The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1909-08-22
lEATH DEALT
D DANGEROUS
DANE SEAMAN
lied BY LIQUOR, IMAGINED
hE HAD BEEN WRONGED AND
ATTACKED SEVERAL PEOPLE
WITHOUT THE LEAST WAR
RANT.


RANT.
Albert Raspersep, a Dane, about 35
ars of age, and a stranger here.
Instantly killed yesterday at
on by a blow inflicted in self-de-
hse by George Connigan, negro,
Sho at $3.50 o'clock last night, was
xonerated by the coroner's jury. lie
a free man, so far as the state
courts are concerned, but charge ot
assaulting with a stick is docketed
against him in the city court. He was
The only one arrested in connection
with the affair.
Rasperson came here on the
schooner Make, which arrived FROM
Bagdad. He joined the schooner at
ApalachicoIa, and Captain ]. L. Ward,
who commanded the vessel, said that
during the two weeks of his employ
knent Raspersen had not taken a
drop OF liquor. He was drunk when
killed, according to sworn testimony
of a number OF witnesses at the hear
ing.
The affair occurred at the noon
hour on Barracks street and near the
glazing room of the DeSilVa COM
pany. According to all the testimony
in the case, the dead man brought On
his own death by a series OF attacks
upon a number of people Before be-
ing killed he
Stabbed Buck Allen
in the head and made such a wound
that stitches were required. Allen
was treated at the police station by
Drs. Bruce and Pierpont. The knife
blade had been broken when 1t pene-
trated the skull, and a portion OF the
bone had been dislOdged. 1t was taxi
a.. ~ FzHa
At o'clock yesterday morning
Raspersen obtained $3.50 from Cap
tain Ward and came ashore. He was
not seen any more until about three
hours afterward when Mate Brown, Of
the schooner, found him near the
grain elevator. Raspersen was au-
cry and had q fight with Brown, the
latter getting out Of his way with
difficulty. Staggering to the east
ward, the Dane came ACROSS a gang
of men working in the Keyser- Null
don timber boom under Inspector F.
c. Rupert. Raspersen Immediately
started to get bad, displayed an open
knife, and threatened to cut anyone
he could reach. 1t was seen that he
Was Very Drunk
and his actions were rather over
looked. When he inteTfered with ths
men at work, he was told to leave
and he did, after a great deal of fur
ther argument. All the time he talk
ed wildly of killing four men, Of own
ing several ships in the bay, and Of
somebody stealing his boat and doing
MIN a dirty trick" Then he shook
hands with a negro named John Per
ry and walked away. He was next
heard from near the electric light
plant, which place, by the way, was
ha oof he ste IN, IL
He was in a very quarrelsome mood
and picked a fuss with several color
ed woTkmen, cursing them out and
threatening to kill four men before
night" Sam Davis, an old cOlOred
man employed by the DeSilva MI,
heard him. Buck Allen, another ne
gro, who has been working for the
company named for the past fifteen
years. was the next attacked by Rms
persen. Allen was one of those who
tried to get the sailor to behave.
When Raspersen got near the negro,
Allen, he started to fight him, his
knife ready for business all the time.
Allen never tried to hurt the sailor,
but backed away. He was struck by
Raspersen and fell backward, then a
knife was
Plunged In His Neck
and went deeply. AS Allen fell, he
kicked Raspersen away, and this act
was fortunate, for the sailor acted
as though he would have continued
the bloody work.
George Connigan, another negro,
then made his appearance and pulled
Raspersen away from Allen. At that
che foreigner turned on Connigan and
made for him. Connigal and Davis
started to walk OF but Raspersen, his
ExrfA with rhaeaA
WELDING his knife. Connigan pick
ed up a stick of white pine about four
feet long and threw it at the sailor,
the missile striking him over the
heart. A. T. Harrington, a young man
employed at the mill, said he saw the
blow delivered, and the sailor stag
gered, then walked about a dozen
steps and fell over. He Immediately
notified men in the office, and w 8
Ferriss. a member of the company,
came down and found Raspersen ly-
ing on the ground. With help he
placed the body on a piece of Larpdu-
lin. but the man had been
KILLED Instantly
and OF course was dead when Mr.
Ferriss mad him picked up from tie
ea,:h.
A telephone message 10 the police
station brought hurried police as
sistance. Officer Roach Went over
and arrested Connigap. taking MIN
to the station. Connigan, although he
knew the man was deal, did not try
60 leave the premises. He was taken
IN charge by the policeman named,
and offered not the least resistance,
and made no effort % get away.
Soon after the fact of the killing
spread, scores of people gathered 20
dnad II In a.
no che there. About / o'clock Cant.
Ward, of the schooner Make. came
along and said the man was Rasper-
sen. and then gave a Journal repre-
sentative the facts OF aim as printed
above.
Coroner Nicholson visited the scene
IN company of Deputy Sheriff John