Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-04-23
APOPLExY CAUSE
OF BLACK'SDEATH
foul PLAY suspicious ARE
KILLED BY CORONER SLAUGHT
POST MoRTEM.
DIED THIS MORNING
CoIored Porter, Suecumbs in Rear of
BaIlangaII Hotel Under Peculiar
mstances-Inquest
Today.

| The circumstances surrounding the
death of Silas "Fal' Black, a colored
porter, at the Ballingall hotel this
| FERROUS aspect of foul play by post
mortem examination held by Coroner
A. w. Slaught shartly before noon.
When first seen by Coroner Slaught and
Chief of Police Fielder this morning,
a badly bruised and swollen face gave
foundation to the rumor that Black had
been slugged and beaten. The in
vestigation held by the coroner at the
Sullivan Undertaking establishment
showed, however, that death resulted
from hemorrhage of the brain. the
cause of which will be the object of
the coroner's inquest set for this after
noon. The hemorrhage was peculiar
one as Black lived nine hours after
the stroke is supposed to have seized
him.
Black is a well known character in
Ottumwa, having been porter at vari-
Gus establishments for the past fifteen
years. He was thirty-tWo years of
age.
Thought to Have Had Fight.
Friends of Black assert that he had
a fight with some person now I'M
known, about II o'clock last night,
after he left the show at the Grand
opera house. Others say that the man
fell down on the sidewalk and bruised
his face.
About 1870 last night he was
brought by two men into the Buck
holz restaurant on East Main street,
his face covered with blood and his
nose bleeding profusely. 1t was
thought at that time that he had been
beaten. A physician was summoned
and the mans wounds taken care Of.
Black was pretty much able to take
care of himself when he went up
stairs to bed, at the restaurant. after
midnight At $50 this morning he
came stumbling down stairs and on
reaching the dining room, fell to the
floor 1t was believed that he had
been drinking. His friend. William
Ross, also colored. porter at the
Ballingall was called to take care Of
Black. He was carried into the rear
baggage room of the Ballingall hotel.
At 8 o'clock life departed. Believing
that he had been struck on the head.
the friends left the body untouched
until the arrival of Coroner Slaught.
Hemorrhage Caused Death.
After gathering the particulars sur
rounding the mans death and examin-
ing his wounds, Coroner Slaught stated
that he believes the hemorrhage
started last night just before Black
was carried into the restaurant He
further declares that the bruises in
the face were caused by falling.
Or. Slaught asserts the stroke did
not reach it's height until Black came
down into the dining room this morn
ing and fell to the floor.
When asked as to what he thought
caused the hemorrhage, Dr. Slaught
said that Black has been drinking
heavily Of late and also that he just
recovered from an attack Of blood
poisoning, either Of which may have
caused the bursting Of the blood YES
sci. The coroner entirely discredits
the statement that the stroke was
caused by blow on Blacks head.
The deceased leaves his father. Jesse
Black of Galloway county Mo-, one SIS
ter, Mrs. Grace Robinson, Ottumwa,
and his grandmother Mrs Joseph Coots
also Of this city.