and asked them to 90 with him
and see who it was that was groaning,
and they replied:
''oH, IT Is SOME OLD DRUNKr'
On the north side of the alley, near
where the man lay, was brick house
OSOu plCA Og q = pt-illSA ldIlIly Ildtil6u L
mental. On the afternoon OF the day on
which Damon was found witness saw
him in Comets saloon, and he was sober
Mr.. Barron said that when he met Dick
Reed the latter said nothing about tho
sick man; he was complaining that he
had to look after the children in the Mo
bile House.
WHAT The OFFICERS KNEW.
Ex-Oflicer E. Franks testified to having
t,s.,v 1f-.t IL.
alley. His pulse was very weak, and he
seemed to be dying. Witness and others
got a hack and took him to the police
station. There was nothing to indicate
that deceased had fallen. \ woman
named Mollie Jones lived i'll the Mobile
House; saw Manuel Strybe that evening
when he was arrested in the Mobile
House; examined the alley and saw no
footsteps leading from the Mobile House
yard to where the body lay.
EX-Officer j. NJ. Sullivan remembered
Damon having been brought to the police
station, and of the arrest on the same
evening of one of the Strybe brothers
and Mrs. Cooper.
Ex-Officer Ash told about the taking Of
Damon from the alley. His clothes were
disturbed as if he had been handled or
dragged by some one. That night wit
ness and Officer Franks went to the Mo-
bile House and arrested Tillie Cooper and
Manuel Strausse, now known as Strybe;
did not see Dick Reed nor the other
Strybe brother that night; had known
the defendants by sight for about year
before that time. About half-past o'clock
that evening witness saw the defendants
at bootbiack-stand having their shoes
polished.
On cross-examination witness said he
was not positive he saw both defendants
on the bootblack-stand. He did not see
Dick Reed that night.
REEDS STARTLING STORY.
Richard Reed was the next witness
called. He said he had lived here twelve
or thirteen years. In March, 1888. Kate
Cooper lived in the Mobile House, also
Mollie Jones, who was in jail at that
time. Manuel Strybe lived at the Mo-
bile House. Witness, Manuel and Rich
ard Strybe and Kate Cooper were there
in the Mobile House on the 9th of March,
1888. A man named Damon was there.
Kate Cooper went out and got some
whisky. and Manuel Strybe nut some
morphine in the portion poured out for
Damon. Someone asked what they
would do tor morphine, and Manuel said
there was some in Mollie's bureau drawer.
When witness went into the house that
night Kate Cooper remarked: We've
got a sucker in the front room, and the
old fellow has got stuff, and Manuel
Strybe said, ''We'u fix him with NOR
phinep'
Witness went up town, and afterward
met the Strybe brothers and asked them
what they did. One said, 1--WE doped the
old -- -, and dragged him into
the alley"
They went down to Second and T.
streets and there learned that there was
excitement over the affair, and witness
said to the Strybe brothers, "Boys, you'd
better duck" and they went Off.
ROUGH ON THE POLICE.
After Manuel Strybe got out of Jail he
told witness to go to the yard of the
Mobile House and he would find $3.50 hid
there-Sl50 in one handkerchief and 500
in another. Witness hunted for it and
could not find it, but later on Manuel
told him he had found one handkerchief.
but supposed the officers had got away
with the other. They told witness they
could prove an alibi by Officer Ash, who
saw them up town about the time the
affair was supposed to have occurred. 1t
was about 3 o'clock when the morphine
was administered to Damon.
ATTEMPT To BRIBE HIM.
Since the Strybe brothers were arrested
this time, said the witness, a man had
been to him and offered him 500 TO leave
town, He did not know his name. but
he had he been arrested for something or
other and released again.
When it came to his crcss-examination
witness said he was
RUNNING WITH THE BOYS
In those days, and frequently went IN
the Mobile House. He sometimes ate
there with the inmates. There were two
or three women in the house. Witness
was running a bootblack stand at that
time at Orth's barber shop. He had taken
his usual four or five drinks on that dav.
''Do you regularly take four or five
drinks day?" asked Mr.. johnson.
"A bout that" replied the witness.
''Do you take them all at once or at
1Onc- ir1rarvals ~,