Mexico weekly ledger., 1883-08-09
WAS HE
Farber. Has q Sensation Foul Play
Suspected in the Death of a
Section Hand--The Matter
Being Investigated.

John Hayes, of Farber, this county,
died on the 25th of July. Although
he had been sick for some time, he
was feeling much better just before
he died, and was out of the house
expecting to be entirely well soon.
He died very suddenly. The neither
still nor small voice of rumor more
than whispe#edfoai play. We have
spent some time in an investigation,
and find the. facts to be about as fol-
lows: III any of u statements are
wrong, we have been misinformed,
and are more than ready to correct.
John Hayes was a section baud on
the c. s. A. railroad. His present
wife (Which is his second) is a daugh-
ter of Mr.. Purdy, of Farber. Hayes
leaves two boys by his first wife ;
they live at Moberly. Charles, one
of the boys, is pushing the inyestiga-
ton, and is thoroughly imbued with
the idea that Mrs. Hayes, or some
one else, poisoned John Hayes for
his insurance, or for some other
cause or, that he died from an over
dose of opium, given through the
carelessness of some one. We are
informed that DIR. Blount, of that
place, gave kim, by Hyperdemic in
lection, one-fourth of a grain of NOR
phia every half hour for several
hours. Physicians say that such a
dose would kill any man in the
world. Blount says these injections
did him good. The body was ~resur-
rected last week, and a post norton
held by the coroner. Drs. French.
White and Adams assisted. The
body was desected, and the stomach
and other organs sent to st. Louis
to be examined by chemists. A re-
port from them is expected every
day, aud, if there is good grounds,
arrests will be made at once.
Hayes, it is reported, died of brain
fever. DIR. French says his post
norton shows that the brain was all
right. and that he had no brain fever,
and that every thing goes to show
that he was poisoned by opium.
Mrs. Hayes is an opium eater. Hayes
had his life insured in ONE kind of
an organization. His property, we
hear, was all decided to his wife. It
also out in evidence that
Hayes was poisoned once before,
and lay as dead for several
hours. The evidence before the cor
Oner's jury was sensational and con-
flieting. Nc verdict viii be rendered
until a report is received from st.
Louis.
The affair has created a great deal
of excitement at Farber, and the
public is divided as to whether there
was foul play Or not. The family
history, which will appear in the
LEDGER, if any arrests are made, Is
very unsavory, and shows that hap
piness never did exist to any great
extent in the Hayes family since the
last marriage.
Coroner Lee Is non committal, but
evidently thinks the man did not die
from natural causes. On the morn
ing of the day Hayes died, his wife
says she gave him quininein capsul
form. Another member ofthc FAM
lily says she gave him quinine in
water. The quinine she had was in
capsul form. A little while after he
took the quinine, he became dizzy,
and then unconscious up to the time
he died. If Mrs. Hayes CAV him quiz
nine in capsul form, what did she
give him in the water that looked like
quinine, or didn't she give him any
thing in the water?
We can't imagine a case where a
wife would poison her husband for
a paItrys 50 600 Insurance, or, for any
other cause, for that matter. We
hope and trust that the mystery win
be cleaaed up, and no one will be
found guilty-of any crime. Poison
ing is murder in the first degree, and
of the most deliberate kind. There
is no excitement or anger where poi
son is givenAit is acIears case of cool
and deliberate murder. If Hayes
was murdered in this way, the guilty
manhor woman viii surely be caught
up wish. andaa life fora life win be
AZ this writing, we r not pre-
pared to give an opinion. The case
looks bad, and when the report from
the chemist is received something
definite will be known. If there was
no foul play we will rejoice with the
suspected innocent. If Hayes was
murderedsithe guilty party or par
ties can not escape.