Chris Stabel's Death

Rome Sentinel May 18, 1891

CHRIS STABEL'S DEATH

The inquest in the case of Christian Stabel whose body was found in the Erie Canal on Thursday was concluded on Saturday afternoon.

Eugene Campbell testified: I live at West Rome; am 27 years old and a laborer. I know Nora and Martha Williams, and Mr. Letter; have known them two or three years they are neighbors of mine. Was at their home in the forenoon of Sun. May 9, stayed nearly all day. Tom Pendergast and Will Sherman were there, there was no one else there, left there at five and came down street, went back, did not stay there Sun. night, stayed in Arch Farr's barn, on the hill, back of our house that night; saw no one there that night or in the morning; came downstreet at daylight, stayed down about an hour and then went to Letter's, stayed there till about four, walked up the towpath as far as Baulig's, did not go into Baulig's, went away from Letter's about dusk, came down street in the evening;' slept in Farr's barn that night, went home in the morning I kept away from home because I did not want the old man to see the scratches on my face that Pendergast made. I generally stay at home, was home every night last week, board at home, am single, had beer at Letter's Monday night, don't know who got it, don't know what it was in, they gave me mine in a glass. they poured it out in a pail; I was in the bedroom asleep, only saw one pail of beer; did not see Plato at Letter's, saw Button and his wife. They came before 7 . It could not have been 9 or 10 when I went away. Don't carry a watch, I took my meals at Letter's on Sun. and Mon., do not board there, go there to see Nora Williams, on Monday night I went to the barn to sleep between 9 and 11 o'clock; never knew Stabel; have not been to Baulig's in two weeks, told a man I had a fight there Monday night but it was not true.

William R. Button testified: I live at West Rome, my house is located between the railroad and the canal, nearly one-half mile west of Baulig's, am married, am a laborer, was at Letter's between 10 am and 8 pm Monday, not there again that day, did not drink beer or see beer at Letter's house that night; did not know Stabel; don't know what time it was when I got home.

The jury found that Christian Stabel came to his death between Monday May 11, 1891 and Thursday May 14, 1891, but the cause of his death was to the jury unknown.

* This is a good place to note that in 1896, Thomas Pendergast was tried for murder and sentenced to prison in Auburn. It was widely believed that Eugene Campbell and Thomas Pendergast stole Christian Stabel's money and murdered him on Monday May 11, 1891. The family tomb stone lists his death as May 14th. There is no death record for this. The cause of death listed on the Rome Cemetary record is drowning.