Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-02-28
PULPUS TO BE TRIED
For the Mysterious Killing Of Miss
Sarah Joyce a Week Ago.
LIGHT EVIDENCE AGAINST HIM
Doctors Say Death Resulted Entirely From
Lsphyxia.
THE WOUNDS COULD NOT HAVE KILLED

John Pulpus will have to answer for the
murder of Sarah Joyce. Coroner Mcdowell
held his last hearing in the case yesterday,
at the conclusion of which the jury decided
against the colored man and he was COM
mitted to Jail to await trial in court.
The Coroner and police have been hard at
work endeavoring to get at the facts in the
case ever since the body of the young woman
was found week ago. As first result of
the research it has been pretty clearly
proven that death resulted from the
woman being .smothered. Her wounds
were not serious enough to kill
her. As to the connection of Pulpus with
the affair, the evidence is entirely circum-
stantial. and not very strong at that. The
Coroner, however, considered it good
enough to hold the man on. The impression
has gained considerable ground that the au-
thorities have not brought out all the facts
in their possession, but are holding some
thing back for further investigation.
She Picked Ont the Man.
The first witness called yesterday was
Mrs. Bridget Hollorman, of Bates street.
On the night of the murder she met a man
coming up Sylvan avenue. He was saunter-
ing slowly along, and spoke to her as he
passed. He was of medium size, and wore
a soft hat. When asked by the
the man if he were in the room
she replied yes, and pointed to five colored
men sitting in row listening to the tes-
timony, saying: SIT is one OF them" The
Coroner ordered the men to stand and put
on their hats, and Mrs. Hollorman at once
picked out Pulpus. The latter simply
smiled.
Officer Mike Hanley testified that he ar
rested Pulpus. He asked the prisoner to
come down Sylvan avenue to show him
man and he refused. The officer then took
him by force, at which he made an unsuc-
cessful attempt to throw away some pieces
of 99ss-inch wire. Pulpus told the officer he
had secured the wire from blacksmith
named Nowlar. --s--
The next witness called was Jennie
Rutherford, aged IA, who lives on Sylvan
avenue, about 100 yards below the place
where Sarah Joyce's body was found. She
left her fathers store to 60 home about $50.
She saw a man going down toward the run
who spoke to Joseph Haycock, who was
''Hello, Joe; you have lot of mud on
you. s
Saw Sarah Joyce Pass.
As the witness arrived at her home
young woman wearing a bonnet passed up
the road. 1t was the same girl as she after
ward saw dead. The man who spoke to Mr..
turned and went up the hill. She
thought the man was white.
Joseph Haycock testified that two par
ties passed them. He may have replied to
the person, but he was little under the
influence of liquor and was feeling pretty
good. He made strong plea of ignorance.
Stephen Rutherford testified to Haycock
being in his store. The latter seemed to
him to have been quite capable of knowing
what he was doing.
SIT is my firm: opinion" he said, ''if Hay
cock wanted to know he could tell what he
did and whom he spoke to on that night.
Phillip Newlan, blacksmith, identified
the wire found in Pulpus' possession as be-
longing to him. He had seen man around
his shop on Friday, who had asked him for
a piece of wire. He was colored and wore
soft felt hat. .t
Michael Mckinley, brother-in-law of the
deceased, testified that Sarah could not
read or write and had no lover in any other
ne knew. ---..----
The report of Drs. Meyer and McCandless
IN the autopsy was as follows:
Death Resulted From Asphyxia.
1t shows two injuries or external marks
)ne a scalp wound on the left side OF the
read; the other injury is toward the right
Ingle of the right orbit, about the size of O
cad pencil, and penetrating to the malar
,ona IntarpaI ayorniu a tfon cbowod ha
zone is slightly fractured. The brain is
ound to be normal in appearance with the
that the venus penuses at the base
# the brain are quite full OF venous blood.
Examination of the thorax reveals no evi-
Ience of any injury or disease of this cavity.
The heart is healthy and its cavities are
mpty; its valves are normal and there is no
violence OF any disease of any of the blood
'essels connecting with the heart. The
ungs showed no pleural adhesions. They
re quite dark in color and contain an
bundance of venous blood. The abdominal
rails contain considerable fat and there is |
10 evidence of any injury or disease of any |
# the abdominal organs. The liver and |
.idneys are little dark in color but other |
Yise normal.
Conciusion-In concluding the evidence |
evealed by the post mortem examination of |
# tha lungs, liver and kidneys, and of the ,
ullness OF the venous blood vessels of these |
rgans, and the blood being rather more |
ark and fluid than is the case ordinarily, |
nd the absence of any other assignable |
ause of death, the evidence is Indicative of |
he fact that death may have resulted from /
pnea or asphyxia.
On the stand Dr. Meyer said: eff the
irl had been an epileptic it was quite
kelly there would have been some evil
ences in the membrane of the brain. Her
ongue was tied as though evidencing a
truggle to breathe or strangulation. The
cath was unnatural.
The Wounds Were Not Serious.
DR.. McCandless said: ''The wounds were
OF sufficient to cause death In death
rom asphyxia it is possible to find the con-
itions Of the organs If the body had
allen from the road where it was found we
-ould expect to find some evidences of q
Ill, and we found none. The cheek wound
ould have bee n made by the wire while
ne young woman was standing or moving"
James Thornton, colored, who lives with
lnthony Johns below where the body was
,und, said: II had supper the night before
ne finding of the body at o'clock. While
ating, Pulpus, who boards there, came in.
[e. had been drinking little bit. He came
/ the front door facing the run. Johns
lme next. Pulpus wore slouch hat, and
as sitting on the bed when Johns came In.
never saw the wires anywhere. Cannot
,call what was said"
James W. Robertson, colored, saw Pulpus
riday afternoon at Philip Nowlan's black
NTH shop. Pulpus asked Nowlan for a
lece of wire to make ring. Nowlan gave
-, =, ,,;aoa about tvuo feat 1nnp