The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1896-04-09

In the matter of Stanley against the
East Line Railroad Company for Soooo
the case was withdrawn, to be compro-
missed by the parties interested.
JUSTICE JOHNSON'S.
Justice johnson called his court to or
der in the county court room Yesterday
to take up the investigation into the
death of an infant thrown from an In
ternational car window last Friday by its
mother, Mrs. Pearl VOCAL, who was ar
rested on a charge of murder
Ex-Governor Hogg, Attorney Andy
Houston and Lieutenant Walter Corwln
represented the defendant, and County
Attorney Calhoun the State.
Charles s. Morgan, yard master at
the International railroad yards, was
the first witness called, and sworn, he
testified as follows:
II was up the hill with the switch engine
Friday night when the passenger train
from San Antonio came in. When the
train pulled out switchman on it told
about the affair and l went out to look
for the baby and found it this side of the
bridge, two or three car lengths from
the switch. When found the child it
was lying on it's back with the collar of
it's cloak over it's face. thought at that
time that | felt its pulse beat, but | was
not certain, and l know now that didn't.
| took the child to the telegraph Office
near the bridge and laid it out. 1t did
not breath when first found it, and when
l got it to the Office l knew it was dead,
and telephoned for the officers. | told
them when they first came that | thought
the baby was alive when / first found it.
"Sam Moor and Mcclellan, engineer and
switchman of the yard engine, and the
telegraph operator were in the Office. |
was the first man to find the baby. 1t
lay on the ground about two or three feet
from the track. The ground there was
soft and the baby looked as if it had been
laid there. 1t had ON a long white dress
and long cloak. | think it could have
been let down to where it was from car
window by its dress. 1t had a little dust
on one of its cheeks, but there was no
marks of violence on it that | saw. |
think it is about seven feet
from a car window to where the
baby was. Officers took charge of it."
DIR. GRAVES
DR.. Graves testified that he held post
mortem examination of the body, having
an assistant. a young man, as he had
a wounded hand and it was dangerous
for him to use the knife on Il dead body. |
His assistant exposed the lungs and
lifted them out for examination and
made an incision into the upper lobe of |
the left lung and found it in normal con- |
ditiOn. He made no examination of |
the brain, and to a question asked by |
Governor HOgg, said the newspaper ar
ticle published Saturday morning had |
made an impression on his mind and he |
believed the body had been thrown off |
the trestle and had fallen some distance,
and he concluded death was caused by
conclusion of the brain. He found no
external evidence of injury, but that was
not always necessary in death from con-
cussion of the brain. He did not make
a very critical examination and was sat
isfied now from the examination made
by the other doctors that death was
caused by pneumonia. If the child had
been thrown from a car and fell IS or
20 feet. | think there would have been
external evidence on the body. There
was vinegar plaster on its chest, such
plasters being used sometimes for bron-
chial troubles. Dr. Graves said: "If
the whole of the right lung and 314 of
the left was hepatized, my conclusions
are the child died of pneumonia"
OFFICER CORWIN,
Officer Corwin testified: ~ met tbe
south bound train Friday night and the
conductor told me that woman Ind
destroyed her child and he went with
me 10 point her out. | asked her where
her baby was and she would not answer.
The conductor then, in her presence,
gave me his version of the facts and
again asked her where her child was
but she would not reply She seemed
to be unable to talk | then orroSted
her and placed her in the city iaiI On
the way to the station she told me whore
she mad thrown the child and | after
wards saw 1t in the yard masters office.
Charlie Morgan and others were there
and they told me the child lived about
~ minutes. saw no bruises on it and
II looked as II 1t died a natural death"
Cross-eXamlned. Officer Corwin said:
when | went to her in the car she
seemed to be in great distress. Out of |
the car on the way to the station she |
told me it died in her arms and said |
when she would hold it up straight if
would smother. 1t died, she said in |
her arms and she was friendless, with
no money, and threw it out of the win
dow. | believe she had only S. cents.
She did not tell me how long she was
in the closet, but said she threw it ont
this side of the last river they had
crossed. She also said she kept it long
enough to ascertain it was really dead
before throwing it out She told me
her name was Pearl VOCAL and that she
lived in Temple. While in the closet,
she, said. she tried to get the baby to
suck bur 1t would not and then she
tried to milk some milk into its mouth"
DIR. JONES.
DR.. Jones testified in substance. cor
robOrating the certificate of death made
by himself, Drs. Denton and Bennett,
printed in The Statesman Monday morn
ing. He said he assisted at post NOR
TEN examination of the child. There
were no marks of violence on its body.
\ careful examination of the brain found
i healthy and in normal condition,
There was no evidence of concussion
and a conclusion of the brain to produce
N -tnr Il 4