The San Francisco call., 1897-02-16
DIED FAITHFUL
To HIS SLAYERS
Portland Citizen Killed Be.
cause He Knew of
a Murder.
Kept Hs Pledge to Remain
Silent, But His Lie Was
Taken.
Evidence That Frank Nagle Was Not
the Victim of Railway
Accident.

PORTLAND, Or, Feb. 15.-Despite the
Coroner's jury verdict of death by acci-
Dent" a singular mystery envelops the
death of Frank Nagle, the shoemaker,
killed here last night by a railway
train. Had the jurors noted the alb
sence of any mutilation of Nagle's
body beyond the crushing OF the
head; had they dwelt upon
the absence of wounds on Nagle's body,
beyond a slight abrasion of the skin on
the right side, and had they but had as
witnesses before them the men of Port
land, we'll known citizens and clergy
who knew the avengIng spirit that had
been following Nagle for years, the verdict
of the jury might have been different.
Nagle was a doomed man. 1t was neces-
sary that his tongue be silenced.
About three years ago Nagle went to
Matt Foeller, the Cham ber of Commerce
tobacconigt, telling him that the night
before he had heard some men talking in
front of his shop. Being up at the time,
through curiosity, the shoemaker had, he
said, made his way to the front and
listened. The details of horrible mur.
der were brought to his ears.
In his tremb bling haste TO get away from
the murderers he overtipped small work
seat, which he had been accustomed to
use. The noise OF the falling bench and
tools caught the ears of the murderers on
the outside. In an instant the front door
of the cobbler's shop was broken in and
the three men who had been conversing
rushed in.
Nagle was too quick. As the numbering
gang tripped over the tool-strewed floor
of the shop ne made plunge through
rear window and escaped in the dark
ness. That night he slept at the house of
friend. saying nothing as to the cause of
his unusual visit.
Nagle returned to his Water. street shop
next day, and as soon as he commenced
the straigh tening up of the disordered
place three men entered. What passed
between the shoemaker and his visitors
only Nagle and his coniessor know.
From that day to the day of his death
yesterday-Nagle had been in constant
fear of murder. He moved from the shop
on Water street to new location at SOL
Johnson street, but this gave him no
sense of security.
Don't wonder" he would say. ''if some
morning you find me dead in some out
of-the-way corner with a bullet-hole
through my head or read of my mangled
body being found strewn along railroad
track. So help me God, as the priest will
tell you, I've kept my word with these
men as to secrecy concerning what 1 over
heard, but they keep haunting me until it
seems at times as though my mind would
give way. I have no rest"
cit seams to have transpired about as
poor Nagle expected" said Mr.. Foeller,
speaking OF the shoemaker's death this
afternoon. ITO say that he was carried
by the engine and beneath the pony-trucks
Tor seventy-five yards seems out of the
question, when the slight mutilat1on of the
body, beyond the fearful crushing of the
head, is taken into consideration. Not a
bruise appears, aside from a mere scraping
of the skin on the right thigh, which
might result from any fall. Rememb ber,
it was dark. ana the first that Engineer
Rhodes saw of the dead man was when he
was struck by the pilot.
'The result of that shock was but the
crushing of the upper portion of NagIe s
skull. All the other parts of the dead
mans body are uninjured."
Detectives believe that the murder Nagle
had reference to was that of George w.
Sayres, for which "Bunco" Kelly is serv-
ing a life sentence.