A Fight Ends In Death

ednesday evening about half past nine, Andrew Schiappacasse was in the saloon of Henry McNally, and was engaged with others in a game of cards, when John Butler, coramonly known as "Jack," entered. Butler was a man about 23 years of age, and is said to have been quarrelsome when in liquor. On this occasion he appears by evidence to been in that condition. He soön began abusing people around him, and seems to have made Schiappacassee a special target for invective. At last Schiappacassee aróse and a fight ensued, in which blows were exchanged. The two finally clinched and went down, Butler falling underneath. After what seemed to be a slight scrap on the floor, Schiappacassee arose and resumed his place at the card table. Butler remained motionless on the floor, and the impression seemed to be that he was, as McNally puts it, - a habit he says Butler had when he got the worst of a fight. However, as Butler remained motionless and was seen to be frothing at the mouth, those present carried him out door, and Drs. W. B. Smith and J. N. Morton were called, who found that Butler was dead. Schiappacassee then hunted up Officer Collins and surrendered hiraself, and was placed in jail. Coroner Clark was notified, and the remains of Butler were taken to Martin'sundertaking rooms. An inquest was begun yesterday before Coroner Clark, and an autopsy held by Dr. Smith and others, the jury being dismissed until this morning. On the resumption of the inquest, Dr. Smith made the following report: "On the morning of the )th day of August, 1894, I made a post mortem examination of the body of John Butler. There were present Drs. Nancrede, Kapp, Boylan, and a medical student, Mr. Simon. On inspection of the body, I found it well developed and very muscular. The skin was very dark from the settling of the blood. Just over the right eye and at the outer angle of the left eye, were discolored spots about the size of a 2-cent piece. On removing the sternum I found the lungs inflated and badly congested. The heart on the right side, was filled with a large clot. The tricuspid and mitral valves were a little thickened. The liver was congested, the stomach filled with a semi-fluid and partially digested food. The gall bladder was well filled with bile and looked natural in color. On removing the calverium there was no blood settled under the discolored spots. Over the right eye and outer angle of the left eye, the duramater and the piamater and the brain showed great congestión. On removing the brain, and opening into the lateral and also into the fourth ventricals, we found large clots. Along the spinal cord, for about four inches, we found the membranes congested and also a large clot. The skull was not fractured at any point that we could find, nor any of the vertebra;. Just how much the habits of the deceased had to do with having his system in just the right condition to yield readily to any outside force or how or in what niaoner any outside force could be applied to produce the condition of things that we find, would be impossible for me or anyone to say." Afterthefeadingofthe reportsome further testimony was offered, the prosecuting attorney appearing for the people and J. F. Lawrence on behalf of the prisoner. The jury found the following verdict: "That John Butler came to his death, about 9 o'clock, on the evening of the 8th of August, 1894, in McNally's saloon, No. 30 North Main street, Ann Arbor, Michigan, caused by bursting a blood vessel in a fight with Andrew Schiappacassee." The jurors were Moses Seabolt, W. G. Snow, A. Kearney, J. C. Watts, Leonhard M. Duke. The case is a most singular one, as there does not appear to have been sufficient violence to have caused death. Schiappacassee is a young man somewhere in the twenties, and has not been regarded as quarrelsome or dangerous, but sometimes drinks. On the occasion of his trouble with Butler witnesses say he was sober. Some two years ago, he engaged in a wrestling bout in a saloon with Dan Amsden, who was thrown, and in the f all, his neck came in contact with some obstruction and was broken. The future action of the prosecution, in relation to Schiappacassee has not been announced.