The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1908-12-21
VAS 1T ACCIDENT
CAUSED DEATH OF
MORGAN CHRISYY?
Police Said to Have Clew TO
Show That Memphis Man
Fell to Curb.
Relatives and Companions Say
He Was Sick
OTHER THEORIES ADVANCED

Mystery still surrounds the death
OF NJ. T. Christy, who was found
dying at Tenth street and Broadway
at midnight Friday. The police are
sill trying to solve the mystery, but
now the evidence points more to the
fact that Christy stumbled while
weak and struck his head on the cor
ner of the granite curbing. The po-
lice are trying to find railroad man
whom, 1t is said, made the statement
that he was near the scene about ten
minutes before Christy was found.
and that he saw a man stumble and
fall, but thought that he was only
drunk.
The police still believe that Christy
arrived on a freight train Friday
night, but Joe Webster, conductor of
the first section of the freight train
that arrived from Fulton Friday
night, denies that any man rode in
the caboose to his knowledge or on
any part of his train. It is a viola
tion of the rules of the railroad to let
any passengers ride In the caboose OF
a freight train without permit.
The corner where Christy fell is
about thirty yards from a street cleo
trio arc light, and only two posts
throw any shadow and nothing OBJ
structs the light from the street lamp
at Tenth street and Kentucky ave-
nue., square away. The police have
determined that the murder or acct
dent happened between 1880 O'Clock
and a few minutes before midnight.
Conductor Gibney returned from the
show at 1880 O'Clock Friday night,
and passed Tenth street and Broad
way. but saw no one lying in the
street. Five or ten minutes before
10 O'Clock owen Robertson. a flag
man, who had been called for duty,
passed the street and saw ChristS
He ran to a restaurant at Eleventh
street and Broadway and there met
Conductor Gibney. Together they
returned to Tenth street. Before
they reached him James Hamilton,
colored barber, reached Christy also.
Christy was in the street and haa
several hard commissions and his legs
and arms moved violently. The men
picked up Christy and placed his
head on the concrete sidewalk, which
made the bloot stain there. A BRICK
was placed under his head and Con-
ductor Gibney took his handkerchief
and rubbed off his forehead. Christy's
hat, a black Stetson answering the
description given by relatives. was
found in the street. Conductor Glib
ney noticed that the hat had been
purchased in Memphis. Hamilton
says that the hat was placed in the
patrol wagon, but it has not been
found
AT the intersection OF the streets
on the grass plot is a small lead pipe
|protruding out of the ground about
a foot. One doctor this morning
stated that II was possible that he
istumbled over this and fell with sufi-
cient force to fracture his skull and
burst the blood vessels inside the
skull. He advanced the theory that
had blow with a blunt instrument
been given, 1t is probable that the
bone would have been depressed and
crushed. while the force of the. fall
would have been sufficient only to
fracture the bone.
The scene was visited yesterday
by hundreds Of people and the sur
viewed, bat no Sherlock
Halmes was able to explain the death.
Coroner Frank Eaker will hold the
inquest probably Wednesday. The
coroner secured the Jury Saturday
afternoon, and the body was viewed,
but he adjourned to give the police
an opportunity to investigate the
lease.