New York Daily Tribune

The Eighth Ward Wife Murder—Inquest on the Body—Testimony of Several Witnesses—Commitment of the Murderer,

On Saturday Coroner Wildey held an inquest at the Eighth Precinct Station-house on the body of Mary Wagner, who, on Friday last was murdered by her husband, George Wagner, at their residence, No. 516 Broome-st., by beating her on the head with an ax.

The following testimony was taken:

John Ryan, residing at No. 1391 Bowery, testified: On the afternoon in question I was engaged on some repairs in the yard of No. 516 Broome-st.; at about 4 o'clock or a little after I was in the back part of the yard, and my attention was attracted to the hallway of the house by a noise; I saw deceased lying on her face, saw the prisoner with his knee on her back between her shoulders; I saw him strike her a blow on the head with an ax similar to the one here shown: after that he ran through the hall; I ran out of the yard into the next; the fence is down between them; I ran into the grocery store and hallooed that a man had killed his wife; I came back and heard that the prisoner had been taken, I recognize the prisoner as the man who struck her; I saw the ax sticking in the back of deceased's head when I came back.

Charles Cox, residing at No. 47 Thompson-st., testified: I was standing in my shop door yesterday afternoon about 4 o'clock, when I heard a noise on the corner of Broome st; I ran there, and went into the house No. 516 Broome-st.; the deceased was lying in the entry by the back door, with a hatchet sticking in her head; I did not see any of the occurrence at all, on my way over I saw a man running up Broome-st. toward Broadway; I gave chase and arrested him near Laurens st.; his shirt was covered with blood; I asked him why he had murdered his wife; he stated there was trouble in his house. I then gave him up to a policeman.

William Small, residing at No. 24 East Thirteenth st., testified: I am employed at No. 516 Broome-st, as a mason; the prisoner came in the basement where I was at work doing some repairs, about 4 o'clock p. m.; he did not speak to me, but looked around and then went up the basement stairs; in about a second or two I heard a scream from a woman; I ran part of the way up the basement steps to the first floor, when I saw the prisoner have hold of deceased by the shoulder with his left hand, and hitting her three times in the back of the head with a hatchet, and she fell on the floor in the entry, and he hit her twice more when she was down; I went out in the street and gave the alarm: some citizens ran in and arrested the prisoner; the deceased bled a great deal: the prisoner left the hatchet sticking in the deceased's head.

Wm. H. Crawford, residing at No. 50 Thompson-st., testified: About 4½ o'clock I was in my place; I heard a noise, and ran out of my place into the yard of No. 516 Broome-st.: I saw the prisoner in the back door of his house; he was hitting something with a hatchet; I thought he was splitting wood; I got within a few feet of the stoop, when I saw the head of deceased lying on the side of the door, with her body in the entry: she was lying on her face at the time; he hit her a number of times on the head; he appeared to have one knee on her back holding her down; after he got up he went toward the front door, when I saw the hatchet sticking in her head; some parties came in the front door, and he was arrested.

Drs. Wooster Beach, jr., and Christopher Walser made a post-mortem examination of the body of deceased, and found an extensive fracture of the back part of the skull, the head of the ax having penetrated the brain to the depth of about four inches, and had been left there by Wagner after giving the fatal blow. There were several incised wounds on other portions of the head, and also on her face, but not sufficient to cause death.

The jury returned a verdict, "That the deceased came to her death by a blow on the head with an ax, at the hands of her husband, George Wagner."

The prisoner is a cabinet-maker, a native of Germany, aged thirty-nine years, and says he knows nothing about the matter. He was committed by the Coroner, to await the action of the Grand Jury. The deceased was a native of France, aged thirty-five years.