Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1894-07-25
OUT OF A WINDOW.
WM ]. PEOPLES FELL THIRTY FEET TO TEE
PAVEMENT.
His Skull Was Crushed and Death Was lnstalta-
neous-Hs Had Been Seen Sitting in the
Window a Short Tims Be-
fore Hs Fell.

VIM. ]. Peoples was found dead on
the sidewalk in from. Of the ST. Charles
hotel yesterday morning about 4
o'clock. His skull was crushed, he lay
in large pool of blood and life was ex-
tinct. 1t is supposed that he fell from
a third story window in the hotel while
sitting there asleep.
he had been a guest OF the hotel and
occupied a room on the thru floor, over
looking Water street. During the night
be had been seen by several persons
about the house and is said TO have been
drinking a little, although he was not
Intoxicated and was not in the habit OF
drinking to excess. Some time during
the night he went TO his room and was
never afterward seen alive.
AT the coroner's Inquest held by
Squire Schultz about five o'clock yes
terday morning, f. r. Kendall, night
Waterman at the Panhandle freight
depot, told the only story which threw
any light on the manper of his death.
Mr. Kendall said that about B o'clock
he noticed man sitting in third-story
window of the hotel, with his back to-
ward the street. A little later
he looked again, and the man
had moved away. Just before
four o'clock he heard noise, and
thinking someone was trying 10 get into
the hotel he walked over towards where
the noise came from. Night Clerk
Frank Johanning had also heard the
noise and rushed out. They found the
lifeess body of Peoples.
The police were notified and Lieuten-
ant Gaus came with patrol wagon.
The body was taken into the hotal and
DR.. Billiard summoned, but IL was TOO
late. Life was extinct.
Squire Schultz only examined the one
witness, Mr. Kendall, and the jury
promptly rendered verdict that VIM.
]. Peoples came to his death by &C
cidentaly falling from window in the
St. Charles Hotel.
Mr.. Peoples was little over % years
of age, unmarried, and lived in Pits
burg st $500 Broad street. He was em-
ployed by Peabody 81 Co., and mad been
working on the new reservoir and 90
ing other asphalt work about the city,
where he had been for several weeks.
The remains will be taken to Pitteourg
this morning for burial.
There were rumors OF suicide ane
foul play In circulation soon after the
body was found, but nothing has been
found to indicate that be met his death
any other way than by accident. de
had no enemies, and was not known
even to have quarreled with anyone,
His hat was lying on the window
sill, and there was no evidence OF
any Quarrel in his room. The
fact that the body, when found, was
near the curbstone, some distance from
the building, was commented on oy
some persons who seemed to think that
was evidence that he had been thrown
out or had jumped out. The probable
ity is that in the course OF his thirty
feet fall he struck the wall and bound
ed out from is, falling where he dc.
S. j. Peoples, brother OF the Geceased,
who arrived in the city yesterday after
his brothers. body, said to a REGISTER
reporter last evening shat he was fully
satisfied there had been no foul play
and that his brother had not been muir
dered. ~ am positive" he said, that
he did not commit suicide. He was at
home only last Sunday and was in the
very best of spirits. he was perfectly
happy and asked me to come down to
Wheeling some Sunday and spend the
day with him. 1 am thoroughly con-
WINGED that his death was purely acct
dental. When rot feeling we'll he
would very often go to window ana
sit, the air seeming 10 help him. lie
was inclined to be nervous, especially
when asleep, and would often wsken
with a start or jump in his sleep. am
confident that not feeling well he went
to the window, dropped into a sleep and
fell out"
Patrolman John Murdoch was the hrst
man to discover the lifeIess body OF
Peoples. He was walking down Four
teenth street to the hotel, to call the
night clerk, about 4:3O o'clock and found
the body lying on the pavement he
notified the night clerk, and the police
were subsequently, notified.