The morning call., 1893-05-10
VERDICT, MURDER.
Husband and Wife Swear
to Cross Tales.
POSITIVE CONTRADICTIONS.
Daniel Daily Charged With Killing
John Lawton in the Potrero Shoot
ing-Coroner' Disapproval.

Coroner Hughes conducted the inquest
over the death of John j. Lawt0n yester-
day.
Lawton was shot dead by Daniel j. DAILY
early last Sunday morning in Michael
LawtOn's house at the Potrero, and the
circumstances were fully described in The
CALL Monday corning.
There was an unusual jam of people In
the stuffy little rooms in the Morgue build
ng whe u the proceedings were begun.
DAILY, he man who did the shooting, sat
tie inner room with bis lawyer j. b.
Long, and glared al Michael LawtOu, the
husband, who suspected his wife of init
macy witt Daily aud set trap to catch the
guilty pair, which resulted in the killing
OF the husbands brother.
The testimony was vOluminous and was
strun out through the entire day after
II A M.
There was prodigious amount of lying
somewhere. and it devolved upon the jury
to choose be ween several fatty contradict
0ry statements made by sworn witnesses
Mrs. Michael Lawton. the wife whom
the Sunday morning invaders Of the house
at 5l6 Connecticut street say they found
with DAILY, was first called She swore
that when she arose at o'clock her hus-
band had gone out She called DAILY to
breakfast as he came into the kitchen and
took some heefiea. afterward going back
to bed again. At about $50, according to
her story, she went into his room aud he
asked for some more beeftea. She was
standing by the door leading from Days
room into the kitchen, when the kitchen
door was smashed open and in ca ME John
j. LawtOn and Frank Carroll, who brushed
her aside and sDrang into Days room.
She said that she had not spent four
minutes IN Daly's room during the morIl-
ing. and when asked if any undue in
timacy had ever existed between herself
and her lodger SHE vehemently exclaimed
Never! I'd rather die before | would
commit such a crime. My husband ana
myself have never lived happily together
but was willing to put up with anything
for the sake of my little ones"
DR.. O'Brien submitted his report on the
autopsy made upon the body of John j.
LawtOn. and then the husband, Michael
Lawtou, took the stand.
He is Il elancholy-appearing Scotch
man, who testified IN an excessively serious
and positive manner as TO his long pent
up suSpicious of his wife's infidelity, and
told in minute. detail his plan to catch
DAILY and Mrs. Lawton on Sunday morn
ing.
Il wanted to eaten nv wife aui have
witnesses, so that | could gain my inde-
pendeDce on account of her being 81 cruel
20 me-" said Mr.. Iawton. "Oa the pre-
NlouS sunday my DTulHer was IN the cellar,
and looking through the hole in the fl ror
saw happenings proving my wife'S guilt;
but nv friends advised me that this was
not enough, so We made the plan to break
in the house.
when ! saw them together I gave the
signal. and | would not take $40, ,00G coo to
change my VOID that l saw them there
with my own eyes"
Frank Carroll. the ball PLAYER, stepped
launt!ly 10 the witness chair. The only i'm
portant part nt his testimony was that he,
being one o. he house-Greakers in Mr.. Law
toms interest, was sure that he saw Daley
and the woman together when he rushed
in. When he heard the shots he rushed
out again, but helped out John LlwtoD,
who was shot.
j. F. klench, another member of the
party, bore testimony that he ran out and
away when he heard the pistol shots and
woman's screams.
Police Officer Nicholas O'Neill aud L. l..
Levngs, newspaper rerorter, testified to
hndIng three bullets in the house.
Wien Daley was called Attorney Long,
as his counsel, refused to allow him TO make
any statement.
The, jury was locked mp about an hour
and then rendered verdict that Junu
Lawton came to his death from internal
GemoTrhage from a gunshot wound, and
we ind that said wound was inflicted BY
pistol in the hands OF Daniel Daley, and
we fud that said Daley is guilty Of the
crime Of murder"
Coroner Hughes announced that he did
not understand how such verdict could
have been reached from the evidence. and
affixed his signature TO note a OF official dis
approval 10 the verdict