Bridgeton pioneer., 1893-04-13
VINELhND'S TRAGEDIES.
WHO SHOT OLD MAN BAsNET?

WHO SHOT OLD MAN BASNET?
Slabbfng, POIsiOning and Shoot.
ing All Alleged There.
Post MOriem of TrynOr's Body
Monday.
Vineland at present is suffering from
wave of crime that is sweeping in
and about the town. From q sudden
death of an old man, that creates no
special suspicion, there follows shoot
ing and house burning, that would in
dictate that the first death was caused
by poisoning, and the following at
tempt on life, was to put out of the
way, the one man who knew anything
about the affair.
When the Prosecutor, County Physi-
clan Thompson and PIONEER re-
porter arrived in Vineland they were
escorted to Whites undertaking estab-
lishment, where the body of James P.
Trynor, was laying.
There was motley crowd about
the establishment, including Con-
stables Nickerson and Fowler, and
Coroner W. F. Sawyer. In the crowd
was the italian Coppoli, who is sus.
piconed of having given Trynor the
poisoned beer. He was unconcerned
and while he WAS not under arrest, he
was acquainted with the fact that he
wasEunder surveillance.
Coroner Sawyer, had empannelled a
jury in the Trynor case for an inquest,
and intended to hold the inquest i'm
mediately upon the arrival of Prosecu-
tor Logue, but that official thought
he would like first to 60 out to the
scene of the death, and interview the
old man Thomas Basnet who was shot
and whose house was burned.
The Prosecutor, DIR. Bidwell, DR..
Thompson and a PIONEER reporter
formed the party and they were driven
out on the Elmer road, to the place
described yesterday as the place where
old man Trynor was found dead.
The party were driven to the house
of Henry King, a deaf mute, who
lives adjoining the scene of the Basnet
tragedy. In the northeast room was
the victim. He had already been at
tended by DR.. Bidwell. He presented
a very sorry appearance. His head
was bloody and covered with pretty
deep cuts, inflicted by broken glass
as he dashed head first from his burn
ing house, through wiRdow frame.
His face, arms and hands were terribly
burned, and the old man apparently
suffered a great deal.
He lay on settee, and DIR. Bidweil
proceeded to again dress the wounds.
Directly over the right eye was a bull
let hole that entered near the temple,
and passed on out In front of the fore
head. Quite near and above the first
wound, was another, which in the
hasty superficial investigation first
made, was not discovered. A probe
was brought into play, and foreign
substance was found. A scapel was
called in play, and moment later a
fattenened bullet was handed the
PIONEER reporter by DR.. Bidwell.
The balls was fattened perfectly on
one side where 1t struck the skull bone,
and must have been fred from a pis-
tol held some distance. The ball was
an unusual size-probably a twenty
eight.
The first bullet hole was made by a
ball from pistol held at close range,
the face being bnrned with powder.
After the old man had been attended
to, Prosecutor Logue asked him for a
statement. He seemed very clear in
his head, and talked intelligently.
Hessaid his name was Thomas Bas-
net, an English man, and widower,
and he lived entirely alone in the
house on the Elmer road, the proper
erty being his own. He has long been
friends with Trynor, who it is alleged
might have been poisoned, and Bas
net had a notion that Trynor was
poisoned by the Italians. He then
became fearful of the Italians at being
called upon to give testimony at the
inquest.
He has been suffering from rheuma-
tism, and on Sunday while in the
house he was visited by the Italian
Cuppoli and colored man by the
name of Hawkins. They talked to
him about Trynor's death and tried to
find out all that he knew. This
worried him greatly.
Sunday night he went to sleep as
usual in his bed. He said he slept
unusually sound. He knew absolutely
nothing until about four o'clock
Monday morning, when he was
Ixa