The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-06-05

John Rusiniak lies dead at his home
In Austin Heights. about mile from
Old Forge. and John Dusas his neigh
Dor. is In the county Jail being held
responsible for the formers death. al
though the crime of murder cannot.
as yet. be directly charged to him.
Rusiniaks body was found in field
early yesterday morning. about a
quarter Of a mile from his home. with
several gashes over the left temple.
That was several hours after he had
qusrreled with Dugas. The trouble
between the dead man and the accused
which Dugas owned.
The men lived next door to each
other and Dugas' pigeons had dis
turbed some vegetables planted in
Rusiniak's yard. This fact provoked
n quarrel between the men and even.
tually eliminated In the latter's death.
Rusiniak had been in Barbertown
Monday afternoon and returned home
about : o'clock in the evening under
the influence of drink. The quarrel of
Sunday over the pigeons was renewed
in front of Rusinak's house. when
Dugas became enraged and picking
up a stick from the road. struck
Rusiniak across the back twice.
WITNESSES TO ASSAULT.
This assault was witnessed by
Rusiniak's mother, John Sharak
Katie Perko, Annie Gresula and
others in the neghborhood. Risi-
MAX then went into the house and
o1& he Il f,,;0
Dugas arrested for assaulting him.
1880 o'clock alone.
AS he was passing Dugas' house. the
latter threatened to kill him and all
the witnesses to the assault, if they
testified against him. That was the
last seen of him alive. When he left
the house he seemed all right but in
quiry revealed the fact that the man
had been i'll for the past two weeks.
During that time he had been under
the care Of DR.. Adam Staegner. of Old
Forge, who had been treating him for
heart trouble and hemorrhages. About
s o'clock yesterday morning the body
was found, as stated, by Steve Perko
of Barbertown, who was on his way
to visit relatives in Austin Heights.
Perko was walking along a path
leading to Austin Heights and found
the body lying near a clump of bushes.
Blood was oOZinG from the mouth ana
nostrils. and cuts on his forehead We're
noticeable. The supposition is that the
cuts We're caused by the man falling
and striking his head against stones
as the path is very rough where he
was found.
RESULT OF AUTOPSY.
DR.. Staegner was summoned and he
notified Coroner Roberts, who ordered
the body removed to the mans home.
An autopsy was performed during the
afternoon, but no marks of violence
were found on the body except the
cuts on the forehead, as stated. 1t
was found that the man had a hemorr-
hage of the brain and had been suffer-
ing from heart trouble.
Whether his death was due in
directly to the clubbing he received,
to the fall he undoubtedly sustained
or the hemorrhages and heart failure,
any of which could have caused death,
has yet TO be learned. Suspicion nat
urally rested on Dugas and he was
arrested by Constable Morris, of
Lackawanna, and taken before Squire
Pickering, of Old Forge.
Dugas admitted striking Rusiniak
with the club, but does not believe
that he hurt him very much. He was
committed to the county Jail to await
the result of the cOrOner's inquest,
which will be held at Squire Picker
ing's Office in Old Forge at 5 o'clock
next Saturday evening.
RuSiniak was % years of age, and
unmarried. He resided with his
mother and four brothers. and was
employed as a laborer at the Jermyn,
No. l mines. He had only been in the
country about year. Dugas is 45
years of age, and has wife and six
children. He has no particular en-
ployment.
Both men We're regarded as quarrel
some in the neghborhood in which
they lived.
SCOUTS MURDER THEORY.
Coroner Roberts scouts the idea Of
murder and says he believes Rusinaks
death was due to heart failure. In
making the autopsy he found an un-
usual amount of coal dust on the mans
lungs, which he had inhaled. The cor
oner substantiates the statement made
above relative to the cuts on the mans
head, and is of the opinion they We're
caused by fall.
The skull was not fractured, he says.
but the blows received from the stick
in the hands of Dugas may have led
indirectly to the mans death.
THE CHASER AGREED UPON.