Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1900-08-30
THE YEATMAN PYLE CASE.
Wilmington Physician Pleads Guilty
to Assault and Battery.
EVIDENCE HEARD BY THE COURT
Story of the Assault as Told by
Witnesses.
|JUDGE HEMPHlLL RESERVES SENTENCE

JUUGE titMP1lll RESERVES SEN ] tNGE
A Special Correspondence OF Gazette and journal.
West Chester, Pa, Aug. 2S. THE
case of DIR. Joseph P. Pyle of Viii.
mineton, Dell, indicted for assault and
battery upon his sister-in- law, Miss
Florence Yeatman, with intent to com.
init murder, was called in the Quarter
Sessions Court here, yesterday after.
4 noon. 1t was ended without a trial,
s. the Commonwealth accepting the Offer
II Of the defendant to plead guilty to a
charge of assault and battery only,
without the felonous intent
( WhensJ udge Hemphil took his seat
the room was packed, not with the
ORDINARY count attendants, but with
men and women prominent in business
and social circles, all interested in the
DIR. I'yle case. A large number of them
game mp from Wilmington and its
vicinity, for the express purpose ol
hearing this case tried. The bright
costumes and pleasant faces of such an
unusual sprinkiing of the fair sex
Throughout the audience added greatly
to the attractive scene. There was
present also the major part of the local
bar, which had turned out tc hear the
proceedings.
The array of counsel in the case was
formidable. L. w. Baldwin represented
the Commonwealth, while at the de.
fendant's table were John j. Gheen
and Capt R. L. Cornwell of Cornwell,
Gheens d Cornwell, and associated with
them was Thomas W. Pierce. Consid-
erable surprise was occasIoned, there
fore, when, at the opening of tho case,
counsel for the Defendant Withdrew
their former plea of not guilty and SUBJ
stituted one of guilty of assault and
battery, with the Understanding that
the testimony should be taken in order
to enable the judge to decide upon a
proper punishment The jury was ex-
scused and the case continued before his
honor alone.
. The first witness called by the COM
monwealth was Myra Hulsey. She was
Affirmed aud testified that she lived
with Miss leatman near Kenneth. On
the evening of January 18th the wit
ness attended party held at the house
some distance away fiom the Yeatman
house. Upon returning, about IL
o'clock, she saw DIR. Pyle and Mrs.
Gheretein Pyle, his wife, at the house.
Ihey were in the sittingroom. Witness
. Ph''tpSNtcs " potpi' tODIi HlEtrWdrQ5
7 n . screams of murder" whereupon
sh5 hurried down 10 the sittiugroo,l,,
There she saw Or. lyle strike Miss
YeatInan in the forehead with his fist,
telling her to the floor. He was trying
to find her throat and had knife in
his hand, which witness took away,
according to her version. Witness ran
to the assistance of Miss Yeatman and
grabbed DR.. Pyle by the shoulder to
pull him away from the prosecutrix.
at that tiIne defendant was on the
prostrate form of Miss Yoatlnan, beat
'ng her with his Fare fists. DR.. Pyle
struck witness in breast and returned
to his assault on Miss Yeatmap, who
was trying to crawl away on her knees.
She had succeeded in raising b ,rself
upon her elbows when he again struck
her, using oaths and profane language.
Upon cross examination by Mr.. Pierce,
the witness stated that she did not SOL
the encounter at its beginning. The
scream of murder was the first thing
that she heard. She denied having
heard Miss Yeatnan call to DIR. Pyle
and his wife. and had no idea why Miss
featman was present in the room with
Ir. rye. Witness had seen the handle
OF the knife in DR.. Pyle's hand, and she
had seized it. When shown the knife,
which was long, double.edged one,
with heavy horn handle, and when
asked by Mr.. Pierce to show how she
would proceed to pull it out of mans
hand, Miss Hulsey was unable to salts
iac,orily explain the modus operandi.
She finally stated that DR.. Pyle did
not have as tight grip upon it as Mr..
Pierce. Witness did not seem very ,er-
tain in her testimony, save as to the
Ianguage used by the defendant, which
was OF a decidedly vile nature, and tho
(, main feature of the assault. ~
MISS Anne Eaton, another young
woman who has been living at the Yeat.
Il man house for number OF years past,
was the next witness called by MIR.
a Baldwin. Upon being affirmed she
stated that upon the night in question
" she had attended the party mentioned
X BY Myra Hulsey, in company with her.
and had returned with her about ii
'cionk. DIR. and Mrs. Pyle were in
the |sittingroom when they returned.
Withess went to the kitchen for a few
minutes. and while there heard Miss
Yeatman rebuking DR.. Pyle for profane
and abusive language, to which he re-
Piled in language that will not bear
repetition. Later in the quarrel she
heard the. sound of screams and blows.
Witness then rushed to the rescue, in
which she was aided by Mrs. Pyle as
well as the preceding Witness All
tried 10 pull DR.. Pyle off the body Of
his prostrate victim. Three times
Florencs Yeatman attempted to rise
and each time was felled by blow from
4 the doctor'ss fist. Mrs. Pyle continued
/ screaming all the time.
. Several interesting points developed
by the testimony of Miss Eaton. AT
the close of the fracas, it was stated
Mrs. YeatmBn, mother of the prosecu-
trix. had run down the stair, and seeing
the existing state of affairs, also the
man who was the cause of it all, pointed
her finger at him and exclaimed: s'You
scoundrel, you're the cause of all this,,'
Again, when Miss yeatman finally
arose, her face was SO cut up and
covered with blood that, in the phrase
ology Of the witness, 1--WE could see
nothing but the whites of her eyes. "
Miss Eaton also testified that after
the assault DR.. Pyle picked up the
rugs and made search of the room for
q knife, which he found and put in his
pocket. Then he went into the kitchen
and washed his face and hands. Wit
less told defendant to go home. He
ieplied ne would 60 when he got good
Later IN the night witness helped to
iress the victims wounds Hot water
"a annlied till o'clock in the morr-
ug. The next day a physician was