Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1885-12-25

chatting among themselves. had eXpresSel
surprise that the decea seI should hav,
taken so much trouble about il, and that he
should d. such an odd thing as TO drive IN
to Hampstead In answer to this it was
sugge ste1 that he might have done these
curious things for the purpose OF lading up
to a verdict Of insanity.
This was the nature of the conversation
hat TOOK place While the jury was going
20 view she boi7 AMI retu ming to JACK
Straw Castle, where the inquest was held
James Rogers was the frs wi5ness called.
He deposel t1at he was butler of the de-
ceased. AMI resiaed at his mas er's house
Portland place. He hal seem AMI identified
he body as that Of Mr. John Needhan.
whom he had last seen alive at about six
O'Clock on Saturday evening, at which
time he waited upol him at dinner. Mr..
Need nam hal SEM The foatman AMI the
coachman to Leighton Buzzarl an hour or so
before. His master took very hgh5 dinner.
and afterwards he (Rarers) went with the
other servants to the OPERA The witness
then ralat ID the circumstances under whic1
he and the rest had gone to tho opera, and
after wards to supp,.. They dill no5 return
homo until two in tn, mornin r Founl
the house very mucn as 1t was when he
left In the Library taare were the remain,
of soma COFFEE, and the spirit bottles and
other things were on the table. Mr.. Neal-
ham had, he shoali say, had his cup Of
coffee AMI cigar as usual The cup had
since been washed and so also had the
coffee POI. OF course if he had known Of
the sad business he woul1 have had the
things remain as they Wee. Nopoiy had
been to the house during the day except
Mr. Nolan the solicitor He came to
brea fast, and tho master drove him nome
!
pair hors, brougnam, and the coachman
and footman were on the box Had not
observed anything peculiar in nis masters
manner during tho last few months.
Thought it curious at the time his treating
everybody to thu opera AMI being so par
ticuarly affable, but put it down to a
sudden act of generosity AMI beng his
bir3 hiay, though he mu st say 1t astoniShed
him very much. The parlor maid, however,
had said she thought the master was mad;
but 1t wasa way she ID"
IA way she had@ the coroner asked
eyes, sir Any one a-Ioing any thing she
don ! quite see, She say, Oh. he's mad
mad IS natter" Gau shter)
"Anl she did not lite seq the masters
invitation to the opera, chg
That was it, ST.; an so shs bounce,, as
/ und ,rstands, into the kitchen and says uhe
masters mad"
eyes, that will do; we don't want to
hear what you under, and, but what you
know Of your owa lnowledgs''
Eye, sir; that's what was a-sayin-'
'.1haU will do; Jle next witness"
Thamai Boobins was then called He
sail he was bird catcher dealt in EN-
and lived Ut IicAheel c,urt, II ,mpstsad.
Came across the body at eight o C oc5 Sun
DAY norma. Saw the torse first; thau
the bo--, hen tire broughan; called Il
chap as he see near tie castle to come afore
he touched j.; and then the police, some
time afterward. ALI the clothes was on
the body, and the deceased had laid his
overcoat down first to lie upon, that was
svi lent; and close by was the opera hat,
and the bottle and flask now produced. The
clio hes were wet, as it had rained heavy
the fist parJ of tee night. The bottle had
e sential Oil of Almonds on it, and
Poison in big leJt ers, and the druggists
name.
Here the coroner explained that he had
preferred to let this witness give his evil
dence exactly in his own worls be fore ask
ing him any special questions but from
this point he asked him great many,
further eiciting thai there was no evil ence
OF struggle and no particular footmarks,
seeing tha5 the spot wnere the body was
IylS was 'IurZV, ana not CalculaJeQ TO
show much in tne way of foosmarks. But
there were plenty of footmarls there now,
for the spot had been crowded with people
ever since, and lot OF the gorse had been
torn away
The coroner expressed his regret that thu
foo prints had been obliterated; he thought
the police shouli have kept the place clear,
and he thought 1T matter for serious rep
rotation the morbid curiosity Of the pub
lie as exemplifiel By the removal of gorse
as mementos. Applause.)
Police Constable Jones t221S) gave evil
dence as to the removal of the body. There
vera no signs Of struggle. n the de-
ceasefs pockets were a razor, six pounds
and ten shiIiings in gold and silver, case
with visiting cards of the deceased in it.
Tie bottle of poison was lying near his
right hand as if it had droppe1 out of it.
The ieceased's clothes were wet, but other
wise undisturbad
Mr.. Jabez Northwick, surgeon, practic-
ing at HAMPSTEAD, said he saw the body at
nine o'clock on Sunday morning in the dead
house 1t was cold, the limbs rigid, the
eyes gil tening. life-Iike; the face calm
and placil, and there was powerful odor
of the essential oil Of bitter almonds per-
ceptible at the mouth. There was no frotn
or any tning to show that the unfortunate
gentleman had died Of poison except the
smell of it. He hal made post norton ex-
little or no change. There were no marks
of external violence, some post morrsm con-
gestion of the lungs, no valvular disease of