The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-12-08
KEARNEY HELD FOR MURDER.
HE is CHARGED WITH CAUSING
THE DEATH OF j. w. WYNESs.


stances of the Affair in Which
WynesS Received His DEATH
Wound Given in Detail Before thu
COroner's Jury-POIice mnn Fran J,
Smith Gets Himself Into Tight
PIace-The Hearing Very Thor
ough One.
John W. Wyness, who was shot Non
day night by Patrick Kearney at the cor
ner Of South Broad and Price streets, died
yesterday morning at 1O:45 o'clock. His
death was expected from the first, and
there was only one day that the physi-
clans held out any hopes.
Coroner Goette took charge of the body,
and held the inquest at the police bar
racks last night. The inquest began at
O'Clock, and ended at 2:SO this morning,
when the jury returned the following YER
dict:
1--WE, the jury, find that John w. Wy
ness came to his death by a gunshot
wound caused by the hand of Patrick
Kearney. We. the jury, consider the
same murder"
The jury consisted of Percival r. CO.
Kennedy, c. f. Cler, Jacob Gardner and
P. ]. Golden and was without doubt tho
best jury Coroner Goette has impaneed
in a long time.
The evidence was taken down by Mr..
T. L. Hill and Constable e. c. Hartigan
was the officer of the court. There was
a large crowd in the court room, and it
was thought the jury had ceased taking
evidence. Although the evidence devel-
oped very little that was new, there were
several features of interest.
The jury began taking evidence at s
o'clock. DR.. M. L. Boyd was the 1irst
witness. He said that he was called to
visit Wyness the morning after the wound
was received. He found him suffering
from double traumauc pneumonia. He
found a hole in the left arm four and
one-half inches from the tip of the Shout
der There was no circulation in that arm
and no pulse, leading TO the supposition
that the artery had been severed high up.
The case ran the course that a pneumonia
of that kind usually does, and The patient
died
This afternoon, at the request of Mr..
Wyness' brother" said Dr. Boyd II held
a post-mortem examination and traced
the course Of the ball from its poiR of
entrance into the arm through the axilla.
II entered the body without coming out
from the flesh, passed directly through
the third rib on the left side, through the
upper lobe of the left lung, just above the
base of the heart, on through
the upper lobe of the right lung, going
out between the second aud third ribs
and was found lodged In the muscle just
outside OF the rib. The patient died from
the pneumonia produced by the wound.
l asked Wyness how he got hurt. His
reply was that he had been in a scrap
with two or three fellows and that some
one had shot him, afterwards adding that
Pat Kearney had shot him. That was his
first statement to me. Afterwards he said
that Pat Kearney shot him. but he
thought he did it accidentally. Yesterday
in the last statement that he made to me.
he said that he and a friend, Counihan
were talking loudly. and rather bolster
ously, that they meant no
harm. neither of them being angry
that Kearney came up about that time and
shot him. He didn't know whether it was
accidental or not. 1 think that covers all
he said to me on the subject.
In answer to a question DR.. Boyd said
that yesterday Wyness was a little
Eighty The coroner requested me to
note the probable position of Mr. Wyness
at the time he received the shot, said Dr.
Boyd. 'The arm could not have been ele-
waited and received the wound it did 1t
was in this position, and DR.. Boyd illus
trated by holding his left arm slightly bent
with hand in front of the body
The bullet was exhibited 1t was a So
caliber bullet of the same pattern as those
in the cartridge used by the police.
In answer to the question of a juror,
If the wound caused Wyness' death, DR..
Boyd replied.
yves automatically
The wounded man was rational I'D to
yesterday" he said, Though inclined to
wander Previous TO yesterday he was as
rational as he ever was"
j. X. Taylor, proprietor of the place at
which Wyness was shot, was sworn.
Really, don't know anything" he said.
II was done on the outside and | was
standing behind my bar. There were sew
eral people in the place about that time
and was not paying any more attention
to Mr.. Wyness than to any one else There
was no quarreling. Counihan and Wyness
came in together. After a while Police
men Smith and Kearney came in. There
was no loud talking or quarreling and all
seemed TO be the best of friends l did
not see any pistol exhibited knew WV.
ness and Kearney, but never saw them to-
sether before. l run a restaurant and
nave walters running in and out, and be.
sides attending to the crowd at the bar
ana It keeps me pretty busy. The men were
drinking, but none of them were drunk.
suppose Wyness and Counihan had beer
there half and hour when the shooting oc
CURED, which was four or five minutes
after Kearney came in. The sound of The
shot appeared to me to be about half wa,
between my door and the first stoop, abou
thirty feet distant"
Did you hear any remarks passed be
tween the parties after the shooting?" {
juror asked
mo, did not. They never came bach
in the barroom."
Epsome Gay, the colored dishwasher a
the restaurant, proved a very poor wit
ness. All he knew about II was he hear,
the pistol shot when he was in the kitch
en-. lie ran out and when he go
back he found three officers by the door
He said he did not see either Wyness
Counihan or Kearney previous 10 tn
shooting
Joseph Hallinan, bookkeeper for tn
company Of which MIR. Wyness was man
ager, was the next witness. lie said
Last Monday night about o'clock a
the corner of South Broad and Pric
streets / saw Joe Counihan and job
Wyness standing in Taylor's bar talking
] went in and spoke 10 both of their