Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1858-11-25
CITY & NEWS ITEMS
THURSDAY MORNTNG, NOV. 25,.1s5s.


Hartmann has been holding an inquest on the body
of Jane Elicit, who was burned to death on Bor-
well street Monday night. The particulars OF the
case, as we had it from q neighbor, was given yes
terday. The testimony ELECTED before the Coro-
ner shows that they were correct in all important
features. We give below condensed statement Of
the testimony taken up to last night.
Henry Franz had been accompanying his sister
in-law home from his honse about one O'Clock. He
saw smoke coming from the side door which was
open about four inches. He opened it to pass in,
hut it opened hard, and he found bundle of
clothes behind it. He found the body of the wo-
man lying two or three feet from the door, with
feet toward the stove. She was moaning and
| screaming Her dress was then mostly burnt off
and what fire was left was not enough to light up
the room. The man Schneider was three or four
feet from her, in an apparently stupid condition
He did not speak exceptto answer to the questions
whether be belonged to the house, and what was
the matter To the first he answered "no," and
to the second A." a woman" Franz took up the wO-
man, and carried her out OF doors, and covered her
with snow.
The next neighbOr, Mrs. Evans, being called,
Drs MarceIlus and Marshall were sent for. Schneid-
er said there was little girl in the hOuse-he knew
where the bed was and he went in after the child.
Franz said Schneider could not have easily got
to the place where he found him without stepping
upon Ieither the bundle of clothes or the woman.
The sheeting and bed-clothes were partly burned
The clothes on the floor were as wet as possible
There was little if any fire in the stove He found
nothing to explain the origin Ofthe fire.
Mrs Coleman testified that Mrs. Elliot had
washed for her several times. On Monday last
| Mrs. C. passed the house and saw the door open
and the child partly dressed near by. On goingn in
she found Ms. E on the bed. She said she was
sick and going 10 die At noon Mrs. C. little boy
| found the door locked. There was no light and
the door was locked in the evening. She had
never known the deceased to smoke. The little
girl told her that the Dutchman (Schneider) had
come in and taken her from her mothers bed, tax
ing her place, and telling her that he would chip
her teeth off" if she made any noise told that he
had been in the house.
| Mr.. Simmons, who resides in the other tenement
ofthe house, testified substantially as related in
yesterdays Leader The man had seemed 10 be
intoxicated, and from the sound appeared TO have
been cropping about in the dark. He had been in
the house from o'clock to the time of finding the
woman.
Andrew Schneider, on being sworn said that he
wasa blacksmith and also drives an express wagon.
He had been acquainted with Mrs. Elliot for year
and a half. She had beena friend of his Wits 4
| German named Book had wanted to marry Mrs.
and engaged him to assist in gaining her consent
He(Scheider)had on this business, ,and sometimes on
his own been at the house OF the deceased several
times. He had bought CRATE for her stove and
was there to fix it. On Thursday or Friday last
he sent her, by request, a cord of wood, of the val
ue of two dollars and half She paid him one
dollar and promised the balancGon Monday. He
called for it early in the evening; found the door
locked went TO an acquaintancc's house and stayed
till about o'clock, land went home. His wife
told him a man had sick horse which he
wished attended and he could find the place of his
residence by going to Dr. Halls On his way
there he saw smoke issuing from the door and
went in a minute or two before Mr.. Franz did
DR.. Marcellus testified to the condition of the wO-
man and to the fact, that she died from the effect
of the burns received. He found candle in her
clothes after taking her into Mr.. Evans house
Marks were upon the bed clothes as if hot pipe
had been laid down. Schneider had testified that
the woman drank frequently during the evening
and it might be a case of spontaneous combustion
He had known such
The faneral took place yesterday afternoon at
o'clock.
The Coroner's Jury is composed OF the following
: gentlemen N. A. Gray, Geo. P Burwil, Elviras
Barrett, Adam Rsferstem, John L. Benham and
Taylor Emerson.
The inquest closed at halfpast five o'clock, P.
NJ; and about an hour afterwards the Jury brought
in the following verdict: " The deceased came to
her death by fire communicated to her face, neck,
arms, chest, abdomen, sides, lower limbs, and
through her breath TO her lungs by the burning Of
her Clothes while somewhat intoxicated and we
verify believe, from the evidence before u.s. that the
origin ofthe fire was the design and work of An
drew Schneider, in connivance with and abetted by
- BOrk." In consequence Of this verdict, An
drew Schneider, who had been ordered to find bai
in the of thousand dollars for his continued
appearance before the Coroner in default of which
he was assigned to the care of Constable Ridgeway
was sent JAIL and an order issued for the arrest Of
Bork to go to the same locality, until further in
vestigation before justice of the peace can be
} commenced.
; Schneider has been placed under 81, 900 bonds tC
appear from day to day until the evidence is con
cluded. There is a strange mystery with the affair
and it is one ofthose cases where the more evidence
is adduced, the greater the difficulty of solving the
problem.
The following particulars of tbs unfortunate
: woman have been furnished US by an individual
who knows much::of her history, and under Bhost
t roof she resided several months. She was not o
English extraction, but an Irish protestant, ant
came to this country from Erin's Isle, with hel
I husband and two children some seven or eight
years ago. They were respectable, both in person
and character. and possessed some property. Tht
husband was druggist, and might have done vel
but for the demon of intemperanee, to which h
became such slave as to squander nearly all the
income and finally caused his wife to refuse to vt
: with him. He then went from the city, and hi,
= unhappy wife stated her belief that the body of
e man found in some unfrequented place, and buried
E without being identified was his Jane soon aftel
engaged in service with respectable family, ant
might have done vel, but avillainous seducer mark
ed her for his purposes, and finally abandoned her
She met, however, with commisseration and assis
. lance from friends, and was soon again in comfort
able service and with the single exception of being
tempted by female insbriatc with whom she livet
to drink ardent spirits, our informant is not aware
of any stain on her character up to the enactment
: of the awful tragedy by which she came to hel
- IVbap - x-a- firsf fa1pd IL bod hon
induced to tasteof the intoxicating cup, he, as wei
as other friends admonished her against being
again drawn in, and her tempter being soon aftel