The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1898-03-13

Ernest Beck. the aged baker whose
body was found floating in the river
near Giesboro Point on Friday even
ing. as told in The Times yesterday
morning. was foully murdered and his
body thrown overheard This was
demonstrated by the evidence given al
coroner's inquest last evening. and a
verdict WAS rendered accordingly.
Coroner Carr and the jury assembled
AT No. Police Station at 6 o'clock and
after viewing the badly decomposed re
mains in the morgue, heard the testi-
mony Of several witnesses. The first
was Deputy Coroner Larkin W. Glaze
brook, who with the assistance OF
Morgue Master Schoneberger. perform
ed the autopsy. The witness had no
hesitancy in giving it as his opinion
that Beck was murdered in a most
brutal manner.
DIR. GIazebrook testified that the body
had evidently been in the water sew
eral weeks. He examined the dead
mans head and found several injuries
on the back Of the neck there was i
cut one inch long. made by some sharp
weapon, probably a Ratchet or ak. Ii
extended through TO the skull. On the
left side Of the head was a second
wound one and half inches in length.
and inflicted with such force as to
cause an indentation Of the skull, a
fracture, with d small piece of the de-
tached bone resting on the brain. There
was a similar wound on the fore-top
Of the head, with another skull in
dentation. In fact the skull was crack
ed like an egg shell as a result Of four
welI-defned wounds, front and back.
In addition 10 the injuries Of the
head, which undoubtedly caused Mr..
Beck's death, the deputy coroner found
that his breast had been crushed in.
The breast bone was broken and all the
ribs on the left side fractured.
Death did not result from drown
ing" said Dr. GlaZebrook. as the
lungs had not been inflated, as is the
case with drowned persons. 1t is my
opinion that he was dead when placed
ia the water"
II was also the deputy coroner's opin-
ion that the injuries to the breast were
inflicted after death, as there was no
hemorraRe Of the body, while copious
hemorrages were found under the
skull.
William Clarence Rowland, a boy,
told OF finding the body floating in the
river One-eighth Of d mile south Of the
insane asylum trestle, and Policemen
Reagan and Dyer OF pulling the corpse
close TO the shore. They testified that
only a few shreds OF clothing We're
clinging TO the body.
Mr.. Henry Beck, a son OF the muir
y
detailed the movements of his father
on the night Of January 10, when the
old man was last seen alive He Wis
tied a friend on II Street southwest
and started for home about 1876
O'Clock. In order TO reach his home
No. 1901 New Jersey Avenue southeast
il WAS necessary 10 cross The James
Creek Canal, probably passing over The
n Sweet bridge.
In answer TO q question by Coroner
Carr witness said his father had only
90 cents in his pockets when he left
home. Two weeks before his disap-
pearance he had been held up on the II
Street bridge by several colored men.
After that experience he carried but
little money with him. 1t was the opin-
ion Of the witness that his father was
murdered and thrown into James Creek
Canal and that his body foated out
4AAAR AA4E vi N-AE44 AAAE NclAAcL4 ~ &c
flushed.
The jury, after a few minutes delib-
Grafton, rendered a verdict that from
the evidence they believed Ernest Beck
came 10 his death from injuries inflict-
ed with feloniOus intent by q person or
persons 10 the jury unknown, and that
after being murdered the body was
cast into the James Creek Canal
The police were at once notified Of
the findings Of the coroner's jury and
began an investigation which may clear
up the mystery and lead TO the arrest
Of the guilty parties. A colored woman
who called al No. I station soon after
Mr. Beck's disappearance is under sur
VIGILANCE. She stated first that she had
heard the cries Of a man on the N
Street bridge on the night Of January
j., and few moments later the splash
as he was thrown or fell into the canal
The woman lives near the bridge. The
locality whore the crime is supposed To
have been committed is dark and
lonely one, and at times is infested by
desperate characters.
After the inquest the body was in
closc in an alright zinc casket and
turned over 10 the family. The top OF
the dead mans skull. showing the ter
rible fractures. viii be held as evidence
against the murderers, if they are