Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1896-02-06
A MYSTERIOUS DEATH.

1aa- the Salt Works. east of town. Upon
;uqu;rv he learned tha, the dead mau was
a hrother-in-lav OF Ed Moore. Of the
Humes Torpedo Co., and il company Win
Ed. he visited the place and foald the man
whom Ed identified as bis brother-i1-le"''
Fred Mcbride Of Meadville.
shIman telephoned for an undertaken
the body was brought to Berkimer's IN
lertakinc establishment, On Main ST.
where it was viewed By quito a number OF
people. and showed no marks of violence
although there was very distressed look
upon his face and his clothes were not
disarrauged
Three men were with the body TheE
found ana they Eere brought to town.
Their faces were bruised and in answer to
the question, what is the matteE' SAID
.hev chad been in a little push, last night.
skillman found two more of the gang and
they were placed in jail to await The ar
rival Of the Coroner who had been tele-
phoned for.
The Eve men in jail gave their names as
Charles McCarty, Robert Ovens, John
Lynch. Thomas Pierce and Peter Haney,
who slept with Mcbride that night, and
the other man that slept with him, Kelly
has rot Jet been found.
The men became very defiant and reids
ed to answer any questions until the room
was cleared
Mcbride is 80 years Of age, and had been
working on the new water line north OF
town.
The remains were taken to Meadville,
wednesday morning.
Il was . O'Clock before Coroner Graham
got ia to hold the Inquest. lie is teaching
al Eagles school in Consequences
ing township, and owing to the pad con
difiop of the roads, wcrd was late reacL-
ing him The following Jury was empaneI-
ed: R. B. Gilghrist, John Jack, A. T. Scott
II. Graham, l. Mcbride and j. Nc
Nees. and behind closed doors DR.. Byers
and Moore made an examination OF the
body.
After the doctors got through with their
examination in Be1kimer's rooms the co:0-
ner and his Jury adjourned to the District
Attorneys Office in the Huselton building
DIR. Moore was the first witness e7amln
ed. after being sworn he was examined Dy
the coroner assisted by District Attorney
A. NJ Christley DR.. Moore said that he
could see no signs of violence; no marks OF
apythipg of hat kind that would produce
death; there was some old marks Out Ihey
would not have caused death; coOId not
tell what caused death; made only an out
side examination; could not tell Tor GER
tainty what caused death II bad made an
autopsy
DR.. Bvres sworn, corroborated D. Moore
"a 10 old bruises; did not think they would
cause death, etc; 10 visable signs Of foul
plav: thought the dark marks on neck were
old: no bones dislocated; thought the req
mark on his b reast was due to the way he
was lying when found.
Mr.. Berkimer, sworn, Mr.. Berkimer IS
an undertaken: was called Dy telephone ~
6 o'clock Tuesday morning by Policeman
Skillman: in company with Skillman, I'd
Moore and a maa giving his name as Nc
Cartv went to the Salt W orks and III lit
tie ghantv about $50 feet from the main
building of the Salt Works found tho dead
man. the shantv had two rooms, the first
about 10xl2 feet contained a stove, bunk
made OF boards, q rough table about hVe
feet long; the other roon was about lOxlO
and contained nothing but bunks-berth
faslion-one above the other two men
were in the shanty, both had their faces
skinned and bruised; looked as though
there had been fight; said they knew
nothing as to how Mcbride met his death;
awoke and found him dead about or d
O'Clock in the morning; were wrestling IS
how they got marked up; they asa not re-
sist coming with the officer; the bunks or
berths we're about feet wide; they put
the body in collin and brought u 10 town.
saw no marks Of violence.
Ed Moore. sworn lived in Butler; was q
brother.in-law Of the deceased; last -sa"
him at 40 the evening before, when lie
left said he was going back to Oneida
whore ho had been working; had been
drinking last week, but on Saturday he
notified the hotels not to sell him any liq-
uor: lut was sober when he last saw him;
was a special or extra engineer on the n.
YP. & o. X. r.; had been west for some
time; was 30 years old; first saw him Sat
urday; stayed that night at Mrs. Steen
boarding house in Springdale; not one OF
the five men now in jail were with him on
Saturday; was surprised that boy raised
as he had been would be in such company;
resented being called hobo" and dls,
played money saying he was not ''hoDo
and had never begged a meal; McCarty
had told him that some one tod him (Mc-
Carty) to wake up tb@t Mcbride was still,
he also said that he had not been drinking;
was perfectly sober; McCarty had the
Nv ThDrur.nU-
place was a tramp's resort; a man with
whom Mcbride had boarded up the
creek said he was all right-not quarrel
some; had money. But % cents were
found in his pockets.
Policeman Jas. Skillmar, sworn, was
called by Telephone from p. d w. Depot
about o'cloak; went to depot; met Nc
Carty who told him that dead man had
been found out at the salt works; McCarty
said that the man came to the shanty
about 6 or 7 o'clock the evening before
and complained of not feeling well, ate a
hearty supper and went to bed early; Kelly
and Haney slept with him; he was awaken
ed and told that Mcbride was stiff. felt
him and found him cold and stiff was lying
on his back, and they turned him over;
that he had been there day or two; Skill
man called Berkimer and Moore ard
went TO the shanty; one of the men said
theylhad had little scutAe; Haney who
slept with him was in jail, but Kelly the
other man who slept with him had not
been appreAended yet; when he arrived
Mcbride was black in the face; coupling
pin was the only thing in the room, which
was near one of the hunks; Kelly has not
been seen since; by the lack of furniture
there could have been big fight aud no
marks of it left; Mcbride had his clothes
on when found and they were not torn;
has no 6olbt there had been a big scutle
in the shanty: had marks on him that look
ed as though he had been choked; was
still looking for Kelly.
At the end of Mr.. Skillman's examina-
ton the Coroner announced that they
would adjourn till 9 o'clock Thursday
morning.
Instead of meeting at the District At.
torney's office, Thursday morning, the
coroner and his jury met in the grand jury
room in the Court House.
Charley McCarty, sworn had not rent
cd the shanty; was there three weeks
worked on water line five months; worked
Monday forenoon; got paid $ls.2O or
Saturday; or men and woman were in
the shanty that night; were more or less
| under the influence of liquor; got gallon
| of whiskey; Mcbride slept there Sunday
| night; is native Of Albany, n. Y. hai
been knocking around for some time; Nc
| Bride drank with the rest, did not put tht
cork in the jug ill it was emptied-diC
last hours; was not drunk: Kelly was thu
| drunkest man in the shanty; King auC
Peters got to fighting; Mcbride was lyint
on a bunk, by 10 O'Clock; knocked Pierce
down and kicked him; threw King aside
o, 10 or II were in the shanty altogether
Haney and Kelly slept with Mcbride; sal,
| there was something wrong with Mcbride
he was stiff, this was about 20 minutes O
, O'Clock; he was black and stiff; NO fight