Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-01-04
n OPkiNS is ED
For Having Caused the Death of James
Gordon.
Testimony i'm Regard 60 the Occur-
renee Given Before the Coreners
Jury This Morning.

The inquest over the body OF Adam. alias
James. Gordon, who died yesterday morn
ing. was held at IL o'clock today at the
sixth precinct station, on New Jersey ave.
nue.. Gordon. it will be remembered was
colored man who was struck on the head
with brick in John Kelly's saloon, on b
street between Sd and 4 1-2 streets on the
18th of last month His injuries at FIRST
seemed trivial and a week later ne was
able TO appear in the Police Court against
his assailant, another colored man by the
name of Charles Hopkins. Hopkins was
sentenced to thirty days In jan and was
serving out his term when his victim died
as result of the injuries received nearly
a month ago
DIR. VIM. c. Woodward. coroner for the
District, conducted the inquest and i'm
paneled a jury consisting OF the following
members: John b. Hunt James Holmes,
Vim. II. Berry, John NJ. Elliott, Peyton
ID. Ninson and Samuel Wise.
The jury was sworn and viewed the re
mains In the morgue at the rear Of the sta
ton house.
samuel Newton's Evidence.
Hopkins is young colored man, and from
his appearance at the inquest today, one
would judge him to be Of a rather unde-
seloped intellect. The first witness was q
colored bricklayer. Samuel Newton, who
stated that he was in the saloon when Hop
kins entered. Gordon was sitting I'm q
chair and Hopkins walked up behind him
and struck him with a brick which ne had
concealed in his overcoat pocket. The in
1ured man fell from the chair unconscious
No remarks passed at the time. but the wit
ness understood there had been some bad
feeling between the two men. though he
knew nothing of il personally.
Corroboratfve Evidence.
VIM. Evans, also a young colored man,
testified that he was in Kelly's saloon when
the assault occurred. Hopkins said nothing
to Gordon, but simply struck him with q
piece of brick.
Laura Delaney, a colored woman who
was sitting at a table in the saloon with
Gordon and his lady friend at the time
the blow was struck. gave corroborative
evidence to the effect that there were no
words between the two men at the time. IL
there was any trouble between them she
knew nothing about It, Walter Snowden
another colored frequenter of Kelly's sa-
loon, described the occurrence. He also un-
derstood there had been trouble between
the men earlier in the day. but did not know
what IL was about In the morning Gordon
had struck Hopkins with a bottle.
Frank Queenan, a colored boy. testified
that he had heard Hopkins say that he was
going to hit Gordon with a brick and that n
he didn't he hoped he might be struck dead.
Afterward he heard Hopkins say that he
had done what he had intended TO do.
woman from Willow Tree alley. stated that
about an hour before the blow was struck
there had been q quarrel but no blows. She
saw Hopkins strike Gordon. Since then
she had seen Gordon, but he complaired Of
trouble in his head.
The Deceased's Brother
Fred. Gordon. a colored employee Of the
"a of n.
ned that his brother had been a well and
healthy man. The witness had seen little
of his brother lately. as he himself lived on
/ NJ street northwest, and did not know any
of the people in Willow Tree alley He
Unidentified the body in the morgue as that
of his brother Adam, who was known a.
Jim"
DIR. schaeHer's Evidence,
DIR. Edward NJ. Schaeffer. who performed
the autopsy this morning testified that ne
found nc wounds on the head. but inside
there was clot and considerable extra
vasated blood. There was a generally in
famed condition noticeable. The cause of
death was Inflammation Of the brain. gen.
orally known meningitis. There was no
! fracture. and he was unable to say that the
meningitis had been agg awaited or, caused
by the blow from the brick last month. He
did not think, however, that the blow was
the cause Of meningitis, as the Inflammation
undoubtedly antedated the blow and was
presumably chronic form. The blow
might have aggravated the trouble and
brought about death when IL would not
otherwise have occurred.
The Verdict.
This closed the testimony, and the jury.
after celebrating for some time. decided
that the deceased came TO his death from
injuries received by being struck By the
brick in the hands of Hopkins, and held
Hopkins for the action OF the grand jury