Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-12-22

was IOunG aedu III t1ie IestI VI iIo Last
Court avenue yesterday morning at s
o'clock, and before nightfall two men,,
James w. Burns and Geo. Beveridge,
were under arrest, not charged with
murder but held on suspicion of having
drugged and robbed Corcoran, the Off
GERS deciding to hold them until 1t is
shown definitely that the morphine
from which Cororan died was self-ad-
ministered.
Coroner Beck began an inquest over
Corcoran's remains at o'clock yester-
day and this will be continued tonight
at the city hall Before the inquest be-
gan Chief of Detectives Hardin had
caused the arrest of Beveridge, and at
ter Burns had finished testifying he was
also placed under arrest.
Beveridge swore that Burns had
handed him a check for s3s and had
told him to try to cash 1t; that hi did
try to cash it, and finally disposed of 1t,
but In what manner he did not know.
Burns denied that he had ever given
Reyeridge a check for s3S to cash, but
said he knew that Beveridge had such
a check and had tried to cash it. Men
who worked with corcoran testified
that he had check for S3S when he
came to town Saturday noon.
Burns has resided in East Des Moines
for many years. He roomed at the
house of John Ba These. at 116 Court
avenue, for the last week. Beveridge
has been working at the grading camp
of the Iowa Falls railroad north OF the
city, but claims that he did not know
Corcoran, altho Corcoran worked at the
same camp.
Coreoran was about So years of age.
He formerly lived in Buffalo, N. Y, and
where he came from when he Joined
The railroad grading gang is not known.
On his way to town with several COM
panions, Saturday morning, he was
congratulating himself on having kept
away from drink for six months He
did not drink as much as the others OF
his crowd while they We're visiting sa-
looms during the afternoon. Saturday
and finally slipped away from them
about o'clock.
The testimony before the coroner's
Jury showed that Burns. Corcoran and
geyerfdge were drinking together at Ba
Theses place on East Court avenue be-
tween 6 and o'clock Saturday even-
ing: that Ba These and his wife left the
house soon after Z and did not return
until much later in the evening; that
they had been compelled to order Burns
and Corcoran out OF the house; and
that Burns, Beveridge and shorty
Yelton, of Ames, also a member OF the
grading gang north of the city. slept to-
gether in Burns room in Ba Ilese,s
place Saturday night.
Corcoran was discovered by Ba These
about S O'Clock yesterday morning He
was sitting up straight in the doorway
of an unused coal shed in the rear of,
Ba Theses barber shop at 116 Court ay-
enue. He was dead, When ia reese
touched him, thinking he was drunk or
asleep and would awake, instead ne
pitched forward and fell on the ground.
His pockets had been rified anu one
Of them was wrong side out. HIS purse
strings were sticking from his trousers
rocket, but the purse was empty except
for n memorandum book. One pocket
Of his trousers was slit from the waist
band of the garment. He had Worn
both trousers and overalls. The latter
had been unbuttoned and slipped down
so that his pockets could be opened. In
the side pocket of his coat was pack
age of morphine, which was partially
spilled into the pocket. 1t was done up
in a piece of wrapping paper, which IN
stantly indicated that the paper was
not from drug store. Coroner Beck
pronounced death due to morphine
poisoning.
Chief of Detectives Hardin believes
that the men last seen in company with
Corcoran drugged him with morphine,
robbed him and cashed his check or de-
stroyed it. The theory is that when the
drug was placed in the can OF beer
which was consumed at Ba Theses
house 1t rendered Coreoran either par
fially insensible at the time or SO easily
handled that his pockets could be easily
rifled and that he either was dragged
into the back yard and made to sit up
in the doorway or staggered thlther
himself, and sitting down, went into a
sleep. Mr.. and Mrs. Ba These are not
suspected of knowledge or participation
in the crime if one was committed.