The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1885-05-20
FANNY MADISok'S FATE
Tying TO Show That Died by
Murder. and not by Suicide

" TT wv -
Richmond. May - Thomas : Clu-
verlus. whose trtal for the murder OF
Fanny Lillian Madison began IN earnest
to-day, appeared 10 our smiling, but
as the trial proceeded shovel some un
easiness. notably when the Coroner ex
hibIted a sketch Of the dead girls heal
with the bruises marked thereon Nhe0
the clothes were exhibited il was noticed
that he trembled several times
The body Of Miss Madison, who was q
distant relative Of President Madison. was
found in the reservoir on the morning 81
March "A. The Coroners examination
indicated that IL had been in the water
about ten hours, and some bruises about
the face and head, a. well a. Indications
Of a struggle shown by tootmarks on the
bank Of the reservoir, led to the suspicion
that she had been murdered. The body
lag in the Morgue for three ia ; before
Identification. rhe dead girl, who was
about II years old, would have become
a mother IN two months, aud It was for q
time supposed that she WAS some Rich
mond girl who had drowned herself TO
escape disgrace. Finally 4 young woman
who had known Miss Madison il her old
home in King and Queen county ideuu
fed the body. and about tie same time a
canvas bag containing some woman :
clothes marked with the name +. l.
Madison was found IN the james River
1 mile and a half from the reservoir.
Miss Madison, whose parents were far
mers. upon coming of age, bad, IN order,
as She sand not To be a burden upon her
father 10 his old age, obtained a situation
a.. -, Rtb ,.tDtr Sha hui
been well educated, and was highly es-
teemed in society. Thomas J. Cluyerius
was a young lawyer dl~tautly related 10
Miss Madison, and had Known her from
her childhood. Befsre she left home she
had spoken of him as her sweetheart.
On March 10 Miss Madison came to
Richmond from Bath county, and regis
tered at the American Hotel a. Miss +.
note by a negro boy. The boy failed to
find the person TO whom 1t was addressed,
and returned it to the clerk. As Miss
Madison her.elf did not come back, he
presumed she mad run away without pay
ing her board, and tore the note up. The
pieces were afterward put together. 1t
was found to be addressed to /. j. Gu
verius. This led to his arrest.
The porter OF the hotel identified him
as a man who called at the hotel To see
her on the night of March -. and went
away with her. \ street car driver iden
titled tiuverius as being, to the best Of
his knowl, dye and belief, though he was
not willing to swear to II, the man h
bad ridden on his car with a lady from
near The American Hotel TO the end of
the line, and then went away with her,
after asking where Reservoir street was.
Cluverius has declared that he had not
seen Miss Madison since September last
The evidence In the case Is all OF a Gu
cumstantlal nature. Cluveriuss social
standing has been high.
The evidence to day is important, as
giving the first links of the circumstan
tial chain connecting a man with the girl
when she was at the reservoir, while the
Coroner partial testimony did not aid
the suicide theory materially. The re-
s%ervoir, the scene Of the murder, is sur
rounded by two fences, one a high board
fence. Passing them, the reservoir Is
reached by going up an embanhment, on
the top of which Is a narrow walkway,
then a picket fence about four feet high,
and then the basin of the reservoir,
wherein Miss Madison body was found.
The questions of counsel for the defence
to-day indicated a urp to show that
the bruises upon the girls face might
have been caused by her striking against
the sides of the basin as she jumped in.
The first witness examined was Lysander
Rose, keeper Of the city reservoir. He
described the reservoir and surroundings,
! and then told how he found the body.
He said he saw a lot Of broken tracks,
and also a woman's footprints on the
walkway. He continued:
Il found d glove on the walk way 1t
was not simple dirt or earth on the walk
way, but crushed granite. The foot
prints Of the woman were near the fence,
and further off were the footprints of the
man. Those.tirst attracted my attention.
| did not disturb the body until the
Coroner came. [ called one ofthe work
men up to look at it. Mr.. Lucius was
the first party | called | went up the
steps at the southeastern corner, and was
walking towards the west when my eye
was attracted to the glove. passed a
! gate on the walk way, but to the best OF
my belief this gate was closed. The bolt
90 the gate i on the side of the gate to-
ward the walkway. Ifthat gate had been
opened 1t would have attracted my atten
ton. | think the gate would not stay
shut unless it was fastened. There are
three entrances on the front part of the
reservoir. The gates on Ashland street
are closed at night. There were one or
two plauks off at the opening 10 the fence,
and one was hanging by a nail. A ditch
ran n the fence at this point, and to
60 In to the reservoir through this hole
in the fence one would have to step over
this ditch and walk CD some planks across
the ditch
The fence spoken of by the witness is
a picket fence about four feet high, Just
on the edge of the reservoir basin. 1t IS
held that it was too high for the woman
TO have jumped over it. The witness,
being cross examined, SAID the tracks
looked fresh, rain having very recently
fallen and rendered the waIkway soft. He
thought there were twelve or fifteen
tracks there. The water was fifty inches
below the level Of what is called the waste
gate. The witness explained the incli-
nation OF the wall with his cane-about
forty five degrees.
q - Would a person falling in the res
evoir be likely or not to strike he wall
at the angle you have deserted?
A-That is possible.
Q.-Do you remember, 10 your exam
nation before the Coroner, you said that
except when the water was up to the
waste pipe a person thrown or falling in
would be likely to strike the bricks? A.
1t is so, sir.
Q-When you found hat glove aud
shoestring were they together A
Well, Judge, | can hardly remember.
that l. taxing my memory most too much.
Q.-Were they pear each other? A.
They must have been. | picked up one,
and the other was not far off. They were
found under the furrowed ground.
Mr.. Meredith of the Prosecution
Where the scutfie took place. A-Yes
sir.