The San Francisco call., 1895-11-26
Verdict at the Inquest Not Ap-
proved by Coroner
Hawkins.
JURY CALLED IT ACCIDENTAL.
What Policeman Crockett Said Mrs.
Massie Told Him at the Time
of the Affair.

Coroner Hawkins did not agree with the
Jury at the inquest yesterday on the Mas
sic shooting. The jury called it an acci-
dent, and to that verdict the members all
affixed their signatures. Coroner Hawkins
signed his name under the words "Not
approved"
Mrs. Helen Josephine Massie was pres
ent at the investigation of the circum-
stances surrounding the death OF her hus-
band, William Massie, but on the advice
of her attorney, Reel B. Terry, she refused
to make any statement. She cried bitterly
during the proceedings, bursting into tears
every time her husbands S name was men
toned.
The only evidence of any importance
was that of Police Officers Michael P. Hur-
ley and Charles Crockett. The point OF
Crockett's statement was that the woman
told him she shot her husband, but she
did not tell him (the witnessl that 1T was
accidental. Her husband had abused her.
she said John Massie of Oakland, rail
way conductor and brother of the dead
man, was present to formally identity him.
During the examination of Crockett one
Of the Jurors, II. Mantel, expressed him.
self as being of the opinion that the shoot
ing was accidental. This somewhat novel
proceeding took the Coroner completely
by surprise.
Policeman Hurley testified substantially
the following:
Mrs. Massie came running down Folsom
street about $50 o'clock Thursday evening,
and came up TO me just as l was going out or
the police station. She cried out to me: 'For
Gods sake come quick 1 have shot my hus
band" / asked her how it happend, and she
said, "1t was an accident"
On the way to her home she made state
ment to me on the street-how he had come
home in the evening and commenced to
abuse her. / asked her why she shot him. She
said while he was abusing her he went and
took revolver out of the satchel and pointed
1t at her; also that he told her that II he had
her in place where she could not make any
outcry or could not be heard he would kill
her. Her retort was eli l had q pistol L
might be as good as you.
However, Massie's statement to the Of
fcer at the Receiving Hospital before
death was that the shooting was acci-
dental, and the wounded man then gave
this explanation:
Ny wife did not point the pistol to me. 1 was
just after changing my pistol and was going to
wash my face, and sat on chair, when she
took the revolver. She was standing in little
entryway leading to the parlor from the
dining-room. told her to give me the pistol,
and with that it went off ;" and while was in
the act of getting off my chair the weapon
"went off" again.
officer Crockett told somewhat differ
ent story, as follows:
On Thursday evening officer Hurley and
Mrs. Massie came to the FolSomstreet police
station, and Hurley told me the woman had
shot her husband. So | went up to the house
with her. and while on the way questioned
her. She told me she shot him; that he abused
her two weeks before and was then going to
throw her downstairs-or did throw her down,
l could not be sure which--and with that he
pulled a pistol on her. That was IN the pre-
vious trouble. "So,' she says, che pulled this
pistol on me again this time and wrenched it
ont OF his hand and shot him."
Question--Did she make any statement as to
whether the shooting was accidental or inten-
tional-why she did it?
Answer-She said she shot him.
Juror-Did Mrs. Massie say at the time-did
you ask her whether it was accidental?
Answer-She said he pulled the pistol and
put it up to her breast, and that she snatched
the pistol from his hand and shot him. She
did not say 1t was accidental at all.
Juror Mantel was interrogated by the
Coroner as to whether he meant by his
question, "Did the wife make the state
ment as to its being accidental. or her hus-
band P' MantePs answer was, "No, no;
l believe it is accidental. That's what l
think"
The jury was out little over ten min
utes and reported the following verdict:
That the gunshot wound was inflicted by his
wife, Helen Josephine Massie by accident ace,
A. schrumpf, II. Nadro, II. Mantel. NJ. Froh-
man. N. Cohen, David Heron.
Coroner Hawkins refused to approve the
verdict. He said afterward, with con-
siderable sarcasm, that sit will be neces-
sary to establish limit to the number of
shots to be allowed in accident cases"
From the testimony it appeared that the
weapon was fired twice. The Coroner
could not see how the affair could have
been an accident. In connection he
alluded to the Ford shooting as another
singular ''accident" in which five
shots were fired"
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