The San Francisco call., 1909-10-12
GRIEF STRICKEN
SISTER COMPLAIN
Protests to Coroner That In
vestigation of Brothers
Death Was Unfair

Miss NJ. Lagan, sister of Bernard
Lagan, the young man who was killed
by a bullet from the revolver of former
Police Captain NJ J. Conboy, protested
to Coroner T. B. W. Leland yesterday
that the inquest into her brothers
death was conducted in a manner un-
fair to his memory. The complaint of
the grief stricken young woman was
that no one from the district attorneys
office was present to represent the peo-
ple in the action, while Conboy had two
skillful lawyers, Joseph J. Dunno and
Joseph O'Donnell, to handle the wit
Resses in such way that young La
gans memory would seem to bear much
of the odium of the tragedy.
The inquest was not finished yester-
day and was continued till Wednesday
morning Lagan was shot in Ellis street
near Fillmore on June % and died
October 6.
SYMPATHIES WITH CONBOY
Several Of the jurors in the case
showed plainly that their sympathies
were with the man who shot young
Lagan, their Interrogation of the wit
nesses being shrewdly calculated to
bring out facts favorable to Conboy.
There seemed no question that Con-
boy was in an intoxicated condition a
the time of the shooting; but evidence
was adduced yesterday to indicate that
young Lagan was aggressively replying
to Conboy's maudlin charge that he was
a pickpocket when the shot was fired.
One material witness. Miss NJ. l. Payne
of the Hotel Congress, who had not be-
fore appeared in the case, testified that
Lagan had about slipped his coat en-
tirely off and was threatening Conboy
when the police captain fired the shots.
Another witness. Attorney E. II. Will
liams. testified that at least one of La
gan's arms was out of the coat sleeve
when he was seen Immediately after
the shooting George Greenwood La
gan's companion on the night of the
fatal affray. testified that Lagan had
not taken off his coat but had simply
started to throw it off when he was
shot. Greenwood's testimony crumbled
somewhat under the relentless cross tex-
animation of Attorney Dunno. Coroner
Leland had to come to the protection of
Greenwood to prevent him from becom-
ing hopelessly muddled under Dunne's
disconcerting crossfire. Conboys attor-
ney would have it that he acted in self
defense
GRATEFUL WITNESS
But the most curious witness OF the
day was Louis Kropp, waiter in the
Odeon cafe in Ellis street near Fill
more, who claimed to have Witnessed
part of the trouble between Lagan and
Conboy Kropp's recollection seemed
generously bestirred by the grateful
memory of gratuities received from his
former patron, Captain Conboy, and in
spots his testimony was so remarkable
that Coroner Leland patiently took him
In hand and tried to make it consistent.
Conboys attorneys did not even spin
a single question at the grateful wait
er who had drank OF the captains
champagne half an hour before the
shooting and who said that at that
time Conboy was sober but Jolly"
The waiter would have. put all the
blame of the crime on Lagan, and de-
scribed with more circumstance than
verisimilitude the details of how he
alleged Lagan was about to strike Con-
boy. Speaking of the shooting itself.
Kropp said: Il thought the young
man was going to hit him in the eye:
would have done the same thing
as Conboy did"
The coroner rebuked Kropp for his
obvious bias
SISTER AROUSED
1t was during Kropp's testimony that
Miss Lagan became aroused to the drift
of the inquest. She was an attentive
witness at the hearing. When ad-
journment came she sought out Coro-
ner Leland. Il do not think it just"
she said, that there is no one here
to represent the people or speak for
the MEMORY of my poor brother.
Should not an assistant district attor-
ney be here? Or can we have an at
torney2"
desired 4 deputy from the district at
torneys Office would be asked 10 take