The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-04-09
WIND|SH MURDER Case
Damaging Evidence Heard Before the
COrOner's Jury.
TESTIMONY OF THE CHILDREN
What the NeighbOrs Saw-StOry Of the
Husbands Brutality-Thrcats Made
Against tho Murdered Woman.
Windish Still Missing.
Special to the Scranton Tribune.

Special to the Scranton Tribune.
Pittston, April S.-The witnesses In
the Windish murder case were ques-
toned this afternoon at the office of
Justice Gibbons before Coroner John
Il. Perkins and County Detective Eek
ert, both of Wilkes Barre. The first
witness sworn was Frank Windish, the
youngest son of the murdered woman.
He testified that on Thursday MORN
ing last he left home as usual for his
work at No. 8 breaker of the Pennsyl-
vania Coal company. When he re-
turned about 3 o'clock he was not able
to find any of the family about the
premises. His Oldest brother, George,
Nothing unusual in the appearance of
the house attracted their attention or
aroused their suspicious. He stated
that his sister, Sophia, returned from
school at the usual hour of 3.45. The
children on Thursday night thought
that the father had left home for a
short time and that their mother had
followed him, as had been the case be-
fore. on Friday morning the children
10 o'clock before they left the house for
work. Frank stated that the last time
he saw his mother was on Thursday
morning, before he left for work at the
shaft. His father was in bed when he
left for work Thursday morning. He
said that his father always carried the
key to the room where the body was
found; and also said that his father had
beaten his mother on the Sunday pre-
vious to the day the crime was COM
mitted.
The Fathers Threats.
The testimony of the oldest son,
George, only varied from that of his
brother in that he said that his father
had threatened to kill both the mother
and witness on a previous occasion;
and that in row last summer had
struck the woman with a mallet. He
saw his father last on Wednesday, and
his mother last on Thursday morning.
James Kerrigener testified that he
lived opposite the residence of the
Windish family, and first discovered
that something must be wrong at the
Windish home, as the boys had COM
planned that their parents had not ar
rived home. The boys told him they
had never been away so long before.
Kerrigener said that he had requested
the boys to look in the cistern and
search the barn for their missing par
ents. The children, he said, had found
their mothers best clothes about the
house, but had not entered the parlor,
as they had never been allowed in the
room when their father and mother
were at home. Kerrigener advised them
to kick the parlor door in. About this
time j. +. Smalts, who lives nearby
opposite the Windish residence, came
over and looked in the parlor window
and discovered the object on the floor
which proved to be the dead body
of the murdered woman. Smalts forced
the door open.
John Drummond, the next witness,
was well acquainted with the Windish
family. He had frequently heard the
couple engaged in quarrels He last
saw Mrs. Windish alive on Wednesday.
DR.. Barrett testified to having ex-
amined the body of the murdered wo-
man, and stated that he had found a
number of wounds upon her head,
any one of which would have caused
death. The cuts appeared to have been
made by some blunt instrument like
q dull chisel.
Link in the Chain.
Louis Weintz went by the Windish
residence between 1890 and 1.30 Thurs
day and met Windish walking toward
the central part of the city. Windish
was nicely dressed at the time. WeintZ
hailed Windish, but the latter, making
no reply, walked hurriedly away.
Charles Heinselman testified that he
had known the Windish family ten
years. on Wednesday night he met
Windish in a place kept by q man
named Reynolds. Windish and Helm
selman had not spoken to each other
since last summer, but on that evening
Windish began conversation with
Heinselman and during the evening be-
came very confidential. During the
course of his remarks Windsh intimat-
ed that he would dispose of his wife
in some way in the near future.
After listening to the evidence the
jury rendered a verdict to the effect
that the said Elizabeth Windish came
to her death by the hand of her hus-
band, George Windish, at noon on
Thursday, April 4.
T,a. a.