The evening times., 1896-07-29
THE coRoNRR's INQUEST.
Smiths Actions Described by His Eel.
low Servants,

| low Servants.
Magistrate a. ID. Bailey had arranged fol
\ the holding of the coroner's inquest n
Seat Pleasant at 0 O'clock. The jury hat
been practically impaneled the night be
| fore.
! The personnel was as follows: Francis
| GaSch, Mendel Behrend Samuel Collins
Waller Collins. Frank Collins, Eddie Gasch
Frank Wilbur. Clayton Janey, George Cur
tin. Percy N. Cox, S B. Meacher and CeveI
| Rollins.
| II was two hours after the hour arranged
| however, before the panel marched into :hc
second parlor and circled before the mags.
| trate's table. The jurors had all been In
the room above and viewed the remains.
but the were sent upstairs to make another
| examination.
| The first witness on their return was Dr..
Adolph w. Miller, OF No. 125 Fourth street
southeast. As he took his seat the 10 ungers
about the front piazza crowded into the
parlors, and the doors, and the room grew
suffocatingiy warm. ,,s
| DR.. Miller told the story substantially as
1t was in The Morning Times. He had come
home with Mrs. Drown and they found no
| one about the house. Mrs Drown wondered
| where Marguerite was and went up to her
| room She found the door locked, and went
back down the stairs and told DR.. Miller
she feared something mad happened He
| went up and called at the door, but there
| was no response.
DR.. Miller then broke the door in and
found the young lady lying on the floor
with her throat cur. Her clothes Were not
disarraDged.
| For some reason, unexplained, all per-
SOUS save the jury were requested to retire
from the room ut this point, and Mrs Sarah
| Drown, the foster mother snd aunt OF the
girl, was called as witness. Her testi.
| mony followed closely that given by DR..
| Miller, however, SO far as the finding Of
the body was concerned. Mrs. Drown was
almost overcome with grief.
TRIED TO KISS MARGUERITE,
Referring TO James Smith, the brute who
committed the crime, Mrs. Drown said that
| he once attempted to kiss Marguerite while
they were on one of the back verandas.
The girl, OF course, repuised him, and he
| was very much incensed and seemed To
brood over it.
Still lie was an excellent servant, Mrs
Drown testified, and had never given her 4
particle OF trouble. He attended strictly
to his own business, and was always defer
ential TO those around him"
When she finished her testimony the
country people again crowded back into
| the room and pressed eagerly forward to
hear every word OF the proceedings. Fans
hats and handkerchiefs were used by the
bronzed face men to make current Of air
in the room.
George Bland, colored farm hand. was
the next witness. He and another colored
| man had seen Smith about O'Clock in
the afternoon Wien they left to look for a
stray hog
We came back about $50 O'Clock"
said the witness. We met Jim's cousin
down the front steps. He was in a hurry
an said he'd been changin' his shoes. He
had basket on his arm, an said he's goin'
after eggs. He was in a big hurry, boss"
did you see Jim last Tnursday?" asked
Magistrate Bailey.
Yes, sab; saw Miss Marg gle pushin' him
off de front porch dat afternoon. lie had
hold oy her wrist, an she tole me
afterwards dat he wus botherin' her"
did she say whether he had ever done
SO before?"
She said henever acted SO an dathe wus
tryin to put his arm aroun' her waist
Daniel Bryan, another colored helper, was
called. He also told of the hog-huntins q
expedition He returned to the house with
George, the previous witness. about 6
O'Clock, when Jim came downstairs He
went back upstairs and stayed there
about ten or fifteen minutes. Then he
came downstairs with basket and said
he was going after eggs.
Where were you when Marguerite called
you to dinner?''
.Over In the corn field"
Gould you tell what part of the house
the sound came from?'
"No"
Both of the witnesses were sent up-
stairs to remain until the iDquest was over
Lucy Garrett, the colored cook, testi-
fled that Miss Marguerite came down
stairs about 6 O'Clock, and called the boys
to supper. Then she went back up-
stairs, and the witness knew Jim came up
to the house. Presently the witness heard
noise like the young lady was laughing
Shortly after this, or about $50 O'Clock,
jim came downstairs and started way with
basket OH his arm.
The witness asked him what was tho
matter, and lie eanswercdthatitwas 1t W as nothing.
At this instant Deputy Sheriff waring,
tall, handsome man, entered the room.
ANNOUNCED DTHECAPTURE.
They've got that man at the Ninth pre-
cinct,' he announced uncerenoHiously as
he reached the center Of the room.
A smile broke on the face of almost every
juror. while look of happiness appeared
on every other countenance in the room
and sat there, strangely n contrast with the
expressions of a moment before.
That's good" one juror whispered to
his neighbor. ITS bully" said another.
There was talk then of adjourning. Col.
II the captured suspect would not return
and appear before the coroner's jury with.
out a reQuisition.
A knife was brought In and laid on Mr..
Bailey's table. Some one had found IL in
the room where the crime was committed.
1t was black knife OF poor quality. The
handle was three inches long. The blade
was an inch longer.
1t was dull and saw like. 1t did not look
like the deed could have been SO success
fully done with that, still it was found in
the room.
Dr.. Miller identified the knife as one his
sister bought him with which to cut to-
bacco. 1t cost cents.
DR.. Cox was called. Death resulted from
a severance Of the Juguiar vein.
rs It possible it could have been
suicide?" asked a juror.
'lttspossible, but Eot probable. Theblo
was too hard. could touch the back.
bone throu 6 h the wound.
There was undoubted evidence of
violence. think ii. unnecessary to go into
further detail.''
The hearing closed at 1910 O'Clock.
The jury did not retire from the room.
The men and women did not move from
the door. There was but one verdict.
everybody thought. Ten minutes later II
came in, when the Jurors found that the
young woman came to her death throupb
stab wound inflicted in the neck Nv
knife in the hands of James Smith
HER FUNERAL TOMORROW.
The funeral OF the murdered girl will
take place from the house at 4 o,cJocl,