Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-10-26
NO DOUBT OF MURDER.
Coroner Mcdowell Positive That Old
Mrs. Dell, of McKeesport,
WAS THE VICTIM OF FOUL PLAY.
No Cine to the Woman'S Assailant las Yet
Teen discovered.
INTERFERING WITH A BOY WITNESS

The identity of the murderer of Mrs.
Maria Dell was not established at the Cor
oner's inquest yesterday, but some import
ant evidence was produced The move
ments of the old lady were carefully traced
from the time she left her daughters house
on Thursday until halt an hour before she
was found bleeding and dying on the
Crooked Run road at 1880 o'clock Sat turday
night In addition to their post mortem
report showing the nature of Mrs. DelPs
injuries, the two great skull fractures and
the frightful wound in the abdomen, Drs
Burlingame and Black stated on the witness
stand that the wounds could not have been
caused by tall on the road, as had been al
legged. They also declared that there was
no trace of alcoholism.
On his return from McKeesport last
night Coroner Mcdowell repeated his as
sertion that Mrs. Dell was murdered be-
wound doubt. The Coroner was indig-
nant at what he terms the outrageous
apathy shown by the people in the vicinity
of the murder and officials whose position
should impel them to an effort, for their fail
ure to assist in running down the murderer.
He charges that some persons are even
throwing cold water on his efforts in the
matter.
Following Up Very Slight Clues.
Several significant points we're developed
in Yesterdays testimony. Ed. Bollingburg
the Young man who was the first to find and
recognize Mrs. Dell, did not appear when
ad her q COroDor
adjourned the inquest until Friday after
noon. In the meantime the McKeesport
police and the Coroner himself will follow
up some clues he had developed which are
expected to throw a strong light on the
guilty person.
Lille Whalen, the granddaughter OF
Mrs. Dell, against whom some sus-
picions have been directed, was clearly
relieved from blame by the testimony
taken yesterday When put on the stand
John Palinquist, the dairyman in Dickin-
sons hollow with whom Lille Whalen
lived, testified that Mrs Dell came to his
house on Thursday afternoon, remained
there until Friday morning, leaving her
basket behind.
Mrs. Mary Wilcox, of West Wilmerding,
showed that Mrs. Dell had come to her
house that day at noon and wanted work,
but Mrs Wilcox declined to hire her be-
cause she was in the habit of leaving with
out notice. Next Mrs FITZGERALD, who
keeps a boarding house in Wilmerding,
showed how the old lady had come to her
house from Mrs 'Wilcox's, and remained
until Saturday afternoon.
Tracing the Victims Movements.
John Palinquist's testimony fits in here
again. AT o'clock Saturday night he saw
Mrs. Dell at his house inquiring for Lille
Whalen, who had an hour previously gone
to the station to meet her mother who was
expected to visit her. Mrs Palinquist and
the hired man were at that time driving in
the COWS, and there was no one in the house.
The old lady started away and Palinquist
Joined his wife and the hired man. Mrs.
Dell had scarcely gotten out of sight when
Lille came home, her mother having tailed
to meet her.
There is no evidence that anyone saw
Mrs Dell from the time she left Palm
uuist's until Ed Bollingburg found her on |
the road. To reach the point where she |
was found in less than half an hour, Mrs |
Dell must have crossed fields and walked
down a hill to the Crooked Run road The
hill is not steep.
John Dyer, Addison Williams, Jacob
Hagan, James Hamilton, and Jacob Hess.
all passed along the road at 7:30 o'clock and
saw Mrs. Dell sitting by the road. By their
own testimony they spoke to her. asking |
what was the matter. She answered that |
her head panied her and asked where she |
was. Her voice was low. The men thought |
she was drunk and passed on. They saw no !
one else on the road and knew of no tramps |
being in vicinity.
Said the Old Woman Was Drunk. |
Robert Mason testified that on his return |
from McKeesport Saturday night, about |
7:3O o'clock, he saw Ed Bollingburg in |
front of his fathers gate. Ed called his at |
tention to the old lady on the opposite side |
of the road, saving, 81 think its old Mrs. |
Dell and she's drunk" The testimony as |
to the removal of the body by George Mason |
and his family, with other details, was SUBJ |
stantially as printed in The DISPATCH on |
Monday.
Charles Bollingburg, aged Is, on the
stand told of his brother Ed, aged 90 COM
ing into the house saying there was
woman drunk lying out on the road. The |
witness took lantern out to where the old |
lady lay. In response to Eds question
Mrs. Dell had said she was sick.
At this point in the testimony, Andrew
Bollingburg, father of the two boys, placed |
his hand to his mouth and, leaning over the
railing toward the witness, cautioned him
with a ''sh-h-h." This was repeated two or
three times when the Coroner called Boiling
burg down. As soon as he learned who the
man was the Coroner exclaimed: eff YOU
do that again, sir. or interfere with another
witness here, I'll commit you for con-
tempt"
BoIlingburg withdrew then, but when his
son Eds name was called he spoke up, say
slg Ed had not been subpenaed.
Testimonyof neighbors of Mrs. Dell was that |
she was always kindly treated bv her fam
lily, and evidence taken showed that none of
her relatives could possibly have seen or
harmed her the night she was killed. Dr.
Burlingame's testimony was that Mrs. Dell's
injuries were of such character that she
could not have walked but few feet after
them, and would become uncon-
scious almost Immediately after receiving
tham