The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1870-04-11
SHOCKING AFFAIR.
A WOMAN DEAD THREE WEEKS IN
THE HEART OF TEE CITY,
A MANAGES WATCH BY THE
BODY.
Death by. Starvation of ALI Living
Things ON the Grounds.
SCENES AND THE INQUEST.

Persons residing or having business In
the lower part of the city are familiar with
on old weather-beaten one-story framed
house located on the south side of MAR
street between Twenty ty-second and Twenty.
third. 1t has been occupied for years by
two persons of advanced age named james
and Nancy Hayes. They were brother and
sister. The man had the reputation of being
deranged, but as he rarely left the house
few people knew anything about him
while the woman (sometimes called Mrs
Michaud) was known to be eccentric
They made living apparently By raisia2
poultry and keeping cows, though rumol
said there was n good deal Of money slowed
away in the house. .~FE' .#2 ~,Tr@,
Yesterday morning chimney in house
near by took fire, and one of the neigh:
bors, wondering why Mrs. Hayes did not
come out during the excitement, entered the
gate, and knocking OF the door, which is in
the rear of the house, was met by James
Hayes, who said his sister was asleep, and
had been asleep several days. The neigh
Dor, insisting upon entering, found the 9wo-
man lying dead upon bundle OF rags, and
covered with dirty bed-clothes, in corner
of the room. Further investigation disco
vered the fact that she had been dead q
long time-the flesh being decomposed in
many places, and the face so marred and
discolored as to make her Identification, but
for the locality in which the body was
found a doubtful matter. ts) '.
Hayes, who talked nationally on some
subjects, being questioned, said his sister
had been lying there twelve or fourteen
days. When she first laid down, he said,
she complained of something like erysipe-
las and pains in her back, arms, and legs,
and wished she was dead. After day or
two she quieted, and then he took it for
granted she had gone to sleep, and waited
all this time for her to wake. In the mean
time he had nothing to eat, and had lived,
according to his account, on water and cof-
fee. Being asked why he did not get some
thing from the neighbors, he replied that he
was waiting for his brother Sam to como
home from Philadelphia, and that he
"hadn't been off the lot for sixteen years" "
The facts of the finding of the body was
communicated to Deputy Coroner Seabrook,
of Mayor Ellyson's police, and soon after to
the first police station. Representatives of
both the police forces now on duty in the
city were soon on the ground, and the house
was searched by Captain Parker. He found
in an old chest bag containing about $500
in Confederate money, SIS in Federal cur
rency, and dollar or two in nickels and
coppers. In the out-houses were found the
carcases of two fine calves, whose death had
been caused by starvation, and oil the do
mestic animals about the establ shment had
shared the same fate. Nothing further
worthy of note was observed except the en-
tire absence of everything edible. 'a ~..
Hayes was with great difficulty induced
to leave the miserable hovel, of which for q
week past he had been the solitary occu-
pant. THe moaned pitcously that che
couldn'tleav his sister" and then munbled
something about a secret which he couldn't
tell The officers took him to the first
police station, and on the way he told them
again that it was sixteen years since he had
been on the street. Coming near the old
Union Hotel, be exclaimed, as though re-
cognizing on old friend, "Why, there's the
Union Tavern!' ~ At the station he was
given something to eat and drink, and was
very tractable, ..4rgs.-
LII lue altcIuoou IL Jul nuo cniPaheAAeo
by Deputy Coroner Seabrook, with E. A. j.
Clopton as foreman, but little testimony
was produced. Mr.. Timothy Kerse testified
that lie know the deceased, and that some
weeks ago, when she was suffering with a
sore foot, his wife had dressed it several
times. Since that time witness had seen
nothing of either Miss Nancy or her
brother until this morning, when her death
was discovered as above related. The jury
rendered o verdict of "death from natural
causes.'
This singular and shocking affair has, Of
course, excited much comment in the lower
part of the city, and the interest in the
case is increased by the fact that Mr.
Samuel c. Hayes, former resident Of
Church Hill, was brother of the deceased
and that she has respectable and wealthy
relatives now residing in Philadelphia. I,
is said that Mr.. Hayes has frequently tried
to get her to leave her miserable dwelling
for better quarters, but without success. 8