Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-03-19
WHY THE BABY DIED.
rhe Coroner's Inquest In the Case Of Ros
Waahington's Child.

waahington'a Child.
Deputy Coroner Schaeffer made an autopsy
yesterday on the body Of the one-year-old col
ored child of Rose Washington and found that
death resulted from pneumonia
The mother of the child was questioned by
the coroner as to the name Of the deceased,
and she said while the child had not been
christened it was her intention to have named
it George Addison.
why name it George Addison asked the
| coroner,
because its fathers name was Addison she
replied.
We'll, said the coroner, IF your name is
Washington we'll call the child George WASH
ington."
That is the name under which the child will
go 70 Its last resting place.
oscar Willis and Rose Washington, who we're
under arrest, were present at the hearing
mary Brent testified that Wednesday after
noon when she called to Rose Washington
she found the latter and Oscar Willis fight
ing. Oscar threw a whisky bottle at Rose and
1t struck the baby on the head She picked the
BABY up and put it on the bed and
told the mother to nurse the infant When
Oscar threw the bottle witness said: Look out,
you all will kill the baby"
She said that both the man and woman had
been drinking.
asked.
mo, SIR" was her reply .Tt was empty"
Henry woodward, also colored testified that
the prisoners were both drunk Wednesday He
took Willis in the house and put him in bed.
mat was IN the afternoon, and when he called
sarhlght they were fighting woman named
Mary Kent was in the room and there was also
man there. Mary Brent, he said, was intoxi-
Was there anybody about there who was
"Yes sir." replied witness; Il was there and
my. wife came up later and we were sober"
Witness did not think the people there were in
condition to tell exactly what did happen
He heard statements al out the child having
been injured and he thought the child was
| suffering as though it had been mashed
Bessie Howard. another resident of Free
one injure the child. She saw Mary Brent
| fighting in the alley.
"sWith whom was she 6ghting?"
| Another man."
. ..Ars you sure that Mary Brent wa. fishtins9'
Yes, sir, she had fitn outer her Clothes"
clothes!'
mo, sir, she had on an underpisce"
| James Rosser, q colored boy. was visitor to
the room occupied by the prisoners on the
| warm he left the room. He did not see the
child struck nor did he hear any such CON-
plants.
Lizzie Anderson lives in the house where
Oscar and Rose lived. She heard the fight,
| during which she heard the baby fall. The
| baby cried. but she did not 20 in their room.
Rose told her Wednesday night that her child
was sick and she was going to take it to the
! DOCTORS.
Mary Kent colored, also gave testimony. She
| called to see lose or Rhoda. as she called her,
and found Oscar on the bed asleep. He was in
toxicated When he got up he had some words
with Rose and struck her twice on her head and
knocked the child out Of her arm.
The prisoner here said he remembered hav-
| ing struck the woman and the coroner asked
if be did not think she would have served hin,
right If she had killed him aud he answered,
Yes sir: think she would"
| Don't you think it is rather CO wardly to
strike a woman?" the coroner then asked.
| It's right cowardly," he replied.
Lizzie Smith. the next witness called told an
entirely different story. Oscar, she said, had
Rose on the bed and the child was beneath
them. Rose told him to let her alone; that be
would kill the child. Witness said that he re-
piled: ri kill the child and you, too
Mary Kent and Sam Sullivan, she said were
| in the room at the time.
DIR. Charles r Koones testified that between
II and II O'Clock Wednesday night Rose Wash
! ington brought the child to his Office The
child was suffering and its left side seemed to
| have been injured. The woman told him tina
she had been told that another woman had
| fallen on the chilli.
| Deputy Coroner Schaeffer testified that he
made post-mortem examination of the body.
He examined the whole surface Of the body.
but found no bruises or sign of external in.
luries- The brain was normal There was no
| fracture OF the skull nor was there q bruise or
ciot beneath the scalp. Both lungs we're con-
gested. The lower portion Of the right lung
was aimostt the consistency Of liver, and it barely
hoated in water. The other organs were normal.
This condition OF the lung could not have been
lsss than twenty-four hours in forming and
the probability is that the time WAS more than
twenty-four hours. Appearances all pointed to
pneumonia as the cause of death. III death w6s
hastened by violence witness found no trace
| Of 1t.
The jury, as stated, returned q verdict find.
ing that pneumonia caused the childs death
and the persons under arrest we're released.