Omaha daily bee., 1899-12-03
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I SOUTH OMAHA NEWS. J

A coroners jury decided Saturday that
the shooting of William Cummings by Harry
Trumble was entirely justifable and that
the shot was fired in eelf-defense The
jury convened at Brewers undertaking
rooms and twelve witnesses testified. After
the conclusion of the testimony it did not
take the jury long to come to a finding. The
verdict wEs
That the said William Cummings came to
his death from the effects of bullet wound
penetrating the heart, and inflicted by a
bullet fired from a revolver held in the
hand of Harry f. Trumble on the night of
November 80, 1899, at . o'clock. We fur
ther find from the evidence that the shoot
ing was done in self f-defense and was fully
justifable."
Frank Thompson, the proprietor of the
saloon at the corner of Twenty-fourth and
X streets, testified that Cummings and Matt
Garner were in his saloon during the early
part of the evening, and that Garner was the
man who rushed in and asked him to tele-
phone the police, as there was shooting
scrape up the street. Doctors Schindel and
Slabaugh gave evidence regarding the
autopsy, which they made, and declared that
one bullet penetrated the heart of Cum
mings. The other wound was merely flesh
wound. Captain Allie and officer Montague
testified to the fact that Harry Trumble
gave himself up and assisted in carrying the
body of Cummings into the feed store. Sew
eral witnesses who We're in the saloon at
the time Garner came in also testified.
special effort was made by Coroner
Swanson to secure a jury of business men
in order that the case should be fully in
vestgated.
These men composed the jury: John
Flynn. J. B. Watkins B. e. Wilcox j. D.
Bennett, l.. C. Gibson, w. D. Godfrey
County Attorney Shields was present when
Coroner Swanson read the verdict, and he
Immediately crossed the street to Police
Judge Babcock's office and requested that
Trumble be released from custody. AS far
as the authorities are concerned the case Is
ended. Trumble returned to the Packers
National bank, where he is employed, and
went to work. On his way from police
headquarters to the bank young Trumble was
met on every hand by friends. who con-
graduated him on the verdict
Thomas Cummings father of the dead
highwayman, spent yesterday looking up
his sons record here. Mr. Cummings is a
fine looking man, and is evidently possessed
oil some means. With Captain Allie he
went to different boarding houses, until he
found a place on Q street where his son
had stopped. Upon investigation it ap
peared that the boy had been sent cloth
ing from home and he had given the same
to acquaintance at the boarding house
The father Is of the opinion that when his
boy reached the west he fell in with bad
company and was induced by his associates
to commit the act which caused his death
Thomas Cummings says that his son only
recently left school and was possessed of
good education. Before starting him out
in life his parents desired to give him
little experience and equipped him with
good clothes, a watch and money. Three
weeks ago young Cummings disappeared
from home and since that time his parents
have been more or less worried. His ad-
dress was obtained a short time ago and
clothing sent to him, which he gave away.
After having informed himself fully in re-
gard to the facts in the case Mr. Cummings
decided that there was nothing to do, and
so departed last evening for Chicago with
the remains of his son.