The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1908-09-10
JUSTIFIED
IN KILLING
Coroner's Jury Decides PoIIette
Slew Scales at 0'Neil in
Self Defense.

A coroner's jury decided Monday
morning that Sam Pollette, an Ital-
ian. was justified in killing Frank
Scales. another foreigner, with a big
club at the o'Neil coal mine Sunday
evening, holding that 1t was in self
defense. Immediately after the YER
dict was rendered. Coroner w. P,
Camp released the prisoner from GUS
tody.
Attacked With Razor.
According to the testimony given
by eye witnesses OF the killing,
Scales was running after Poilette
with an open razor in one hand and
slashing it right and left. 81 am go
ing to cut your ID throat off,
Scales yelled. To defend himself,
Pollette picked up heavy club. big
at one end. and hit Scales a terrific
blow on the left side OF his head be-
hind the ear. Scales dropped to the
ground and died within a few min
utes without regairing consciousness.
Surrendered Himself.
Pollette made no effort to leave the
place after the killing, but said he
intended to give himself UP to the
authorities. Magistrate John T.
Flynn, of Wilsonburg, was notified of
the tragedy, went to the scene and
took charge of Pollette, who gave
himself up. The body OF Scales was
taken in charge by Coroner w. P.
Camp, who made an investigation,
and ordered 1t removed to an UNDER
taking establishment.
Whiskey the Cause.
Whiskey, with which he had been
well soaked, was the cause of Scales's
tragic death. He came to the o'Neil
mining camp early Sunday afternoon
in very drunken condition and
wanted to fight every one he met.
Three or four times his desire was
gratifed and he had lively encounters
with that many miners there. He
was in an exceedingly obstreperous
mood all afternoon and evening. He
kept shouting that he wanted to fight
somebody and that he wanted to kill
some one and that he wanted to die
as he did not want to live any more
anyway.
Tried to Quiet Him.
Scales kept up his iboisterousness
toward dark and crowd of the min
ers there tried to quiet him down.
1t was in an open field, in the mining
town, MOTIF from the mine, that
the tragedy occurred. There was a
crowd of the miners around Scales
trying to make him behave himself
when he and Pollette had an alterca-
ton which resulted in Scales pulling
a razor from his POCKET, opening the
blade and going after Pollette. The
latter ran away as fast as he could
but seeing that Scales was gaining on
him. he saw long heavy club on the
ground, picked 1t up and swung 1t
violently against Scales's head,
Inquest is Held.
Coroner Camp empanelled the fol-
lowing jury. which convened Monday
morning at 9 o'clock: Charles T.
Martin, Hugh Callaghan, Frnak Shut
tleworth, Edward ]. Doyle, Robert
Shuttleworth and w. o. Straley. At
ter examining the body at the under
takers establishment, the jury went
to Coroner Camps office in the court
house where the witnesses to the
killing were examined. After a
short deliberation the jury came to
the conclusion that Pollette was justi-
fed in killing Scales as in their opin-
ion he did 1t in self defense.
Scales was about 80 years old and
single. Pollette is 26 years old and
has a wife in the old country. Both
were employed at the o'Neil coal
mine