The New York herald., 1879-02-09
Doctors and Friends Discussing Bar
ron's Sad End.
SUICIDE NOT CREDITED
Why He Need Not Have Stolen
Bank Funds.
AN ADMINISTRATORS TALE
iDY TELEGRAPH TO THE HERALD. ]

The startling theory advanced by Detectives
Dearborn and Chapman that Barron committed
suicide At Arst dazed the community by
its ingenuity and the nicely of detail with which the
different sections put together But gradually
the common of the town extrcated itself from
the meshes in which the detectives had
imprisoned It and the weak spots in the
| "theory' began to multiply. became
apparent that the officers of the bank satisfied
with the suicide story and kept aloof from all per-
sons who appeared on the with the purpose OF
making honest inquiry into the facts and crcum-
stances Of this ysterious They will
ing to talk. but they could say nothing When asked
If they credited the detective story of suicide. they
graveiy shook their heads and refused to commit
themselves. They would say, however. that the
bank haG done all il its power to bring the true
story of Barron's death before the public and to
punish the murderers If 1t could be shown that
the late cashier had been killed il the faithful dis
charge of his duty. characteristic remark
made by travelling agent day or two ago. and one
which illustrates the CT feeling and
opinion. When asked what he thought, as
stranger in town, about the startling de-
velopments recently made. he said :-"Well. I
find that every who sells groceries provisions
to the bank officers believes in the theory Of suicide;
all the OF the town cngs to the idea that there
was foul murder The three doctors who exam
ined Barrons body. or tried to avert his horrible
:atc. happened to have been personally acquainted
with him before his death-knew him intimately.
DIR. cIoUGHs THEORY.
! On OF these-Dr Clough-was questioned yester-
day about the case and gave his views very freely.
He died from apria, or want of breath. as it Is
caed-that is. his breathing stopped before his
heart ceased to beat. The fact is that after his
lungs ceased to his heart continued to
perform It's functions two minutes
! thus entirely disspating the idea that he had
had FOR years. that he was suffering from heart dis
was sent for when Dearborn was engaged in
working up the and was told that he had
decided that Mr.. Barron had committed suicide.
xers was don beue it, esa bs
heve 1t; this Is nonsense" The Doctor admits
however that he has since m modified his opinion
that very strong chain Of circumstantia evidence
has been woven to support the theory. with only
one link missing. and that that he was
| defauter. he defaulter and
had sworn TO lie his suicide is to
my mind not only supposable but quite possible
but until that proved shall believe say that
! believe that he committed suicide. l think, how
| ever. that the opinion that he did so is gaining
| ground
DR.. Mudgett talked freely Of the mystery. He
said:-"rhere was theory advanced then that NOR
phine had been used. think that first suggested
that idea but none of us suppose that he took It of
could hnd no evidence OF sub.cutaneous injection.
When such an injection is made. If it is not done
but OFF, Sc
far external injuries are concerned, prob
who who were as badly bruised and scratched who
would get up and 20 about their business as usual.
if there had been q fracture of the skull it would
be shown at the present time, but do not think that
any traces of conclusion or congestion OF the brain
would remain. nor DO ! think that at this
could be traced. would not go on the stand, how
ever and swear expert that morphine could not
be traced year after had caused eath but here is
the idea which would suggest itself my mind. He
had been without his dinner that day, and IL he
had taken an ordinary dose of morphine, such as
very readily absorbed. Within two three hours It
would not have left trace behind it, as it would
then have gone through the system. Had post
| mortem been held do not think that then
morphine could have been traced.
When the suicide theory was first named to me.
! and / shown the books although did not
anime them myself, and they told me that. un-
false oath. and. moreover. that there seemed
to be strong circumstances favoring suicide,
was exceedingly surprised. and for time
wholly increduous Nor am | now ready
to adopt that theory. for believe that many things
relating to the affair are yet to come out Alter this
latest disclosure by the bank people the idea that
! suggested itself to this:-They would never
| have made such statements without strong reasons
to back them; but what those reasons are don't
know.
| DIR. sPRINGALLs STATEMENT.
DR.. Springall. the oldest physician in Dexter, was
also interrogated by the investigator. He said that
! on the night of the murder he found Barron with a
feeble pulse and breathing with difficulty.
looked at him, he continued. while Dr. Clough
was giving him whiskey to revive him. IL
possible. Sometimes Barron would swallow and
then IT would be impossible to make him do
His throat seem parayzed. and he lay perfectly
tionless. There was no action OF the body except
feeble pulse and short stertorous harsh breathing.
He seemed TO revive little under the influence of
stnulants. His breath became longer and easier.
curious to me- said 10 Dr. Ciough This man is
laboring under poison, or is dead drunk. or has
been hit upon the head one 81 these three causes
many similar cases. and knew from what they had
come. l remarked again. II think he is suffering
from poison; now. what do you think He
sad that he thought so too. Barrons
dition did not improve moved him
into another place where there air.
told his friends that II hs lived twenty-f hours
he might recover. About the time that he was
him 10y DIR. Clough that the was poisoned.
soon after this Barron had faint spell and wo
| and told Dr. Clough that the man WAS going To
die. that there was no help for him.. Aiterward
they tried some antidotes. coffee and belladonna,
but they did not seem to rally him. The marks on
his body did not show externally that hs had been
severely injured. There swelling about tho
left temple didn't notice what ! should
call mark around his neck. There
. redness Oh the back of his neck which supposed
originated from his neck lying trunk. There
was n scratch and discooratiop the corner Of
era,cS above the nose fhese WERE All the m
jures apparent, and they were not suf
icent OF themselves 10 cause death !
cutaneous injection, but DR.. Clough said IL would
not be of any 10 look for IL. My own opinion
was and is that In such that. in the
night, IL would be very difiout to lind traces
OF injection. for II II Is done nicely there
will remain trace Of IL. ] have said
that Barron committed suicide. but do say that
he died from the effects OF drunkenness from
blow upon his head cr from having taken some
drug into his system. have known MIR. Barron
from his boyhood. In opposition to my brothers
wishes. taught him the apothecary business. Ho
a man great secretiveness always quiet about
his businefs affairs and never conhding IN any
when he could avoid IT. now think. he said that Il
would lie advisable to have Barron's body exhumed
and his skull examined 10 II IL is fractured. and
thus settle very important point.
WHAT CASHIER HAMILTON KNOWS.
Mr.. George Hamilton, the present cashier of the
bank, and ut the time Of the tragedy chairman of the
Board OF Scectmen does not take kindly TO the run
ming fire of inquiries to which lie IL subjected
He said that he OF those who helped
remove Mr. Barron from the vault. and ut that time
since has he been able to tell anything about the
bruises on him. although he noticed that the card
around his neck fell loosely his shoulders