Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-10-13
BECOMES A MURDER.
Attorney William c. Erskine Passes
Off at the Mercy Hospital.
END OF A MURDEROUS ASSAULT.
A Young Career Cut Short by Plundering
Footpads
ALMOST FORGOTTEN BY THE POLICE

William c. Erskine, the young attorney
assaulted some months ago and robbed
of all his valuables on Center avenue, near
Fifth avenue, died yesterday afternoon al
the Mercy Hospital from the effects of the
injuries he then received. What was then
looked at, and up to now has been regarded,
as a case of common assault, turns out to
be murder.
The matter has been forgotten by the
police, and there is no intention on the part
of the hospital physicians to notify the
coroner of the mans death. DR.. Irwin j.
Meyer, of 2S9 Fifth avenue, told DIS
PATCH reporter last night that Coroner
Mcdowell would not be officially oti6ed of
Erskine's death.
The circumstances which lead up to the
termination of the young attorneys life,
put criminal stamp on the case, which, at
the present time, seems to be gone far from
the memory of the authorities What
efforts will be made to find
the perpetrators now Superintendent
O'Mara could not say last night. His i'm
preston of the case was that the deceased
had been drinking heavily and had fallen
from the steps of his boarding house, sus-
tanning severe injuries. The story of tine
affair at the time presents an altogether
different aspect
The Correct Story.
Erskine had been on a spree for some
weeks previous to the occurrence. He had
moved shortly before that time from the
Perrysville road, Allegheny, where he
lived with his parents, to 229 Dinwiddie
street. Here he boarded up to the
date of his fatality. He was on
his way home when the affair
happened Leaving Fifth avenue he
turned into Center avenue and sat down on
the steps Of dwelling house. How long
he had been there could not be learned, but
when found by some passerby his head was
crushed in and his face was badly bruised
in several places.
A gold watch and chain, some valuable
diamonds and over S12O in money were miss
ing. In relating the story to the police,
Erskine said he had been attacked by four
men, who beat him about the head with
some blunt instruments and robbed him of
everything he had.
No Credit to the Story.
Little credence was given the affair at the
time and small effort was made to find any
one concerned in the assault Erskine
claimed that several checks were taken
from him with the other articles, but they
were returned to him some time afterward,
without any clew to the thieves identity.
Since the time of the occurrence the late
attorney did little or nothing. He never
worked an hour afterward, and had been
sick continually For weeks his brain
ragged with fever and delirium. His busi-
ness went to ruin, having nobody to attend
to it, and the man himself became a total
wreck.
On Sunday evening last he was brought
to the Mercy Hospital suffering from men
ingitis and Inflammation of the brain. He
was in high state of fever, and was ex-
pected to die that night He fingered on,
however, until yesterday afternoon, when
he succumbed to his injuries.
Superintendent O'NIara Talks.
Mr.. O'Mara said no attention was paid to
the case, nor did he think it was any,
thing worth while noticing. He does not
see what effort can now be made to find any
one. connected with the crime. AS he tn-
derstood the case, Erskine was hard
drinker, he said, and the occurrence was at
tributed to q fall received while intoxi-
Gated.
At t229 Dinwiddie street last evening the
house was dark and nobody could be seen
that could furnish any information When
DISPATCH reporter called at the
hospital 4 the physicians were in
bed and declined to see him on the case.
DR.. Meyer was the only person that volun-
teered any information ON the matter. He
attended Erskine after being assaulted.