George H Beinker

Kentucky Post, Tuesday, 10 January 1911, page 5

David Jones of Dayton, was placed on trial in the Campbell Circuit Court this morning charged with the alleged wilful murder of George Beinker, also of Dayton. The affair occured last August and was the outcome of a quarrel between the two men in Huber's Cafe at Sixth and Dayton av. Beinker was a painter. Jones left the saloon and when Beinker came out was leaning up against the fence.

Beinker, according to testimony of an eye witness to the affair at the examing trial, struck Jones and the two men fell to the sidewalk, with Jones on the bottom. It was in this position that Jones allegedly used the knife and Beinker was taken to the Speers Hospital, where he died several days later. Jones surrenderd himself to the Newport police and was released on $2000 bail. The knife with which the cutting was done, was found in the sewer at the horseshoe culvert in Bellevue, where Jones had thrown it while making for Newport.

At the trial today Judge James Wright assisted Commonwealth Attorney Burkamp and County Attorney Caldwell in the prosecution, having been engaged by Beinker's widow, who was present throughout the morning's proceedings. At noon but eight jurors had been secured. The question of captial punishment entered largely in the excuses of jurors and quite a number were allowed to go when they expressed themselves as being against the death penalty.

Page 7-The defendant, Jones, was on the stand during most of this morning's session. He was subjected to a gruelling cross-examination by Commonwelath Attorney Burkamp, but stuck to his story that he stabbed Beinker in self-defense after the latter had knocked him down and was striking him with his fists.

Mrs. Beinker, widow, was again in court today. Jones' wife, who the defense claims is partly responsible for the tragedy, is missing and it is understood that she left Dayton after the killing and in now located in Chicago. Edward DeCamp, an eye-witness testified that Jones and Beinker met in Huber's Saloon in Dayton and Jones accused Beinker of being too friendly with his wife. This led to an argument, which was renewed outside and resulted in the fight which ended when Jones stabbed Beinker.

The defense indicated that Jones' 14 year old son would be the star witness of the trial. The boy wrote a letter to his father, telling him of Beninker's alleged attentions to Mrs. Jones.

 

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