Coroner W. S. Tingley, of Campbell County, began the formal inquest in
the famous case, on Tuesday Feb. 11. E. G. Lohmeyer, a jeweler; A. J.
Mosset, a steamboat agent; W. C. Botts, a coal dealer; John Link,
ex-Chief of the Fire Department; Michael Donelan, a shoe-manufacturer,
and F. A. Autenheimer, a retired steamboat Captain, were selected as
jurors. The first witness called was Sheriff Plummer.
"Please state if on February 1 you saw the headless body of a woman on
the premises of John Lock, in the Highlands?"
"I did."
"What evidence have you to submit in identifying the body?"
"The body was Pearl Bryan, of Greencastle, Ind. I received information
that the body was that of a woman at Greencastle, and went there for
that purpose. The clothing found on the headless body and the shoes were
identified by Mrs. J. F. Stanley as belonging to her sister, Miss Pearl
Bryan. Frederick Bryan corroborated Mrs. Stanley's identification, and
afterward identified the headless body as the corpse of their sister,
Pearl Bryan."
"Have you discovered by what means she came to her death?"
"The evidence we have leads us to believe that she died of having her
throat cut."
Dr. Heyl, Assistant Surgeon of the Sixth Regiment, U. S., stationed at
Ft. Thomas testified the manner in which the head was severed plainly
showed that an accustomed hand had performed the work, and it was
obvious to a professional eye that the work had commenced from the back
of the neck.
Detective Cal Crim of Cincinnati gave his testimony as follows:
"I was notified by the Chief of Detectives Hazen, to report to Newport
and assist in clearing the mystery of the crime. With Detectives
McDermott and Sheriff Plummer I went to where the body was found, and
came to the conclusion that she was murdered there. There was so much
blood on the ground that it led me to this belief, and I also found
blood high up on the surrounding bushes, which I believed to have been
caused by the blood spurting from the neck. I found blood on all the
under side of the leaves, showing that the course of the blood was
upward, as though the body was on the ground when the throat was cut.
The ground was literally saturated with blood. The earth was upturned
and blood was found to a depth of eight or nine inches."
"State from your examination to your best knowledge and belief who
committed the crime?"
There was a deathlike stillness in the room as the detective answered:
"Scott Jackson and Alonzo Walling."
"What have you found to lead you to that belief?"
"The dead girl, Miss Pearl Bryan, left her home at Greencastle to visit
a family named Bishop at 95 Center Street, Indianapolis. Her relatives
identified her clothing. We discovered that Scott Jackson had been
intimate with the girl. He left Greencastle October 14., and pregnancy
having become apparent she, at the solicitation of a cousin, named Will
Wood, went to Cincinnati to submit to a criminal operation. Jackson was
to have the operation performed and Walling was to assist in the
performance. The last we know of Pearl Bryan in life was in the company
of Jackson and Walling Friday night preceding the finding of her corpse
between 6 and 7 o'clock, when the three were seen to enter a hack at
Wallingford's saloon, at George and Plum Streets. We have discovered
that Jackson had hired Walling to perform the operation on Miss Bryan.
Jackson's coat was found on evidence furnished by Walling in a sewer
where it had been hidden. A pair of Jackson's trousers, covered with
blood and with mud on the knees, were found in Walling's locker."
"Has Jackson or Walling made any statements in your presence concerning
the crime?"
"Yes, sir. Each accuses the other."
"Can you account for Jackson and Walling the night preceding the finding
of the body?"
"Only up to the time they entered the cab at Wallingford's saloon. Then
all traces are lost. Neither Jackson nor Walling was seen or can give
any satisfactory account of their whereabouts from 7 p. m. of Friday to
3 a. m. Saturday."
"Have you any other evidence?"
"We found two valises, one having blood stains on the inside, in which
we believe the missing head was carried from the scene of the murder."
Detective Crim was excused and Detective McDermott was called. He
corroborated Crim's statements. Sheriff Plummer was recalled and gave
testimony corroborative of the two detective's statements. Dr. Robert
Carothers submitted a report of the result of the post-mortem which was
held by order of Coroner Tingley.
Dr. W. H. Crane, the chemist who made an analysis of the stomach of the
murdered woman, regretted having no written report of the analysis, as
it had not then been completed, but testified to having found cocaine in
the stomach.
A number of other witnesses testified as to the finding of the body, the
discovering of the foot-prints, blood, etc.
The examinations were completed, and after the court-room had been
cleared the jury entered into a discussion of the examination.
The evidence as taken by the court-stenographer was carefully gone over
and debated. Every little technicality was examined and passed on
unanimously, and after an hour's session the jury returned the following
verdict: