The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1909-08-26
MAXWELL ABSOlY[D
|. BY CORONER'S JURY
Slayer of Edward Pincus Justi-
fled in Act, According to
Formal Verdict
Companion of Dead Man Alone
in Saying He Had No
Revolver


1t took a carone-'s. jury an even half
hour yesterday to find that Edward
Pincus, dive keeper and tenderloin poll
itician. met death last Friday from a
gunshot wound inflicted by William
Maxwell and that said William Max
well was justified in the acs'
While a coroners verdict has no
legal weight. the same witnesses viii
be called on to testify in the pfelimi-
nary examination of Maxwell in Police
Judge WeIler's court this morning.
The testimony yesterday. with the ex-
ception of that of one witness, went to
show that Pincus had bounded and
threatened Maxwell for months past
and on the day of the shooting was on
the trail with D. c.. Raicevich. the wit
ness whose story differed essentially
from others. He swore that there was
no revolver lying at the left side of
Pincus just after Pincus fell dying in
front of Breen's saloon in Market street
near Mason Yet five men say they
saw 1t.
WITNESS TO BE IMPEACHED
After the inquest Attorneys Timothy
| CrowIy and John r. Williams, who rep
| resent the prisoner, said that they in
tend to bring out today that Raicevich
pocketed the revolver and then disap-
peared.
Raicevich testified that he met Pin
Gus last Friday morning about 9
O'clock They were coming down Mar
ket street past Breen's saloon shortly
after o'clock in the afternoon, when
they saw Maxwell standing in the door
way with Sam Fitzpatrick, the fight
promoter After passing they turned
back. the witness said, to find Alec
Greggains, with whom they had an en-
gagement Then Pincus turned and
said to Fitzpatrick, a short distance
away:
Look out, Sam, that - will
Pincus was standing with his arms
folded, said Raicevich, when Maxwell
fired the first shot. He then ran away
to fall face downward at the second
shot.
Rafcevich, though well dressed, said
he had been out of work as horse
sheer since last May, and could not
tell where he had worked for a year
or more.
In the absence of Doctor Leland, who
is i'll Justice of the Peace Bernard
Flood presided. The district attorneys
office was represented by William
Sweigert. who left the examination of
witnesses for the state largely to Tom
MCGEE. who was Pincus' partner in the
of Police Cook last April. MCGEE tried
to show that Pincus was unarmed.
ATTACK UPON MAXWELL
Maxwell, as agent for the Zeile
estate. enjoined Pincus from opening
dive at Pacific and Sansome streets
in violation of the lease. Last February
Pincus assaulted Maxwell and nearly
cut his lip off Later Pincus said he
would Kill Maxwell in conversations
with former Captain of Detectives John
Martin; Joseph P. Stevens, superior
court stenographer; a Waterman for
the Yokohama bank named Phelan;
John r. Patterson, a loan broker; Rob-
ert Martin, who has saloon at S12
Kearny street; VIII Evans, colored
hootblack of the Barbary coast, and
several others.
There were many witnesses who saw
the latter part of the tragedy and
/ heard Maxwell declare he shot in self
defense But others said Pincus ac-
companied his insult with a motion to
his hip pocket. They We're Sam Fitz-
| patrick; E. Westelius, who has a res
taurant at "a Geary street; Donald J.