Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-02-23
A TRAINMAN'S TALE
NAY Lead to Some Valuable Informa-
ton Concerning
THE DEATH OF MISS SARAH JOYC
Found Woman, Apparently Drugged, in
Marion Station.
TESTIMONY PRODUCED AT THE INQUEST

What NAV prove valuable clew to the
mystery of the death of Sarah Joyce was
developed last night. About 10 O'Clock
Thomas Boyd, flagman on Baltimore and
Ohio freight train, called at Central police
station, saying he thought he could throw
some light on the affair
His story was that last Friday morning,
the same on which the girls body was
found, his train laid over few minutes at
Marion station. 1t was about 4 o'clock in
the morning. Boyd stepped off the train
! and walked over to the little shed
station. There he discovered two men
asleep on the bench and another person on
the 1oor covered with large cloak He
lifted the latter and discovered woman
underneath. He shook her until finally
she rose to her feet. Boyd asked her if she
were i'll or needed any assistance. She re-
piled negatively and turned to say some
| thing to one of the men.
Believed He Had a Clew.
Boyd paid no more attention to the peo-
pie, and went back to his train. Yesterday
he read something about the Joyce case in
The DISPATCH, and came to the conclusion
that probably the woman he saw and the
dead one were the same Marion station is
Just about FIVE minutes walk from the hill
side below Sylvan avenue, where the body
was found few hours after Boyd had the
above experience.
He did not get very good look at the
woman, but from what he remembers, she
was about five feet tall, had blonde hair and
looked like an Irish girl. She wore light
dress. Boyd thought she acted stupidity, as
if she had been drugged, and apparently did
not know what she was doing. One of the
men had round face = and
about weeks growth of beard He would
know him if he saw him again. The de-
scription does not altogether fit Miss Joyce,
though there is enough similarity to make
it possible that it was her The police do
not think much of the clew, but it will be
worked up nevertheless.
Witnesses Toll Their Stories.
Coroner Mcdowell yesterday morning
started his inquest on the case Michael
Mckinley, brother-in-law of the dead girl,
was the first witness. He saw Sarah Joyce
last at his house at $50 o'clock Thursday
evening when he started to work. He
identified the body after it was found, The
girl never went out at night, and had not
been sick since she came to this country.
Tony Hasley told how he found the body.
1t was still warm. The ground about was
trampled and scraped as if there had been
struggle, and several spots of blood were
also noticed. He also saw the marks where
a man had fallen on the soft earth. James
Hartman and Thomas Sheehan testified to
about the same facts. DR.. j. Guy McCand-
less, who, with DIR. Mayer, held the post
mortem, said:
saw marks of violence on Sarah Joyce's
W a n
a flesh wound on the cheek about the size of
a lead pencil, extending into the bone The
bone was slightly fractured. 1removed the
bone and found that the weapon, or what
ever made the wound, did not penetrate the
bone 1t is my opinion that Sarah Joyce did
not come to her death by natural causes,
a gun shot. 1t was evidently produced by a
sharp instrument, such as a butcher uses to
shapen knives. II it had been a rusty in
strument there would have been evidences
of it in the wound. but there were not.
Might Have Done the Work.
The witness was shown several pieces of
heavy copper wire found on John Pulpus,
colored, who passed the spot Thursday
evening The doctor said the wound on
the girls jaw could have been made by such
an instrument.
and told about the girl leaving her house
Thursday evening. About half an hour be-
fore that she had seen colored man pass,
whose actions were strange. She identified
Pulpus as the man.
The inquest was then adjourned till Sat-
urday morning at 10 o'clock
In the meantime the Coroner and police
will follow more fully the clews they have
and endeavor to throw more light on what
they all now admit was foul CRIME.
More Arrests to Come.
Inspector Whitehouse and Detective
Fitzgerald were at work all day yesterday
on the case, and, it is stated, will likely
make couple of arrests to-day. Detective
Fitzgerald learned that Jennie Pollard,
girl living on Boquet street near Sylvan
avenue, had seen a colored man and two
others whom she recognized, lettering about
the place on Thursday evening. From the
information cleaned from her the arrests
will be made,
The owner of the locket, knitted covering
and piece OF cord found few feet from
the place where the body was discovered,
made his appearance last night about II
o'clock at the Fourteenth ward station. 1t |
was Mr. E. H. Harper, of Blaine street.
He said in explanation that on Thursday
morning his son was carrying a basketful |
of things from his house to the house to |
which his son-in-law, Thomas E. Jones, was
moving.
On his way he passed this spot and !,
of the articles were minutely described bv |
Mr.. Harper's wife before she saw them and |
their ownership was clearly established