Albuquerque evening citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1905-1907, 1905-11-17
MYSTERY SURROUNDS BREAKING
Of JOHN MURPHY'S NECK
Tragic End of Santa Fe Boiler Maker at Green
Hotel. dead Man Boxed at EIks
SmOker...COrOner's Inquest.

After a night of drunken carousal
with comrades, John F. Murphy, a
boilermaker employed at the local
Santa Fe shops, returned to his lodg-
ing place at the Green hotel at S21
South Third street at an early hour
this morning, only to fall down stairs
and break his neck. The body was
found about O'Clock by Mrs. Bailey,
daughter of Mrs. NJ. c. Green, who
conducts. the boarding house. The re-
mains were removed to A. Borders
undertaking parlors, where they
were viewed by the coroner's jury.
Mrs. Bailey said that she started
upstairs shortly after 6 o'clock to call
the roomers, most of whom are en-
ployes at the shops, and have 10 go
to work early. She found that the
door leading to the front stairs would
not open. It opened a little and then
something heavy held it. She then
went to the stairs in the rear of the
house, passed through the upstairs
hall. and descended the front stairs
By the twilight of morning sne uIs
tinguished the body Of man lying al
the foot of the stairs, the feet rest
! ing on the bottom steps and the head
pressed against the door in the cor
/ ner. Mrs. Bailey said that she turned
on the light and Immediately recog
niZed Murphy. and took hold of hi!
| hand 1t was cold. To make sure tna
| the man was Murphy, Mrs. Bailey toor
/ hold of the coat collar. AS she die
| so the body Quiyered.
She called for help, and the bod!
! was Strengthened out. DR.. Cutter, th'
| Santa Fe surgeon, was summoned, an
pronounced the man dead. The necl
/ was broken, the bridge of the nos'
was badly bruised and there was
/ broad abrasion on the left cheek bone
/ The left ear was badly bruised anI
! the left eye was black and cut. Tn
cut was a three-cOrnered incision II
the outer corner but apparently no
| very deep, and not sufficiently dee
to have caused any serious injury
That the body fell with great force
Is proven by the door buffer, whic
the body must have struck on reach
ing the bottom of the stairs, as II wa
torn from the wall. DR.. Cutter state
at the coroner's inquest that deaf
must have been instantaneous. TIL
fact, coupled with the fact that IN
body quiyered when Mrs. Bale
moved it, would indicate that the az
cident occurred late this morning, an
it seems strange that some one a
the hotel did not hear the thud Of tn
fall.
Case First Looked Mysterious.
Murphy was somewhat of fighte
2 and the first impression receive
| from the circumstances which su
/ round the case was that he migi
| have been foully deaf with. Tn
: wound in his eye would indicate thi
! he was hit with some square-ende
A ! instrument The stairs in the Gree
. house are OF very easy ascent, wit
. a landing of five or six feet
D breadth, seven steps from the foo
, | Murphy's hat was found on this Ian
: ing with the crown stove in, and
7 halt-smoked cigar was found on n
a steps about half way between u
l. floor and the landing. II doesn't lo'
@ plausible that a fall fr9m these S,ai
n would ordinarily break a man = nee
but as the head was wedged ilto d