The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-10-04
IN A SUNDAY BARROOM
DAVID WURTH KILLED BY A CHANCE
BLOW FROM ALBERT COYLE.
There Was No Quarrel, and the Stay
Was Vastly Surprised-Sunday
Law VioIatOrs Not Arrested.

One affair, ending in death, resulted from
the wide-open saloon policy yesterday.
David Wurth, fifty-fve years old, was
killed in the afternoon under peculiar cir
cumstances, and on account of his death
Robert Coyle, living at (old) 250 South Ala
bama street, is locked up at the county Jail
with charge of murder against him.
The affair happened in a room in the rear
of julius Bottler's saloon at (new) 431 South
Delaware street. Wurth, when not other
wise engaged and on Sundays, acted as por-
ter about the saloon, and yesterday was
performing his work when ne met his death.
The rear room where it occurred is a sort
of kitchen and is made to serve as a Sun
day barroom. Yesterday at about o'clock
Coyle was sitting in the room talking with
Joseph Lay, tobacco salesman, living at
$50 Downey street Their chairs were so
placed that people passing in and out must
walk close to them. Wurth had about COM
pleted his work and had started out into the
yard. In passing Coyle he stepped on the
latters foot. Coyle jumped up quickly and
impatiently exclaimed:
Get off my foot, you Dutch -" and at
the same time he swung his right arm
around and the back of his hand struck
Wurth on the chin.
Wurth fell to the floor in the corner of
the room and Coyle and Lay went ON with
their conversation. AS Wurth did not rise,
Coyle picked him up and placed him in
chair and then went home, changed his
clothes and returned to the saloon. When
he learned that Wurth was dead he went ct
once to the police station and surrendered
himself
Coyle was greatly agitated when he talked
about the affair. He almost broke down
several times. He said he had known Wurth
for a long time and had never had harsh
word with him. 1T was all an accident .
he said L had not the faintest idea of
hurting him, much less of killing him. 1
was sitting there with only pair of light
slippers on my feet. He stepped on my
foot with his heavy shoe and it hurt me.
l was not angry, however, when l jumped
up I knew he did not step on my foot pur-
posely, but all l thought of was to push
him away. He must have been partially
overbalanced when 1 pushed him or the
blow would never have caused him to fall"
Coyle is an expert machinist in the en-
ploy of K. G. Atkins & Co. He works on
experimental and special machinery and
holds a responsible position. He is thirty
seven years old and has wife and several
children. Wurth was divorced from his wife
several years ago and had of late made his
home with a daughter on Downey street.
Henry kurz, the bartender at Bother $
saloon, and Joseph Lay, who was talking
with Coyle, tell about the same story of the
affair as that told by Coyle. They all agree
that the affair was an accident
The body of Wurth was taken to Herr
mann's morgue. The first examination by
the police led to the belief that the fall had
broken Wurth's neck, but this was found
to be incorrect. The coroner will hold an
autopsy this morning to ascertain the cause
of death. He is of the opinion that Wurth
suffered from heart trouble and the fall
caused rupture.
The police made an investigation Of the
affair as soon as it was reported, and the
oDinion is that the killing or death was
purely accidental. No arrests We're made
for the violation of the law on the part OF
Bother or his bartender for selling liquors
on Sunday or in a room for which there Is
no license.