Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-10-10
Reward for the Murderer.

hdr' burke 10 this incident, but Tuesday
evening he authorized The Bee to say that
he will give a reward of $500 for the arrest
and conviction OF the murderer OF young
Burke.
County Attorney slabaugh also author
lies The Bee to say that he will recommend
that the Board OF County Commissioners Of
Douglas county offer an additional reward
OF $500 for the arrest and conviction of
Burke's murderers
County Attorney Slabaugh also will rec
ommend that the city or county authorities
at once buy pair of the best bloodhounds
to be procured in the country as a precau-
ton against the repetition OF the two mys-
terious tragedies that have startled the
community.
Details of the Jnquest.
The inquest began at 4:so O'Clock and was
conducted by County Attorney Slabaugh
and Assistant County Attorney Foster. The
first witness was DR.. d. A. Foote. He tes-
titled thet he conducted the autopsy upon
the body Of Herbert q. Burke at the cor
oner's ofice Monday evening.
There were no imperfections upon the
body except the marks and contus'ons
about the head and face. These were Sc
we're. The upper lip and nose were swollen
the upper lip on the outer and inner sur
face, the wound indicating that It may
have been made by a sandbag or a severe
| blow of a powerful fist or by severe
| fall There we're abrasions of the skin be-
! low the right eye, both eyes were swollen,
due TO being hit. Some OF the marks on
the face could not have been made by mere
| lying on cinders. There was evidence OF
another blow between the eyes There were
some abrasions on the back OF the hands
due possibly to lying on the cinders. 1
noticed the head moved very easily and
| discovered u0ou closer examination the
'lneck was broken between the sixth and
seventh cerebral vertebrae. Such an injury
would produce instant death, There was
considerable internal hemorrhsge. but this
| would be due to the position I'm which the
body was discovered 10 be lying. 1t is
| very possible that the neck was broken
by the blow on the mouth.
| Nothing to Indicate Fall.
There were no bruises about the head or
body TO indicate that he had fallen. The
| nose was not bruised, the blow having
struck Immediately under the nose. Had
he fallen from an eminence, especially in
the position he was found, the nose, which
is the most prominent feature of the face,
would have been bruised or lacerated.
am Of the opinion that death was caused
from the blow on the mouth which broke
his neck"
| The second witness was William I. Kin
dred an employe of the water works at
Florence who testified TO the first dis
covery of the body giving substantially the
same details that appeared in The Bee
Monday. He added that there were no
marks about where the body lay that in
dicated any struggle. The body was lying
on it's breast, with one hand partly under
the body and the other arm lying length
wise of the body, with the palms OF his
hands UP. Burke's hat lay about FIVE feet
southeast of the body. The hat was lying
with the crown up, and It did not show any
indications of having been in any struggle
He stated further that he called to d. c.
Hass and one OF two others at the pump
ing station and they together examined
4 the body, but did not disturb II, but did
make a careful search all about there for
evidences of a struggle. but could find none.
The body lay eighteen feet from the ash
car. and the witness was of the opinion
he could not have fallen from the car, but
that the body had been placed.
Hass Tells His Experience.
D. C. Hass was the next witness. He is
pipe superintendent at the pumping sta
tion.
He told OF Kindred informing him of the
the affair. He said there was a pool Of
blood under the head
MY first impression" said Haas, "was
that he fell off the cinder dump, having
been tripped by an SKIS piece OF timber
Just at the end of the dump which is used
10 check the clnder barrows from the
pump house. A sheet iron apron extends
down nearly to the center OF the car in
order that the cinders may fall directly
into the car. ! still think he might have
fallen from the car. There was no evil
dence OF any one being on the car of
cinders that night, but you couldn't tell,
as the footprints would hll up soon as
the foot was removed. Still I do not see
how he could have pitched fifteen or
eighteen feet from the car. and there was
no evidence that the body could have
slid any length, through the cinders and
dust being disturbed, between where he
Law and the car. I saw no evidences or
traces OF blood about except under his
! head"
l. s. Peters, reporter for The Bee. who
was on the ground Immediately after the
, body was removed by the coroner, was
called TO the stand. He told the same
. story that has already appeared in The
! Bee about the footprints of two men and
two women underneath the ash platform
and the bloody finger marks on the back
wall under the PLATFORM
Captain Haze Makes Statement.
Captain H. d. Haze. taller at the county
ial, who had been working on the cas-
all day Tuesday, was the final witness
having Just arrived from Florence. He
told OF having seen Pierson and Potter
: two engineers at the pumping station. aud
talked with them. Both men told him
2 they had seen young Burke in the pumping