The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-05-02
O'BOYLE DID SHOOTING.
Coroner's Jury Exonerates His Wife
Testimony That Was Given at
the Inquest Yesterday.

IeStlmOny Inat was SlVen at
the Inquest Yesterday.
The coroner's jury impanelled to in
quire into the death Of James j.
OBoyle decided yesterday afternoon
that he came to his death by his own
hand, and eXonerated his wife, Mrs.
Eliza A. O'Boyle, from any completely
in the act.
The jury, which was composed of
DR.. John w. Busch, Iona b. Day,
Louis Goerlitz, John McMullen, pr. f.
f. Scanlon and David II. Parry met
yesterday afternoon at o'clock at the
Lackawanna hospital and heard the
testimony of Mrs. O'Boyle, who is now
at that institution, not having yet re-
covered from the wounds received by
her.
She testified that she was 81 years
of age. and that she was married to
O'Boyle on March %, 1898, in st. Peters
cathedral. They separated just one
year afterwards, on March 81, 1899
From this time up to July, she said
OBoyle visited her occasionally, but
his visits ceased then and there were
no relations of any nature between
them until March 30 last At 10 o'clock
on the morning of that date John Cog
gins, who lived in the house at No.
226 Franklin avenue, where she lived
with a Miss Jennie Tallman, came into
her apartments and said that O'Boyle
was down stairs and wanted to see
her.
She said that she told Coggins TO
send him up. He came and told her
that he had just come from Gold
smiths Bazaar, where he was working
and that he wanted to live with her
again. She asked him if there was any
scheme in it and he said no, that his
| relatives wanted him to get a divorce,
but that he wouldn't. She says she
told him she could not decide until
next day. but he stayed around until
| the afternoon, when he went out TO
Green Ridge. He returned that even
| ing and stayed there that night.
The next day he stayed in the house
all day, she testified, and would not
let her go out of his sight, saying he
was afraid Of himself if left alone
That morning Miss Tallman break
tasted with them, she says, and as he
would not let her do any OF the house
work this explains the presence of the
three sets of soiled dishes found or
the table.
At ~ o'clock they retired and she
says testified that she knew nothing
further until just about dawn, when
she was awakened by a pistol shot
and felt a singing sensation in the
back. Realizing that she had beer
shot and seeing her husband with the
smoking revolver in his hand, she
rushed at him, 'rabbed the revolver
and struggled fiercely with him. Dur
ing the struggle he fired again, the
bullet entering the corner of her lef
eye. AS she broke away from him ht
fired again, the bullet striking her ir
the left breast.
She says she rushed into the kitcher
and as she did so she heard him fire
again and yelling out: "Oh, Lottie
I'm crazy. l shot you and now In
killing myself" She rushed from thu
kitchen out in the hall and into thu
Coggins' apartments, just across tn,
hall. Just as she reached these sh,
heard him fire second time, she said
She emphatically stated that durini
the time they were together they haC
no trouble whatever and not one harsl
word was spoken.
DIR. Charles w. Wander, OF the Lack
awanna hospital staff, testified to visit
ing the apartments of the O'Boyle
after the shooting, He described thei
condition as revealed by his examina
tion of them after he reached tn
hospital. The Jurors then adjourned t
the city hall, where the inquest wa
resumed.
Coroner Roberts explained the natur
of the wounds sustained by Mr.. an,
Mrs. O'Boyle. The former had tw
wounds. One in frons of the ear, tn
bullet striking the bone and dividini
in two. The other was behind the ca
and the ball lodged in the brain.
Mrs. O'Boyle, he said, was shot thre
times. Once behind the right arm, tn
ball being still in the body, again II
the face and the third time in tn
right breast, the bullet going through
the body.
Mrs. Sarah Coggins, who resided Of
the same floor of the building at 22
Franklin avenue, where Mrs. O'Boyl
resided, testified to being awakene
by shots on the morning OF March 8
and soon after Mrs. OBoyle rushe
into her apartments. While she wa
there OBoyle must have killed himself
since the second shot was fired Will
he was alone in the room. Accordin
to Coroner Roberts theory 1t was tn
second shot, which entered behind tn
ear and crushed into the brain, whic
killed him.
John Coggins gave unimportant test
mony about going for physicians an
the police after the shooting. The vel
diet was as follows:
We the undersigned piurors, find from the ey
denced produced that james J, o'Boyle came
his death on the morning of March 81, 1906
226 Franklin avenue, Scranton. from a gunsh'
wound in his head inflicted by himself during
At Of temporary insanity and that furthe
more exonerate his wife, Lotte o'Boyle, from 0
completely in the act.