Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1898-09-11
THE INQUEST.
Jury Finds That Either Devinney or john
son Fired the Shots That Killed Me-
LaughIin and Charges Both With Willful


| Laughlin and Charges Both With Willful
| Murder.
| The inquest to inquire into the cause
| and means Of the death of Charles j.
| Mclaughlin was held last evening in
! the Office of Coroner J. w. Schultze,
On Thirty-third street. The inquest
was conducted in the presence of jury
composed of the following named gen.
tlemen: Alexander Beabout, Thomas
! H. Doyle, Charles ROepke, John w.
Scarborough, Charles H. Zimmerman
and James W. Pritchard. Prosecutor
Meyer examined the witnesses. These
who testified were George B. Caldwell,
Samuel Young, James Hannah, E. c.
Emrck, John w. Shorts, H. H. Alex
ander, J. E. Powell, Edward McGill,
John l.. Henry, i. G. Nixon, VIM.
| Craig, l. L. Gump. Others had been
summoned but did not appear. 5. U.
| BOyce, was present for defense.
| The bulk CT the testimony indicated
that Mclaughlin had been shot by De-
vinney, although the testimony of John
Shorts was different from this version.
The jury, in rendering its verdict, fail
ed to designate which of the two men
had done the shooting, but charged
| DOtn Win WllIul nlul uSI.
| l.. G. Nixon, who lives at No. l23
| Thirty-third street, was the first wit
ness. He said he saw Johnson and De-
vinney as the.S passed him in front of
! Dufy's saloon, on Market street, just
before the shooting He went into the
Bowery saloon, On Sixteenth street,
with some friends. After being in
there a few minutes he heard the re-
| port of a revolver and ran GU. OF the
saloon down Market street. He saw
Johnson and Devinney run down South
| street after the shooting. Heard some
person exelaim, There they go, and no
person is brave enough to stop them y
| Saw Mclaughlin dying on the pave
| ment. Mclaughlin lived a couple Of
/ minutes after he got there Helped to
| get Frank Mclaughlin, who had his leg
! broken, in a buggy and sent to a doc
| tor.
b. & O. Detective John Shorts was
| the next witness. About 2:30 o'clock
he was coming up Market street, When
| just at the south end Of the Fisher
| foundry heard a shot. He heard an
other shot. Looked around and saw
| Clarence Johnson in the street firing
! at man ON the sidewalk, who was
! also firing at Johnson. Johnson fired
! two Or three shots at Mclaughlin.
| Johnson kept moving around so as to
avoid the shots from Mclaughlin. Nc
! LLughln seemed 10 be in great dis
tress. Johnson met Deyinney at the
| sidewalk and gave the revolver TO De
! vinney, who put it in mis- pocket. He
| lost sight OF Johnson and Devinney as
! he went into Meehen's saloon to get
! a revolver, as he had none with him.
| During the shooting the witness saw
! Devinney on the pavement about ten
| or fifteen feet north of where Me
Laughlin dropped. Witness was not
| close enough to the parties to hear
anything that was said. He described
| the appearance of Johnson and Devin-
ney. Johnson had straw hat on aud
Devinney wore black dicer
Gel. George B. Caldwell was the third
witness. Witness was sitting in Mes
| bits real estate Office on Market
street. He heard reports and thought
at first that it was fire-crackers. Heard
| other shots and went outside. He saw
a man Writhing on the sidewalk and
| saw man standing opposite the fall
| len man with a revolver in his hand.
| Witness saw the man with the revolver
walk up street, meet taller man and
! both walked down South street. Wit
| ness followed to keep them in view.
! He saw the shorter man in the dark
| suit hand the revolver to the taller
man and they handled the revolver as
| they went down South street. They
went around Baer's grocery and up Six
| teenth street to the city building. Wit
ness did not know any Of the men en-
| gagged in the shooting.
| James Hannah was called to the wit
ness stand. The witness stated he
| keeps a cigar store at No. 1877 Market
street. Knows Clarence Johnson per-
sOna,ly and Devirley by sight. First
saw Deyinney and Johnson at Sixteenth
and Market street, coming down Mar
/ ket street. Witness was standing in
front of his store As johnson and De
vinney got just be,ow his store they
increased their speed as they approach
| ed four men whom they seemed to be
| following. He saw Devinney pull a re-
| yClver out of his nip pocket and raise
| it, The witless knew there was going
to be trouble and stepped inside his
store door. He heard a shot and some
| PEI SUI SuCul, GlAe IL " MIN sever al
times. Thought it was Johnson's
voice, as it was familiar. Witness
could not say that it was Devinney
| that fired, but thought it was, as he
| did not have time to transfer the wea-
pom. He heard other shots fired in
rapid succession and saw Devinney and
Johnson come back up The street. Wit
ness thought there was between five
and seven shots fired. Did not know
| any of the parties that Devinney and
| Johnson were following.
Samuel Young, a South Side potter,
testified that he met Frank McLaugh-
lin, Charles Mclaughlin and VIM
! Craig at Twenty-siXth street Friday
afternoon. They went up Main street
| with the Mclaughlin boys, and went
up town to Tenth street They came
back down Market street. Johnson
and Devinney came up back of them
| in front of the photograph gallery
| above the Market street bridge. and
witness heard Johnson shout, Give it
TO them" He turned around. but was
so frightened he could not tell who did
the shooting Two shots were fired be-
| fore the, witness turned around. AS he
| turned he saw Frank as he ran into the
| gallery and saw Devinney and Johnson
| at the curb, but the smoke almost Cb-
! scured them from view. Chas. Nc
Laughlin did not fail The wounded