The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1899-05-19
DEATH BY HIS OWN HAND.
Is the Verdict OF. the Coroner's Jury Over
a.34 -. the Remains of Chris Watt. ef3

Is the Xerdictaof, the Coroners Jury Over
I s..1 r., the Remains of Chris Watt. .r.ffI
Brief mention was made in last weeks
paper over the finding of the dead body
of Chris Watt at his home a short dis !
lance east of town. The. particulars re-
garding his death were not athand when,
the paper was printed though we
mentioned the fact that a coroner's in
quest was being conducted by Justice
Spencer. The testimony taken at, the
inquest developed the fact that the body
of Watt had been lying dead in the
house more than "a hours before the
neighbors were notified even after his
wife was aware that life was extinct and
it was something of a chance circum-.
stance that they were informed then.
The. story of LATE Davis and Doc, Keller,
two fishermen, who passed the Watt
premises Thursday morning, told at the
inquest, is that they found Mrs. Watt
some distance from the house cooking
a meal and when they came up she asked
them to $50 to the house and see what
was the matter of Chris for she thought
he was dead saThey7 foundithe true
state of affairs and first spread the re-
port to the neighbors and afterwards
brought the news to Justice Spencer
The latter made trip to the Watt farm
where he found the dead man curled up
in corner of the kitchen, and iln1ned7
iatly returned to town and summoning
a coroners jury, consisting of Robt.
Attlesey, A. w. Fessenden, G.. e. Shan
non, John LaBundy, III. III. Dickinson
and I. c.. Howell, returned to the prem
Uses. Dr. McChesney, made an exami- +.
nation of the body and found gun shot
wound in the side over the heart with an
opening nearly as large as a hand Two:
or three ribs carried away and the charge
had penetrated the heart and other Or
gans and must have caused almost in
slant death. So large a wound could
scarcely have been caused except but by
placing the muzzle of the shot gun close
to the body. - H. 'a.., - ~ -
The testimony of Mrs. Watt was that
her husband had been drinking hard of
slate and when in liquor was. ugly and
caused her to fear greatly for her safety,
so much so, that she dared not sleep in
the house" and on both Tuesday and
Wednesday nights she slept in the gran
cry. She says he came home Tuesday
night very drunk and craWled in the !.
house. Late Wednesday morning she
looked in through the window and seeing,
Chris still lying ON the kitchen floor and
supposing him to be- still drunk stayed
away from the house all day. Wednes- /,
day when Davis and Keller came she
thought best to see what really was the
matter Of her husband. She saysshe
did not hear the gun discharged but
found it lying beside the dead man with
one end Of string tied to the trigger
and the other to stove leg. She'had
often heard Chris threaten to shoot both
her and himself and was in constant
dread that he would do So Mrs. Watt
is simple minded woman and has been
considered by her neighbors as queer
if not partially insane for number OF
years. s44jIt sin a - y@8
The theory of. those who visited the
premises and heard the testimony given
at the inquest is that Chris deliberately
arranged for his own death and after
tying a string to the trigger of the gun
and the stove leg, pulled the weapon
towards him until it was discharged.
The official finding of the coroner's jury
is as follows a7edt9 ss2.a- 3lts Eal.t5
can inquisitien taken at the town of
Fulton in the county of Rock on the 18th
day of May 1897, before John Spencer,
one of the justices of the peace of said
county, upon the view of the body of
Christopher Watt, there dead, being
duly sworn to inquire on behalf of.the
state when, and in what manner and by
what means said Christopher Watt came
to his death, upen their oaths do say,
that the said Watt came to, his death
sometime between 10 o'clock on Tuesday
night and "Wednesday morning of the
10th Of May 1899, by reason of a gun
shot wound inflicted by his own hand,
piercing the left. breast breaking three
ribs and extensively 4acerating the
heart" Signed by the jurors! . ~ 3" "a
| sos n1Et29CHCJ 5EI~ 4 iGyC4I9f u V{3g9n
COMMON COUNCIL PROCEEDING -
y 4 EDeERToN Wis, May II, 1892
NJ .sSl l.