The Paducah sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1898-1906, 1906-02-13
Believed That John Garner Was
Killed by Blow.
The Inquest Developed the Fact
That the Young Man Was Not
Drowned.
EVIDENCE THUS FAR SECURED.


Garner, the young collar maker APP
prentice whose body was found in
the Ohio river at the foot of Mon
roe street Sunday morning, was muir.
dered and his body thrown into the
water to hide the crime. is the one
Paducah police and friends of Gar
ner are working on.
Detective Moore stated this after
noon that he had several deductions
which he was working on and may
have something to report shortly, bu,
nothing at present. The last trace
of Garner alive according TO the
testimony of the witnesses before
the coroner's jury was on Second
street when Garner asked John Ell.
rod for liquor.
His whereabouts from the time he
left his boarding house Sunday af-
ternoon week ago until Saturday,
night when he showed up at a bar
Der shop. is still a mystery. but che
police hope to unravel 1t.
The second inquest held by Coro-
ner Frank Eaker and which was pre-
coded by an autopsy over Gamers
remains, developed the fact that the
body had been in the water only
short time. and that death resulted
from a broken neck.
c. ]. FROSTY Morgan. who first
discovered the corpse in the water.
testified that he went down to the
river early between and O'Clock
and saw the corpse floating near the
Lank. This was near the sanI
docks at the foot of Monroe streets
He telenhoned the police station aud
officer Cross came down and with
Morgan tied a rope around the body
and hauled it ashore.
Oncer Cross stated he received
first word at the market house and
fastened down. The body was limp
and the hat jammed down tight on
the head, The flesh was soft am
spoRgy aud he did mot beileye. the
body had been in the water long.
Nick F'rakes. the barber, testified
that Garner was shaved in the Gar
iitson shop where he is employed
Saturday evening between and
o'clock and got his hair trimmed
about the neck. He put on a new
collar. and Frake's testimony rela-
i've TO the shave and collar was cor.
tolerated by the body.
W. A. Heron, who worked with
Garner, testified he had seen him
last on Saturday afternoon at 8
o'clock one week ago, when paid on
Garner had not been drinking for
several months. he testified. The
last he heard of him was Sunday az
ternoon following that Saturday
when he was seen near Tenth and
Jackson streets.
DR.. Johnston Bass and DR.. p. II.
Stewart. who performed the post
morten testified that they did nos
think Garner had been dead more
than "a or 80 hours from date OF
discovery in the river; that the neck
was broken and they thought the
breaking was occasioned by some d.
rect blow as the flesh was slightly
broken about the edge of the hair
and the break in the skin cores
pended with that in the neck. A
poker or stick. they thought, would
have made such a brulse and caused
such an injury. They testified thai
had the body been cast into the water
Immediately after death, it would
,loat for some time, until the animal
heat was consumed and the air re
placed by water by ABSORPTION. This
would take place within one or two
hours. They thought that the blow
had been dealt first and the body
thrown into the river.
John Elrod, of South Second