The San Francisco call., 1897-11-30
TWO VERDICHS
BY THE JURY
One Charges DR.. Hall and
John Coakley With
Murder.
The Other Accuses Some Party
Unknown Of the
Crime.
Evidence That the Bride From Irv-
ington Was Victim of Hus-
bands Folly.

DR.. Samuel H. Hall appeared in Cor
! oner Hawkins office yesterday morning
at $3.50 o'clock, accom- panied by Henry G.
| McPike, his attorney, to attend the in
| quest on the body of Mrs. Ida Coakley of
Irvington. Alameda County, who died in
a room connected with DIR. Halls office
| at IA McAllister street on November %
from the effects of a criminal operation.
John Coakley, the farmer who married
| the deceased only two months before her
| death, was also present with his attorney,
Robert Ferral.
Neither Coakiey nor DR.. Hall was placed
on the stand, and their attorneys did not
ask any questions of the witnesses by
way OF cross-eXamination or otherwise.
The doctor was panied by his wife,
young, buxom and good-looking woman,
his daughter, Mrs Josephine E. Wells,
and female member of his staff.
James Hagan, Valencia-street under
taKer who had the BODY of Mrs. Coakev
on the way 20 the ferry when the dead
wagon was stopped by the Coroner, ad-
mltted that he had been given as many as
fifteen "cases," or dead bodies, by DR..
Hall. The question TO which that was the
answer was put by the Coroner, because
he believed that Hagan was an unwilling
witness against the doctor, his memory
being surprisingly bad Oh certain matters.
t Thus, when asked to give the name OF his
empIoye who had gone 10 DR.. Halls office
for the body al 10 o'clock at night, he re-
piled that he did not know his name, al
though the man had been in his service
for half a m onth.
Mrs. Wells told how Coakley and the
deceased came to the office. Mrs. Coakley
was complaining of pains in the neigh
borhood of the heart, and at her fathers
request the witness bad given up one of
her rooms adjoining and connecting with
her fathers office to Mr.. and Mrs. Coakley
She told also that Mrs. Coakley died while
sitting on chair before the fire.
Assistant City Physician McMurdo testi-
fed that he had countersigned the certifi-
cate of death at the request of DR.. Hall,
because "Dr. HalPs reputation was not of
| the best" Undertaken Hagan brought
the certificate TO him. The witness had
obtained written statement from Coax
lev to the effect that no Grim nal opera
ton had been performed and that there
had been no necessity Tor such operation
Deputy Coroner J. L. Mccormick ,esti-
fed how his suspicious had been excited
by reason OF the certificate having been
countersigned bv some one other than the
Coroner and because of the reputation of
DR.. Hall and the fact that be believed the
woman to have died in DR.. Halls office.
The witness also narrated An interview
with Coakley, in which that gentleman
said he brought his wife to this city to be
treated for pains over the heart. He and
she were on their way to the Cosmopoli-
tan Hotel, on the corner of Fifth and
Mission streets, when he happened TO see
DR.. Halls sign hanging in front of
IA McAllister street. Being acquainted
with the doctor he took his wife inside
and the doctor induced the couple to stay
there instead of going to the hotel.
John Gallagher autopsy surgeon, told
what he had discovered on the autopsy.
Evidences of a criminal operation with
instruments were plain. The woman
had she lived would have been mother
in five and half months from the pres
ent time. She had been in perfect health
before the operation was performed and
her heart Was sound and free from dis
ease.
Detectives Silvey and Crockett narrated
the result OF their Investigations, and the
jury retired.
After about twenty minutes delibera-
ton they returned TWO verdicts. That of
the majority was to the effect that Mrs.
Ida Coakley, aged "a years; nativity, CAL
ifornia occu patton, housewife; residence,
Iryington, Alameda, came TO her death
Novem Der % 1897, at IA McAllister street,
operation---
And we further find that deceased came to
her death from the effects of a criminal opera
| tion performed by DR.. Samuel IL. Hall and
further find that John Coakiey was access ory
to the same crime
This verdict was signed by NJ. Alexan-
der (foreman), William Reid. e. Frank,
David Pinto aud Louis Meyer.
The minority verdict, after reciting the
preliminary facts as given in the ma ajority
verdict, goes on TO say:
And we further find that deceased came to
her death from the effects of criminal opera
tion perfo rmed by party or parties unknown
to US.
The minority verdict was signed bv
Charles w. Tieburg and Au. ustus Brown
| ing.
II shall approve the ma jority verdict"
said Coroner Hawkins; lit is rendered
aecordin to the evidence in the case.'
NAfter the Coroner had rejected the mi
nority verdict the jury was discharged.