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About The morning Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1899-1930 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 15, 1906)
SATURDAY) DtCIM8lA 18, MM. I THE MORNING ASTOMAN, ASTOIWA. " OllEGON. mmmmmmmmmmmmimmmmmmmmammmmmm " tmrnm CHARGE OF MURDER Coroner's Jury Examine Thursday Tragedy. Into CAPTAIN FOREST 1$ SILENT Testimony Given by Eye-Witn Sailors of Ann! Larsen and Long shoremen Now Loading Her Defendant Now in Jail A coroner's Jury was empanneled MlrrtiiT aflonMMMi to lMt Intn taauer of the ehoottaf of tha sailor. Oeorge Fisher, oa the AatorU Bos Company dock, on Thursday, by Cap tain a M. Forest, of th schooner Aa nl Larson, The fottowinff genUemen atma to this behalf: Robert Carruth era, L E. Sell. Wtlttam McCroekey, William Shaw, F. W. Gardiner and William Dench. and they were aworn on tha dutlea of the hour, by Coroner W. C A. Pohl at 1:50 o'clock, at his office at tha corner of Eleventh and Dunne streets; there being present at the time Sheriff M. R. Pomeroy, Chief of Police Charlea Gammal. Dr. J. '".A. Fulton, the examining aurreon: the de fendant. Captain G. M. Forest, and his counsel O. C Fulton, and a number of witnesses to tha tragedy. The Jury went Into the morgue of the establishment, where the body of the dead salor lay and Its wounds were duty examined under the supervision of Dr. Fulton and then returned to tha office, where tha Investigation proceed ed In due course. Nelo Johnson doing the stenographic work for the coro- Her. Tha first witness mmnoned was Dr. X A. Fulton, to whom the wound ed man was turned over after being hot Dr. Fulton said. In substance: "I was called at about 2 o'clock yes terday afternoon to the seen of the hooting; the dock of the Astoria Box Company: saw the wounded man and ordered him taken at, once to the hos pital; there I made a cursory exam ination of the wound: tt was a gun shot wound; here the doctor gave a detailed description of tha wound, its nature, course of the bullet, etc); the man died at 18:45 o'clock last Dlght; the wound referred 'to waa the cause of his death; I performed an operation, and found that the bullet bad pierced the right hip bone, and traversed the abdominal section en tirely; It was taken out on the left aide Just above the crest of the left hip bone; It passed through several colls of the Intestines; It severed one or more of them, one almost entirely; and the abdomen waa practically full of blood; the victim waa not at any time fully conscious; he made no statement a to the controversy with with Fisher at sea; yea, t know the captain; Captain Charles M. Forest; had no trouble with Fisher while here: until Wednesday night,. when be re ported himself alck; I notified the captain that there was a man ntck In the forecastle; and at noon yea teday I taw Ftaher on the dock in booaed condition; at 1 o'clock I went back U work In the hold: while there 1 was told, later, that man bad been shot, on the dock, and went up to about" tt; I do not know whether Fish er waa alck. or not," The next witness aummwwd, waa Ptter Penfrat, a longshoreman, of this city, whose home Is at No. 43 Tenth street. He made the following state ment ta relation to the shooting: 1 am a longshoreman: was working yes terday afternoon on the wharf of the Astoria Box Company, loading lumber on the schooner Anole Larsen; 1 saw Fisher there yesterday; In the fore noon and la the afternoon: ha was not working; I saw Captain Forest tVre; tw W between Mm and the captain; t knew be was in the cabin with the captain: Wter, the captain wa standing on the neck, close, to the main hatch, saw the cap tain shore his flat in the man's face, or neck; the man struck him back; the man then turned and climbed on the dock; the captain went below; be came back, and climbed into the mis sen rigging, between the first and second shrouds, and fired his revolver at Fisher; the captain waa not. in any danger from the man when he shot him; Fisher fell on the dock, crying out, murder murder, send for the doctor!; some by-itander tele phoned for a doctor; Fisher mad no demonstration to the captain, no bluff to do anything; it he had had anything In his hand I could have seen tt; he had nothing." C Cooper, another longshoreman. waa then placed on the stand, epa gave the following testimony in this relation: "1 am a longshoreman, and live in Astoria; on the upper side of the ball grounds, between Seventh and Eighth atreets; I worked yester day at th Astoria Box Company" dock, stowing lumber on the schoon er Annie Laraen: I saw the dead man! before and after dinner; saw Captain Forest then, too; saw both when the row came on: aaw the captain speak to Fisher; then he hauled elf and struck him: Fisher struck back at the captain; the- Captain then ran down into the cabin: be returned with 'revolver; he climbed ifito the mlusen rigging and shot at Fisher; Fisher leu on the dock; he cried out. 1 am shot, murder; my poor old Mother; he had nothing in hla band; I beard no threats from him; I don't know that either of the men were Intoxicated; only one shot waa fired." Jacob Petersen, another longshore man, waa then called, and gave testi mony, as follows: "I am a longshore man; I live near the Scandinavian Cannery in this city; waa snoving lum ber aboard the schooner Annie Larsen yesterday afternoon; I saw Fisher there yesterday; saw Captain Forest also; aaw Fisher come forward and Moir in th eantln: ha said to the captain. 1 will show you the man that tweea aim and the man Fisher; the man claimed to be alck, and asked to be paid off; the captain told him to go to work: the man left the ship; he returned on board about noon; 1 aaw him first about i;IO o'clock in the morning; be brought a stranger down with him to the ship, and asked If the "old man' was aboard: he wa told no'; he waa sick; he had hurt hla shoulder by a fall oa shore the night before; saw htm sneak to the captain; the captala kit htm; he bit the captain back; the captatn went to the cabin; the man he go oh the dock; captain come back on deck; he said no word; climbed in rigging and shot at man: the man fell; the boys got blanket and put wounded man In It and tn a wagon; I went back to my the captain, nor of what had occurred; . . l Alt. toei fkf iHn. ' . ........ ... , ti,J is coming to work in my place; the lence, save uumw i ... i .... , ...v ., i captain hit him in the mouth and the Mil an wb I First Mate Martin Peterson, of the schooner Annie Larsen, was then put on the stand, and testified, practical ly, as follows: "My business is that of a sailor; 1 hold the position of mate of the schooner Annie Larsen; the dead man came on board the day before we left San Francisco; he called ' himself George Fisher; he was a sailor; do not know his age; he claimed to be a Belgian; do not know whether he was married or single; do not know any thing of the trouble between him and the captain; was in the hold of the Vesel, Mowing lumber; did not know of the difficulty till I saw the man lying on the dock; we had no trouble man struck back; the man then climbed up on the dock: the captain went below and got a revolver and returned on deck! he then shot Fisher Fisher fell on the dock: the captain was on the half-deck, aft, when he shot; don't know whether they were sober or not" Marlus Llttra, a sailor on the An nte Larsen, then took the stand and testified as follows: "I am a native of Marseilles, France: was aboard the Annie Larsen yesterday afternoon; yes, I saw the dead man; I knew him: be was a sailor on the Annie Larsen; knew him only for the voy sge from San Francisco here; I know Captain Forest; I saw the trouble be- J U S T A T I P STAR THEATER P. GEVURTZ, Manager THE EMPIRE STOCK COMPANY IN Tennessee's Partner" Matinee 2:45 Saturday and Sunday. Evening prices, 15c, 2oc and 35c. - Matinee lOc and 25c. Box Office Opens 7:30. Curtain Rises at 8:15 Sharpl Seats can be secured by Telephone Main 38 n for all performances , . .. Box office open from a until 4 p. m. daily Chief of Police Charles Gamma! was then sworn In the matter and gave the following account of his connection with the cast: "Was notified by the ovraT nrac yeeteroxy afternoon that : there waa trouble at the Astoria BoX( Company's mill dock, that man bad been shot and was asked to go there at eoce, as Chief Deputy Allen An derson was atone la the sheriff's of fice and could not leave at the mo ment: I went there ImmedliMys there was no tornbie Mi. hen I got there; we met Dr. Fulton coming from the dock, he said a man had been shot, and that he had ordered him taken to the hospital; I went on board the schooner Annie Larsen; Mr. W. F. McGregor introduced us to th captain, C. M -Forest, who was there tn his cabin, t asked the captain for his gun. and he gave it to. me, (here the chief displayed and identified the weapon); I examined it; it was fully loaded, with the exception of one chamber; I asked the captain to come to the office of District Attorney Har rison Allen; did not arrest him then: he came with me; he acknowledged shooting the man Fisher; said he did not mean to shoot him snd did not know the gun waa loaded; be only meant to scare him: 1 have the bullet: here It is: (here the chief, displayed the bullet, which had been given him by Dr. Fulton, after the autopsy): we nnt aom time at the district at torney's office; not knowing what con dition the man was in, we let the captain go back to hla vessel; but ar rested him later, after 11 o'clock: 1 then swore to an Information for mur- dr. after the death of Fisher had been annoonced. and the warrant was. Issued: be has been ta my custody ever since; Deputy Sheriff Anderson visited the vessel and was with me at the district attorneys oraee.- At this Juncture the coroner called upon Captain Forest to make any statement he desired to make In the premise, but on the advice, of Attorney G. C, Fulton, who was employed as his counsel be declined to make any state ment whatever. The room was cleared of all specta tors and others, and the Jury elected William Snaw, as foreman, and pro ceeded to deliberate on their verdict In twenty minutes they had reached a conclusion which was formally couched In the following terms: "Astoria, Ore., Dec, 14, 10. "We. the undersigned, Jurors sworn to lnuulre of the cause of the death of George Fisher, on oath do find: "That said Geo. FUner came to. his death at Astoria, Clatsop county. Ore rwitnh u 1M snd that his death was caused from gun-shot wnnnd In the hands of C. M. Forest, and that said shooting was contrary to the laws of the State of Oregon, and that said C. M. Forest is guilty of the crime of murder, (Signed.) "W. C. SHAW, Foreman. "L, E. 8ELIO, , "WILLIAM DENCH. "W. L. M'CROSKET. "F. W. GARDINER, "R CARRUTHERS." After the rendering of tha verdict. the custody of Captain Forest was taken over by Sheriff M. R. Pomeroy, and he was placed In the county Jail. During the long and harmrslng de- tails of the coroner's investigation, Captain Forest was calm and collect ed, deeply interested, and though over-wrought by the nature of the tes timony and the proceedings, was dig nified and completely master of him self. The examination was conduct ed with the utmost decorum and all present were impressed with the se vere character of the strain to which the master of the Annie Larsen" was subiected in the face of such an ava lanche of adverse testimony, and this without the chance to Interpose a word of defensive proof, of which it is said, it... km n aliiinilanea tn be USed at inn V in n. www. the nroner time. ii. v..1(nn Informal renOrter 01 the Astorlan last evening 'that all necessary stops would be taken in due course in behalf of his client tnai th defendant was entitled to the ben efit of a preliminary hearing, and this would transpire in a few oays, ana, .i... it h. mt vrnvA char ere wab held there, the mattir would be tak en before Judge McBrlde at his next i v erf ';v V;;';; JWNMP 7(mt hr . At hiciiaui) item yoM fmtv vf , ( t . . t wh9 mhh pm iNwy -JUrrf CAtttma$ d JCm Te , , . , v ; P. A. STOKES. .SB njhh ftlNOtV CU AT VOUft eONVrCNKNCC ANQ tllCCT IT. A HAT ORDER FOR CHRISTMAS H. A. S I CLOTHES 1 .:,:;.jix.L i " " mt ..umwij i Id ii ii ! m . visit to this district, probably on the t?th Instant. He said that nothing would be left undone to serve the In terests and freedom of Captain For est, and that if bail w practicable, there was an abundance of the best money la the northwest ready for the bond. Just when, tad Just what, fur ther steps are to be taken, were not ascertainable last night, but It Is ear- Uln that no delay will be counten anced in the matter, from either side. DANGER IN DECAY. Astoria grocery nom, mm mi. j .commmcul stskt. Kidney Diseases Are Tee Danoereue for Astoria People te Nealeet. The great danger of kidney troubles i. th.t the ret a firm hold before the sufferer recognises them. Health la gradually undsrmlned, Bacmacne, headache, nervousness. lameness, sore ness, lumbago, urinary trouble, drop sy, diabetes and Bright's disease fol low In merciless succession. Don't neglect your kidneys. Cure the kid- neya with the certain nod eafa remsdy. Doan's Kidney Pills, which has cured people right here In Astoria. 3. Federsen, longshoreman, living at 111 Commercial street, Astoria, Ore gon, says: Tor twenty ytar I was afflicted In one way or another with kidney trouble, suffered a great deal e? pais and !a the small of the eack and waa continually tired and ner- vous. I had occasional headaches and also a blurring of the eyesight Every time I took cold it settled in the kid neys and added to my troubles, the secretions at such times being lrreg- ular and containing sediment. My j rest was much disturbed at night on this account I began taking Doan's Kidney Pills 'procured at Charles Rodger's drug store, and found unex pected relief, for which I am very thankful." For sale by all dealers. Price 50 cents. Foster-Mllburn Co., Buffalo, New Tork, sole agents for the United States. Remember the name Doan's and take no other. 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