The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1869-07-31

house, as Mrs. Nickerson was dying. He called to
see her. and found her 50 low and Frustrated and
complaining OF such peculiar symptoms that he was
at loss what to make OF her sickness--aJ least SO
he states. He endeavored to find out the cause OF
her sudden illness, but was unsuccessful
The woman's friends did not appear to
be very anxious about her, and the doctor
says that he was not asked by any one
OF them his opinion in regard to the diagnosis or
prognosis OF the case, and that although he made
frequent careful examinations OF every organ of the
patients body he was unable to discover any
natural cause or disease by which to account for the
peculiar symptoms shown during her illness. He,
however, says that Mrs. NckersOn had improved so
far by the 2th Of August that there was every pros
pect of rapid recovery but that on the next day, to
his great surprise, she had relapse, the cause OF
which he endeavored to ascertain but with better
success than had attended hts efforts to learn the
cause OF the illness Itself The patient on this Occa
sion complained OF the same kind Of symptoms
she had during the first attack on The l7tn or the
month; but they appeared to he in q more agra
waited form, and on the 30th she died In the most
terrible agony During her entire sickness the poor
times by her mother, ana ct other times by TWO
unmarried ladies, named Stevens. The husband
always obtained the prescriptions from the doctor,
and had them made up at q drug store at Nyack.
WAS MURDER DONEf
Several weeks after Mrs. Ntckerson had been
buried Nathan NIckerson got into difficulty with the
doctor In relation to the payment OF his BILL or as 1t
Is alleged by others, on account OF Nlckersons
his wife, According TO the DOCTORS story, Nicker-
son accOsted him In store In the village on the
S OF b ne h S Sa
he made some reply, when Nickerson went
SO far as to state that he the doctorl had killed
his wife by the medicines he had given her. On
several other occasions $50 saws the doctor) Ncker-
son met him and always seemed anxious to learn
whether or not he (lne doctor) actually knew what
had died He alleges that EickerSOuS
continual quesionings IN regard to the case, and
his constant inslnuatlons that the medicines ne had
furnished had killed his wife, led HIM to think very
seriously over the matter. He examined the pre-
scriptions he had given Mrs. Nickerson record Of
which he kept In his memOrandum). and found
nothing Whatever In them that could, under any
circumstances, have caused the woman's death. The
medicines had been obtained were also consulted,
and his prescriptions were found to tally exactly
with his mem3randa OF what he had prescribed Tor
remembered how nonplussed he had been during
the womans illness TO ascertain the cause OF the Pc
culiar symptoms she complained OF the more con-
WINGED did he bec0me that there Dad been loul play
somewhere. He studied over the case thoroughly
ana consulted the best medical works on symptoms
OF disease and iInally made I'M his mind that the
woman had been poisoned, ana on the eth OF No.
vember he appeared before Coroner Sloat and made
the following anidavir-
Ro.s,asd County. aa!aeob Hensgesr, Of said county
being duly sworn says that be practising phy.can re-
ss,d upon CAPACITY sophia
as sss % az s.. nd ss Sonia r.
ssy Sss on r. sA A.. ~, @
:. The sSxe q
s pesS. OF her whs attending pSn
her, be, deponen has reason 70 believe and does believe
then there administered to her by person per-
sons to this dsp0nen' ankn0T ynooB pESaor1re
STEvRss. Justice of the Peace.
ha q nrQt ma q doetr IN mich
the matter to an issue; but snort time aiterward,
for reason or other best known to himself, he
came to the conclusion that he had no authority to
exhume the body, and advised the doctor TO go be.
fore the Grand Jury and make formal complaint to
them. Finding 1t useless 70 waste time with this
timid Official, he applied to Coroner John Quacken
bush, OF Permont, VINO at once determined to take
hold OF the and what was In 1t. lie accord.
ingly proceeded 10 Clarkstown to have the body
exhanied, but no member either OF the Nickerson
family or Of the family OF the deceased was
willing TO show him wnere the grave was In fact,
after ende ivoring Tor two days to find out where
Mrs. Nlckerson had been buried, some twenty noun
talneers, all armed with clu0s, appeared upon the
efforts In the meantime Nickerson, who had mean.
while left Carkst0wn for parts unknown to any per-
sons put his immediate friends, was teleeraphed for
by HIS friends TO come TO Jarkstown but he was
fortunately for the Coroner, not Informed as 10
what he was wanted for, and MS arr
val DIR. Quackenbush succeeded In learning
from him where the grave was located. on
finding out what the Coroner intended 10 do Nicker-
son warned him on his peril not to open the grave;
but the Official was determined aud had the body
exhumed. The coffin containing the remains was ut
once taken to Haverstraw, when another difficulty
investigation that the body Should be recognized by
presented ITSELF IL was necessary at the outset the
some person VINO had known Mrs. NicKerson IN life.
Every member OF her family and that OF her husband
at first refused to recognize it, but her father finally
concluded that II would be best to act graciously in
the matter, and SO recognized the corpse rs mat
OF his daughter and the wife of Nathan
X. Nickerson. Tie body was found to be In almost
as perfect a state Of preservation as when IL had
been laid In the grave eight months before. Tie
n q
that showed signs OF decay, and when the knife
inserted into the muscular tissues the flesh was
lie had left the body but few minutes DR.. G0van,
OF stony Point performed the autopsy, and the
stomach and certain other portions Of the body were
forwarded TO Prof. D0remus for analyZati0n.
WAS THERE MOTIVE FOR MURDERY
OF course tho exhuming OF the corpse on the sus-
pcion that Mrs. Mekerson had been poisoned created
an immense excitement In the immediate neighbour
hood OF Carkstown. 1t seemed to be when IL was
made known that Dr. Quackenbush had determined
10 take up the body, and II still seems to be the
opinion Of almost everybody IN the county who
has taken any interest In the affair that the
unfortunate woman died an unnatural death;
but who the murderer IL seems TO be rather
m0oted question. IL IL alleged ny the physician
prescribed for the deceased that some time after he
had made up his mind that she had been f0ully
dealt with he met her husband the street. and on
his broachlng the subject Of his wife's death in
formed him That 1t had become clear TO him that
she had "died In q mysterious way,n and added,
"But understand her case lately; can see through
It now The more think of II the clearer IL Is to my
placed his fist menaclbgy towards him, and told
him to be still; mot to talk about It,"
else he would repent OF his impotence.
In his statement DR.. Henggeier adds-.Judging
from Nickerson's actions at tnistime that was on
the right track, walked little ways oil from him
and told him that was going to have the matter IN.
vestgated; that the truth must come out and that
the guilty party must come out TOO, aud that II
was the guilty party wanted TO know 1t. Mr. Nick.
crson on hearing this dropped his head and did not
dare TO look at me any more" on the 2lst OF last
November be met N,ckerson again In the village
store. he was laughing and joking with
several boys as ne entered ANA con
tnued TO do so after the physician had been
In the place some time. Smartinu under The
accusation which Nickerson had made against him
some tIno previously OF having Killed his wife by
his prescriptions, he spoke to im rather curly, re-
marking that he IN cared TO DO very happy since h'
wife haa bccu XII CT NicRcrson took no nouce o.