Omaha daily bee., 1895-06-12
Result Of the Ooroners Inquiry Into the
Death of W. H 0happle.
JURY SAYS KILLING WAS UNJUSTIFIABLe
Examination Brought Out Facts rs Published
by The Zee and Showed tho
Murder to Have Boon
Deliberately Done.

9NS'tiNaS aAlSl hoVh III Nlt Inquest Htlu ONGT
the body Of the dead man who was killed at
the residence Of James c. Ish, S47 South
Twenty ninth street. Sunday night shortly
after o'clock. 1t means in plain words
that the killing OF Chappe was the result
of a preconceived plot that Chapple was i'm
vted into the Ish cottage to meet his doom,
Probably never in the history Of Omaha
has case attracted so much attention. 1t
is certain that no preliminary hearing has
been so largely attended. From the first
morning, when The Bee exclusively published
the causes which led up to the crime, through
the two days in which these were fully sub
stantlated by the facts that were hourly dis
covered, the horrible suspicion that the dead
man had been lured to his death grew more
and more plain in the minds of the citizens
Of the city.
TREMENDOUS JAM OUT.
Consequently at o'clock yesterday morn
ing, the time at which the inquest was an
nounced to take place, the morgue was fairly
besieged by a mass of people, not one-fourth
of whom could find admttance. Then Cor
oner Maui decided to postpone 1t until 1:3O
in the afternoon and to hold 1t in the court
room at the city Jail
Long before the time arrived the room was
filled to suffocation. Outside the railing
every foot Of space was occupied by men,
women and children, crowded closely to-
gether that one could go neither in nor out.
number of benches and chairs were de-
molished by the mob. In the galleries the
| condition was no better. One black mass OF
! people looked down from every side. inside
| the ratings were the six jurymen, the wit
| nesses. the reporters, lsh, surrounded by
his attorneys and the officials who had the
| inquest in charge, among them Coroner
Maui and County Attorney Baldrige. De-
! spite the number of people crowded in the
| room the intense interest felt by them in
| the case produced silence in which almost
every word that was uttered by the wit
nesses on the stand could be heard through
out the room
EVIDENCE HAD BEEN PRINTED.
The testimony heard developed nothing
new. Every word of it had already been pub
lished in The Bee, the greater portion of 1t
twelve hours in advance of any other paper.
| It showed beyond doubt that Mrs Ish
and the murdered man had been intimate
with each other for some time. 1t showed
that Mrs. Ish had sent notes to him and
had received him at her house 1t showed
| that Ish had knowledge of this intimacy and
| that on the same day on which Chapple
was killed Ish was hunting for him. It
showed that in the evening Chapple had
called at the house, probably in answer to
call, and that when he saw that lsh was at
home he wanted to go away, but Ish insisted
that he should enter 1t showed that Chap
pie was left alone in the bedroom with Mrs.
Ish, Ish going out, and that he returned
| lew minutes ldlST anu lUuuu iHGiH III all
embrace. And finally it showed beyond
doubt that Ish had himself shot Chapple
dead.
Neither Ish his wife were put on the
stand In fact the latter was not present at
any part of the inquest. Their attorneys
were asked If they had any evidence to offer
and they answered mo"
TEXT OF THE VERDICT
Three-quarters of an hour afterward the
verdict was returned, the full text being as
/, follows:
At an inquest holden at Omaha, in
Douglas county, on the 18th day of June,
1895, before me, NJ. o. Maui, coroner OF
said Douglas county, upon the body of w.
whose names are hereto subscribed, the
SAID tTroES upon their Oaths do do say that "a,
pistol shots fired by James G. Ish and
Mabel A ,ial Ish nso" his Wife on the the 9th day Of
o'clock in the afternoon, at Sl7 South Twen-
ty-ninth street in the city of Omaha,
, that the said shooting was unjustifabe.
In testimony whereof the said jurors
| have hereunto set their hands the day
anu yea" L. C. PATTERSON,
JOHN sTEpHENsoN.
w. II. SIDNER.
6 y. II. CHRISTIE,
+ w +. MANNING.
t After converting the jury for the purpose
. of holding the inquest yesterday morning at
4 | y O'CLOCK coroner MAUI ulsCUNeT6u tnat tne
n morgue entirely too small to accommo-
h | date the crowd of spectators that had assem-
= bled. On this account, and also because OF
J. the fact that several witnesses did not ap-
l. pear, he decided upon postponement until
o o'clock in the afternoon, and also determined
d to hold the inquest in the police court room
: Meanwhile the jury viewed the remains ot
It Chapple AID also paid a visit to the residence
h where the shooting occurred, SAT South Twen
e ty-ninth street
,S | nh Jo
/ the following: James Stephenson W. II. Sid
y ner, Henry Voss, David II. Christie, II. c
y Patterson and William f. Manning
Lonk before the time at which the nques
was to be held every available foot of space
in the police court room was occupied
. Shortly after 80 the first witness, DR.. Lee
= was called to the stand by Coroner Maui
The examination was conducted by Count!
"a Attorney Baldridge
n RESULT OF THE AUTOPSY
}" DR.. e. W. Lee was the first witness H
a testified to the post mortem examination
# which disclosed the cause of Chappes death
" He had found two bullet wounds either o
II which was sufficient TO cause death. TIL
- ball that had entered the back Of the hea
- must have caused instant death, and the on
"a which passed through the upper part Of tn
h body would have been fatal. Two othe
H. bullets had penetrated the neck but tn
is wounds in the neck were not necessaril
RS fatal. In reply to one question the witnes
al stated that in his opinion the victim wa
in a sitting posture when he was struck b
the ball which entered his head Tn
course of the bullet was slightly downwar
le which would indicate that it was fired fror
ne a point higher than Chapple's head. II
l. had visited the Ish cottage and had foun
IN blood on the walls and floor, also bullC
~ holes through the windows and easement
=" and also one in a chair which was in tn
t room where the shooting occurred. tn
80 chair was produced in court and identified
!, the object being to show that Chapple wa
!, n sitting in the chair when the first shot wa
~ fired. The bullet marks indicated that
1a shot fred from above had struck one of ii
al rounds of the chair and splintered It.
~ Superintendent Adams of the city pari
was called and testified that he was passln
r. the Ish residence at the time the shootiu
he occurred. He heard three pistol shots whiC
tn we're Immediately followed by three or fol
on more. Then Ish and his wife ran out, an
-, the latter declared that she had killed Cha
iie Pile to save her honor. He examined n
ra revolyers aud found two bullets remanir
on in one and one in the other. lie describe
nj the position and appearance OF the body, al