Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1876-09-29


NIOIss OF VIOLENCE AS THE CAUSE-IN-
QUEST BY CORONER HARLAN-A
CHILD's STORY OF HER DEATH =
TOUCHING SCENES,
&C., &C., sc.
On Monday morning the streets were
alive with rumors that Mrs. Adele Points,
residing in the eastern part Of the city,
who had died suddenly the night before,
had come to her death by blows inflicted
by her husband. Mrs. Points, being an es
teemed member of one Oldest and best
families in the city. the rumor caused
much excitement. She was daughter
of the late James Points, who was U. s.
Marshal of this district from President
Jacksons time up to the war;. and at one
time Grand Master of the Masonic Grand
Lodge of Virginia. One of her brothers
is the well known Professor Leonldas
Points, of the Wesleyan Female Insti-
tute, and another is DR.. VIM. J. Points,
late clerk of the U. S. Court at Harrison
burg, and g. W. Chief Templar of
Virginia Good Templars. She was
about 35 years of age, and highly
esteemed by large circle. Her husband,
Mr.. VIM. J. Points, is about 40 years OF
age, a son of the late BENZ. E. Points, one
of the most esteemed citizens of Staunton.
He has been q helpless invalid for several
years and hardly able to move, even with
erutches. and for the last few months his
mind, it is believed, as well as his body,
has been infrm. For some time the
married life Of the two has been unhappy,
an unhappiness that was not known to
the brothers of Mrs. P, who would have
taken steps to relieve her from the posi-
ton in which she was placed. Mr.. Points
had three children, two of them girls,
eight or nine years old, and the other a
| boy, eleven months old.
| THE INQUEST.
Coroner Harlan, who had heard the Cir
| cumstances of the death, declined to hold
| an inquest on Monday, but having the
| matter officially reported to him by Mayor
| Baltlis and Chief of Police Peck, summon
| ed jury to meet at the residence of the
deceased, on Tuesday morning at 8 clock
and at that hour the following jury as
sembled: JAS. II. Waters, Foreman; Jas
G. Marquis, T. NJ. Young, Jno. B. Scherer
| ST., J. S. Gillian and M. p Funkhouser
| The body of the deceased was in the room
enclosed in handsome, satin-lined burial
casket, on the top Of which was bu.ch OF
mgnonnette.
| THE EVIDENCE.
| r If he
deceased, testified that he knew nothing of
the matter personally. When he Sd" her
dead on Sunday night he saw nothing IN
natural in the appearance Of the corpse.
| DR.. Fauntleroy being called, testified
| that he was called in on Sunday night and
| found Mrs. Points in dying condition
with the symptoms Of apopleXy. He had
been told of her being struck by her hus-
| band and examined her head and neck
| carefully but found no injuries. She died
about ten minutes after he got there.
| Mr.. Jacob 7 ost said he was walking
| home with Miss Bessie Hartman from
church to her residence, which is next
door, and as they passed hir. Points heard
loud and angry talking within. They
paused, but as it was of no interest to him
| he proposed to walk on, but Miss Fl. said,
ooh! MI. Yost, you don't know" just
| then they heard a thud as if some heavy
body had fallen on the floor. The children
screamed and then the screams subsidized
into sobs. AS they got on Mrs. Harman's
porch Mr.. Points little girl came out of
his door and cried out ''Oh. Mrs. Hartman
please come over, Mamma is dying.'' The
child was wringing her hands and seemed
crazed with fright. The witness and
Miss H went over and Miss H. asking him
to remain at the door went in.
DR.. VIM. J. Points, of Harrisonburg,
that he was astonished on arriving here
to find that an inquest was to be held
If he had been aware Of it he would have
insisted on the family being represented by
counsel before it, or otherwise he should
have protested against it. But now it had
been commenced he was determined to
have it thorugher and searching.
Miss Bessie Hartman coroborated Nh
Yost's testimony and added that when
she cot into Mrs. Points room she found
Mrs. Points lying prone on the floor with
her feet under the bed on which Mr.. Points
was sitting upright, and her head near the
crib. She asked Mr.. P. what was the mat
ter and he either said II don't know" or
gave no answer, she could not remember
which. The children commenced telling
that he had struck their mother, and he
shook his head at them and told them to
stop. They said 'Father has struck Moth
er with his cane on the back of the head.'
The cane was lying across the foot of the
bed. They said also that he had been beat
ing her all the evening, ever since supper.
did not respond to some efforts made to
restore her by the use of camphor. Mr..
Points held the baby in his arms as he sat
on the bed.
DR.. Points here asked that the jury
should go into the chamber and view it,
which was done. 1t was small chamber,
tastefully furnished and on the mantel
piece two children's photographs jointly
framed and under them the inscription,
s'The Lord give thee peace" Miss Hartman
said Mrs. Points was lying on the floor on
her right side with her arms thrown out.
A crutch stood some distance from the |
bed.
Coroner Harlan, on the jury, returning |
to the parlor, remarked to DR.. Points, who |
was cross examining the witnesses, that it |
as if he was attempting to i'm
peach them.
DR.. P. said he did not propose to impeach !
The defence was not represent |
ed here, she pointing to the cofin) was in
Heaven he trusted. His only object was