The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-04-09

u iSu cNtVS udS country JUSTICE
of the peace Is called upon to assume
the responsibilities, dignities and other
things that attach to being coroner OF
Lackawanna county, but when it 40
happens that this distinguished honor
does come to one OF them, you can rely
upon IL that he Will make the most
Of 1t.
Ordinarily when man meets a VIC.
lent death in the city and the coroner.
with the aid of three or four news
paper men, his coachnan and the
policeman On the beat. discovers how
1t all happened, they will sign a verdict
written by one of the newspaper men,
which will read something like this:
We. the undersigned jurors. empancllcd to in.
quire into the death Of John Smith, do ind
that the deceased came to his death on June II.
1901. by hanging himself
They think this is doing pretty well
by the commonwealth and collect their
fees just as If the thing mad been done
properly. But 1t will be different here
after. A new form or verdict has
come TO pass.
Thornhurst, Lackawanna county, Is
so far FROM any direct line of travel
from Scranton that fishermen and hum
ters from hereabouts who have ncca-
sion to go there generally go down
to Easton and back in.
HUNG HIMSELF.
Recently man named Werklieiser
hung himself in a wagon shed at
Thornhurst. A few days thereafter
news of the affair was brought 10
Scranton by some Thornhurster who
came up to serve on a jury. Coroner
Roberts couldn't afford to take a week
off. and sent word back with the i,lr-
or to have the local squire hold the
inquest and make the return. The
local squire evidently held the inquest,
for the return came in yesterday. It
is that same return that marks an
epoch in the formulating of finding OF
coronor's iuries. Here it is. just as it
is writ on sheet of foolscap. occupy
ing place in the archives Of Lacka-
wanna county, SIS:
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, lacSawanns
County, S.:
An inqusitcn nde,ted and taken at Thor!-
hurst, in the county Of iackawlnna, the 12th
day of March. in the year oi o,,r Lord one
thousand nine hundred and one, before mo- Clia-
ten Heller justice OF the peace "i The county
aforesaid, upon the view OF the body OF Samuel
Wcrkhescr. then AMI there lying dead upon
the oaths Of John /. Smith, N. II. Heller. j. \.
Mcaker. Joseph Stout, Henry Outer and Otto
Searfass. good and lawful nen of the county
aforcsaid; who being sworn TO inquire, on sa
part OF the commonwealth, when, where, how
and after what manner the said Samuel Werk-
hcser came to his DEATH do say. upon their
oath. that Samuel WeIkleisor, late Of Tho'n.
hurst Aforesaid, not having the fear OF God b..
fore his eyes. but being seduccd and moved by
the nstigation Of the devil, at Thornhurst aforc.
SAID. in the lott Of John Smiths wagon sct,.
at Thornhurst aforesaid, standing and being. the
said Samuel Werhleiser being then and there
alone, with certain hempen rope. OF the vaae
Of Ave cents, which he then and there had and
held in his hands, and one end thereof then
AMI there put about his neck, and the other end
thereof tied about a raftcr of the wagon shed
aforesaid, himself then and there, with the rope
aforesaid. voluntarily and telonio,sly and OF his
malice atorcthought, hanged and Sulocacd: and
80 the jurors Aforesaid upon their oaths aiore.
said. say that the said Sampel Werkhciscr then
and there, in manner and form aforesaid,
felon Of himself. fcloniously, Voluntarily. and of
his malice aforethought, himself killed, strangled
and murdered against the peace and dignity of
the commonwealth OF Pennsylvania.
In witness whereof. we'll the Aforesaid jus.
ticc OF the peace. the Juror; aforesaid, have
to this inquisition put their hands and seals,
on the day and year and at the place first above
mentioned
Clinton Heller. j. P. FSeali
AS stated above, the decedent hung
himself.
CLERK NOT SATISFIED.
Clerk OF the Courts Daniels is think
ing seriously of sending it back with
instructions to the squire that he must
give the color of the rope. as we'll as
:ts value; also the color of the dece-
dant's socks aforesaid. and the age. oc-
cupation and prospects of the jurors.
aforesaid. Good advisers. however,
interviewed and the return stands.
1t would be cruelty. they figured,
to send tho return back and thereby
make the squire and other savants OF
the village spend another week or ten
days rummaging through "How to BE