Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1900-07-31
DECIDE 1T WAS MURDER.
COroner's Jury Concludes from the Evi
dence That William Humphrey Died
of the Injuries He Sustained.

After an all days session the cor
oner's inquest called to ascertain the
cause of William Humphreys death
ended Thursday evening in the jury
rendering verdict to the effect that
death resulted from the injuries and
shock sustained by the deceased at the
time of the assault committed upon
him, July 20 last, by parties to the
jury unknown,
After Mr.. Humphreys death last
Wednesday jury was impaneled by
Justice Stacy to sit on the case, and
after viewing the remains an adjourn
ment was taken until Thursday at 10
A. NJ, when the taking of testimony
began. District Attorney Rogers con-
| Quoted the examination of the wit
nesses. numbering 40 ut fifteen.
The first witness was Miss Lydia
| Bruegger, night telephone operator.
who told how she received Mr.. Hum
| phrey's call for assistance, and of how
| she sent two young men-Louis Span
genberg and Carl Nowack were
in the exchange at the time, to give
| the alarm, one summoning Officer
| PieritZ and the other Dr. Werner
| Officer Pieritz testified as to the con-
| ditiOn in which he found the victim
and as to his investigation at the barn
particularly the discoveries made in
theGempty stall, where the assault oc-
Cured, and in the rear part of the
barn. His testimony was supplement-
ed by that of Paul F. Schoechert. who
assisted in the investigation. F. NJ.
| Creuz told how Mr.. Humphrey came
to his saloon, which is next door south
of the livery, and informed him of the
| occurrence shortly after 10 O'Clock
that evening. The witness described
Humphreys appearance as horrible,
and said that ali the injured man would
say was, live been robbed. repeat
ing it several times.
DR.. T. G.. Werner, one of the first to
arrive on the scene, and under whose
care the victim was placed, gave the
most detailed testimony of the inquest.
He described minutely the nature and
number of the wounds, the manner of
treatment, and gave expert testimony
as to the physical condition of the de-
ceased and as to the probable results
following an assault of the kind in
question to a person of sound consti-
tuition. He said that Mr.. Humphrey
was afflicted with diabetes and really
died of that disease; that in his opin-
ion the blows received, although very
severe, would probably not have
caused death to healthy person;
however, in this instance the shock
sustained aggravated the malady and
tended 10 hasten the end Had not
the deceased been thus injured he
might have lived a numper OF years.
Dr. Werner also testified that in ma
jorIty of cases persons severely injured
on the head are so shocked as to be
rendered incapable of remem bering
about the occurrence, which seemed
to be the fact in this instance
Drs. c. j. Habhegger, c. r. Field
and w. +. Whyte were also heard on
the case, their testimony substantial
ing in the main that furnished bv DR..
Werner, aud being practical ly along
the same lines.
Miss Clara Lehman, the trained
nurse engaged to tend Mr. Humphrey.
testified that on several occasions she
endeavOred to have him give an ac-
count of what occurred on the fatal
evening, but that only once did she
| obtain any lucid information. This
was to the effect that two men were
with him in the barn the evening of
| the assault, one of whom had been
there several times before and the
other being a stranger. He said that
he saw both men start to go up to the
hay loft, and that was the last he could
remember. He gave only vague de-
scription of the men, both being of
medium height. He also said that he
did not believe the one who had been
there frequently would have harmed
him: ID. H. Beurhaus was present
with the nurse during her conversa-
tion with Mr.. Humphrey, and added
to her testimony the fact that the de-.
ceased had described the money taken
from him as two twenty dollar bills,
three five dollar bills, five or six one
uollar bills and five dollars in silver -
in all either $65 or $66. Mayor CRUDE
! testified that in brief interview with
the deceased the morning after the as
sault he was told there had been two
men in the barn that evening
Fred Bursinger, the hired man, tes-
| titled that he went home at1 o'clock
that evening. The night previous
two tramps had slept in the barn and
they were there again Friday after
noon. One of them was frequent
visitor at the barn a the other
stranger. The former had come six
weeks before with Seventh ward res
ident. Bursinger gave good de-
scription of the men.
Alfred Hoermann testified that in
| passing the barn at S:45 the evening
Of the assault he noticed two strangers
| in the Office with the deceased. He
described the appearance of each.
From the evidence it would seem
that suspicion for the crime must rest
on the two tramps seen and known to
have been in the barn with Mr.. Hum