The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-09-21
FIND IT ACCIDENTAL
VERDICT OF CORONER'S JURY ON
THE DROWNING OF CHARLES
LARSON.
FEW NEW FACTS DISCLOSED.
COMPANIONS OF THE VICTIM RE-
LEASED WHEN THE INQUEST
is CONCLUDED.
FEW NEW FACTS DISCLOSED
BROTHERS STILL DISSATISFIED.
Think 1t Absurd That Woman
Should Be Saved and an Expert
Swimmer Drowned.

As the result of an inquest held at
sthe central police station yesterday
afternoon, to inquire into the death of
Charles Larson, the coroner's jury
rendered a verdict of accidental
drowning. All of the witnesses in the
case were subjected to a thorough ex-
animation, and as anticipated in the
Glo b of yesterday no testimony
was produced to show evidence of foul
play of any nature. Notwithstanding
this fact and the verdict, Larson's re-
latives still refuse to believe his death
to have been accidental, and declare
that the investigation will be carried
further. The jurors were: Frank
Mueller, John J. Ward, ]. D. Moran,
s. M. Badger, H. r. Kinney and George
Gerlach.
The three witnesses, Minnie Smith,
John Ryan and John Memo, who were
in the boat with Larson when it cap
Sized retold their stories, which have
already appeared in print and were in
general corroborated by other wit
nesses, with the exception of Frederick
Thoemke, who assisted in rescuing the
party from the overturned boat. He
testified to the supposed mysterious
conduct of Minnie Smith and Spider
Ryan when he had taken them to his
home to dry their clothing. Nothing
was said about Larson by any of the
rescued party, according to the wit
ness, until the house was reached,
when after a general discussion of the
accident, Ryan, Memo and the Smith
woman expressed themselves as be-
lieving that the missing man had
saved himself by swimming ashore.
During the conversation the witness
said that Minnie Smith had exclaimed:
20, [ see how the whole thing hap
pened'' but got no further when Ryan,
so the witness said, threateningly told
the woman to keep quiet and mot go
too far" Witness declared that at the
point where the boat is said to have
capsized the water is not over four feet
deep, and that these persons clinging
to the boat could have helped them
selves, though he admitted that they
were rescued in deep water, where the
current had doubtless rapidly carried
the boat. After the accident, he said
Minnie Smith told two stories, one
substantially as related before the jury
and the other to the effect that she
had fallen from the boat first and
that the accident occurred while Lar
son was trying to pull her aboard
again. This testimony, however, had
little weight with the jury, and was
not substantiated by any other wit
ness.
The evidence of Mrs. Amelia Richter
whose boat the DartV had taken tC
cross the river, strongly supported the
verdict She testified that there was q
hole an inch square in the bottom OF
the boat 1t had been drawn up on
the bank for repairs when taken by
Larson. The boat, Mrs. Richter said
would carry five people, but, when
thus loaded, the gunwale was little
more than an inch above the water
The fact that there was a hole in the
boat without the occupants knowing
1t corroborated the story of the Smith
woman, that she felt her feet getting
wet shortly after the boat left the
shore, and wanted to put back, while il