Evening star., 1902-05-05
ON CHARGE OF MURDER
Charles Thorn Accused of K i'll
ing His Wife.
CORONER'S VERD ICT
STORY OF THE CRIME AS TOLD BY
WITNESSES.
Five Shots Fired by the Man, Each
Taking Efect-Committed
to Jail.

| to Jail.
Attired in a new spring suit and oc-
| casionally shedding a few tears, Charles
| Thorn, thirty-SiX years old, sat before a
jury of six men this morning and heard
witnesses tell Of how he took the life
| of his wife, Ida Grace Thorn, about 12
o'clock Saturday night. Five shots were
| fired by the young man, all the bullets
taking effect. Only one wound was neces-
sarily fatal This leaden missile passed
through the woman's heart and lungs dis
| covering which the doctors expressed sur
prise that death did not claim her at once.
| Her death occurred at the Emergency Hos
pital about forty minutes after the shots
were fired.
Thorn had done considerable talking since
his arrest by Policemen Newkirk and
| Whalen, but he took the advice of his coun-
| sci, Mr.. Joseph Shillington, and made no
statement to the jury. Two minutes after
| the case was submitted to the jury YER
dict was reached and Thorn was shortly
afterward committed to jail. When the
testimony had been submitted and the
| room cleared of everybody except the
members of the jury Thorn, who knew he
would soon be taken to jail made a re-
| quest that he be permitted to see his
| Wife's body once more Sergeant Murphy
| and Policeman Whalen accompanied him
| to the morgue.
He stood for time in the small room
| gazing upon the face of his dead wife
| without saying a word Then he smoothed
! her hair and STOPPING over kissed the cheek
| of the dead woman. He then broke down
| ana had to be led away to be returned to
| the cell in which he had passed his time
| since his arrest.
Thorn worked watchman in Haven
| ner's bakery for number of years His
| wife was Miss Ida Grace of 1913 West
| North avenue, Baltimore. Yesterday the
| Woman's mother, brother and sister came
| here and arranged with undertaken to
| prepare the body for burial, and ship it to
| Baltimore, and it sent away this after
| noon.
| Soon after being placed under arrest the
! prisoner expressed g desire that he be dis
| posed of in the near future, as he was
anxious to join his wife in the next world.
| AS he paced his cell floor this morning
| talking aloud he expressed a wish that the
corpse should be placed in there with
| him, as he would then be happy and would
be satisfied to spend the remainder of his
days there.
The First Witness.
Policeman James E. Newkirk OF the sixth
precinct was the first witness examined by
the coroner. He said he was on Pennsy-
vana avenue about IL O'Clock Saturday
night when young man informed him
there had been shooting at 321 Missouri
avenue. Witness went to the house with
Policeman Whalen. They ascended the
stairs and found Mrs. Thom on the floor,
while her husband was standing over her
Witness asked the man who had done the
shooting and he replied; "Newkirk, killed
her and In not sorry for it"
Witness escorted the prisoner to the sta
| ton while his partner had the wounded
woman taken to the hospital. The officer
said he was present at the station yester-
day morning when the prisoner made
/ loH thn damn
coroner. In this statement Thorn said he
had married the woman in Baltimore and
related his version Of the shooting. The
pistol, he said, he did not carry to the
house for the purpose of shooting his wife.
He said his wife had purchased new hat
Saturday night which he destroyed. He did
this after he had taken two beers, and his
wife had indulged In as many drinks of
whisky.
Thorn reflected on his. wife's character
and said the latter left the room after he
had destroyed her hat. He followed her
and fired the shots she proceeded down
the steps.
DIR. David T Stuart, resident physician
at the Emergency Hospital, testified that
the woman was in a dying condition when
he first saw her. Two of the bullets, he
said, were taken from her breast before
she died. The woman died about 12:35
| o'clock.
What Minnie Shook Overheard.
Minnie L. Shook, 500 South Patrick street,
| Alexan ndria, sworn.
| Were you at 321 Missouri avenue Satur-
| day night?" the coroner asked her.
! Yes sir,'' she answered
| do you know of a shooting affair in
| the house that night?"
Something" the witness responded.
! Witness heard Thorn say to his wife,
My God, Ida, are you dying?'
| Miss Shook asked him what he had done,
and his response was, 'I'll put a stop to
this whispering"
Witness said she understood Thorn to say
| he was sorry. After the shooting she heard
| a noise in the room Mr.. and Mrs. Thorn
| occupied, which she supposed was caused
by the smashing of the gasoline stove.
The last thing the witness heard the Wo-
man say was to call Frank" three times.
Aroused by the Shooting.
Henry c. Moehring, 321 Missouri avenue,
testified that he aroused Saturday night
| by the shooting and screaming. He occu-
pies the room beneath that occupied by
| Thorn and his wife. When witness went
| out and the woman he turned her face
over and saw who it was. Her husband
| then appeared and witness inquired of him
| who had inflicted the wounds.
| Il did was Thom's answer.
| Witness asked him the cause, and he re-
| piled, telling him that his wife was a
man of bad character and always had been.
| Mr.: Moehring said he did not venture out
| of his room until the firing had ceased.
Jonas Moehring, brother of the preceding
| witness, testified that the noise of the
| shooting aroused him. He went out to the
| hallway and heard Mr.. Thom say lie shot
his wife because she was untrue to him.
| Belle Huhn, who occupies a room on the
second floor of the Missouri avenue house.
| remained in her room until the last report
| of the pistol had died away. Then she went
| out and saw Thorn. with the pistol in his
| hand. She saw him put his cigar on the
step and lean over and kiss his wife.
| Eienora Warner who occupied a room in
| the house. related what she knew of the
| shooting. Prior to the time the shooting
occurred, she said, she was in Mrs. Thoms S
room Mr.. and Mrs. Thorn and Mr.. Hicks