Los Angeles herald., 1905-05-17
SHOOTING WAS
WITHOUT CAUSE
JURY RETURNS VERDICT IN
ROBINSON MURDERS
FIVE INoUESTS ARE HELD
San Diego Assassin Must Have Been
a Prey to HomledaI Mania and
Was a HabituaIIy Hard
DrInker
enecial to The Herald.

Special TO The Herald.
SAN DIEGO. May 16.-Five inquests
the result of the insane acts of w. z
Robinson, were held this afternoon
the conclusion in each being that the
deceased came to his death by gun
shot wound inflicted by Robinson. Pos
sible motives for the crimes were In
vestigated. but so meager were these
found to be that only on the ground
of homicidal mania could the acts be
explained.
Robinson had had neighbor's differ
euces with H. w. Chase, and also with
Mrs. Stewart and her son Willie, but
those quarres were petty and only a
deranged mind could have magniied
them into sufficient cause for an at
tack.
1t developed that Robinson had been
a hard drinker most of his life, and
that there were few days when he was
not more or less under the infiuenC
of liquor. He was a native of st. Louis
and was of Irish-American descent. He
came here from Sacramento, where it
is said he had a wife and child liv-
ing. Here he worked for many people
and was known as one of the best men
a housewife could get to assist in the
heavy work of house cleaning.
Mrs. Stewart and Chase had done
similar work, and part of his quarrel
with them was on that account. His
quarrel with Willie Stewart was on
account of his morning paper, which
he accused the boy of taking some
times before he had an opportunity of
reading 1t. No cause for his attack
on the Dodridge family, which he
Travelled over half a mile to assail after
he had killed the other three, could
be found.
Who the Victims Were
w. H. Chase, the first victim, had
been a resident here for something over
two years. coming from New Orleans.
He was married but had no children.
Mrs. Chase left here several weeks ago
and is supposed to be in Reno, New.
Mrs. Stewart and her son occupied
rooms on the same floor with Robinson
at the tenement house. Little is known
of them save that Mrs. Stewart had
married against the wishes of her pa
rents, and though they are reported to
be wealthy she would not apply to
them for financial aid. Since the death
Mrs. Stewards father, a Mr.. Turley
of Mitchell, Ind, has directed that the
remains of mother and son be en-
balmed and sent to that place for inter-
ment.
Willie Stewart was a carrier on the
Union and was accounted one of the
best and most faithful. He was stu
dent of the Russ high school, a mem
Der of st. Paul's Episcopal Sunday
school and quite recently teacher of
one of the classes of smaller boys there.
Harry P. Dodrldge, the last to fall
by Robinson's revolver before he
turned the weapon against himself
was the second son of w. Harry Dod-
ridge, deputy internal revenue collector
in the Southern California district.
The young man was an engineer and
had been employed at Coronado in the
city water department and elsewhere,
being accounted a good engineer. Re-
Gently he had been in charge of the
engine room at the brewery and was
just starting for his work when shot
down.
Dodridge, Chase and Robinson will
be buried tomorrow, and the remains
of Mrs. Stewart and her son will be
started for Indiana tomorrow.