Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-12-04
SUICIDE OR MURDER.
WHrTE woMAN's THROAT CUT

In Her Room at Tiarvletewn-A A Coroners
Jury In,e.isafing the Case.
A jury OF inquest was summoned on
yesterday by Justice Anderson, Of Hen
rico, to view the body Of Miss Rachael
Mcdonald, lying dead in her room af
Harvietown. Deceased was sixty-six
years Of age, and though possessed Of
considerable property-some OF 1t real
estate in Richmond--was rather eccen-
tric, and lived in house with several
negroes. When found she had evi-
IDENTIFY been dead about three days.
She was last seen alive on Monday.
Harvietown, where the tragedy oc-
CURED, is about half mile west OF the
Old reservoir (where Lillian Madison's
body was found), and was soon after
the war known as Camp Grant. Miss
McDonald's house was part Of the old
United States barracks. Previous to
going out to Harvietown she had con-
dacted the regalia business in the old
Swan Tavern on Broad street.
INTERVIEWS.
While the Coroner's jury was slowly
investigating the case Dispatch re-
porter obtained the following inter-
views:
Mrs. j. R. Gill | am the matron OF
the Orphan Asylum, and was among
the first to see the body Of Miss Nc
Donald. About 3 o'clock Wednesday
evening !, with Mr.. r. w. Anderson,
went over to the house where she lives
to see if Miss Mcdonald was at home.
Not being able to get in at either door,
we placed a step.ladder against the rear
window of the house and looked
through a pane Of glass that had
been broken out. ] saw lying on
the floor OF the room what ! sup
posed was a bundle Of bed-clothing
and a sofa-pillow. I said to Mr.. An
derson. who was with me, that i
thought Miss Mcdonald had fallen
from the sofa, having had one Of those
nervous attacks which she is subject to,
and requested him to 60 up the ladder
and look, which he did, and we both
came to the same conclusion. A col
ored woman by the name Of Fannie Har-
ris, who occupies the adjoining room,
was with US she also looked through
the window, and as she did so threw
UP her hand and cried out, "Yes. yes
my God it is Miss Mac; she has got
on the same dress that saw her have
on Monday morning when she was
standing in her door," then told
Mr.. Anderson it would be best to send
for some one, and | went and brought
Mr.. John NJ. Fossett, leaving Mr.. An
derson and Fannie Harris at the house
to remain until | returned. Mr.. Fos-
sett mounted the ladder, broke in the
window so as to better enable him to
see. and said that he could see some
thing lying in the middle of the
floor, with a lot of bed-clothing
over it, and that he could also
see a hand covered with blood,
and remarked that there was evil
dently something wrong. | imme-
diately sent for Mr.. George Z. Ander-
son, a justice of the peace, who lives
near by, and when he came efforts
were made to force open the doors, but
they were so securely fastened that we
had to abandon the attempt, and Mr.
Fossett got through one of the windows
and opened the back-door. We
all then entered the house from
the back. door, and We found
in the back-room of the house,
on the lower floor, the body Of Miss
Mcdonald, with her throat cut. | re-
mained in the room but few minutes.
By this time a number of people had
collected, and on the front porch could
be seen some drops of blood leading in
the direction Of the room occupied by
Fannie Harris and her husband.
MR.. r. W. ANDERSON.
The next person seen was Mr.. r. W.
Anderson, who is teacher at the Or
phan Asylum. Mr.. Anderson says
that on Wednesday, while at dinner,
Mrs. Gill came into the dining-room
and said to him that she was very un-
easy about Miss Mcdonald, and |
asked her what was the matter. She
replied that Miss Mcdonald had not
been seen since she Mrs. Gill carried
her to town, which was last Friday, and
that she Mrs. GilD had made several
inquiries of different persons as
to her whereabouts, and had
failed TO get any. information.
While we were talking in came Fan
ME Harris, colored woman who occu-
pies the room adjoining Miss Mcdonald,
and we asked her when she last saw
Miss Mcdonald. Her reply was, 81
saw her Monday morning standing in
her back door," and she said that Miss
Mcdonald asked her if she was going
away from home that day, and Fannie
said she told her she was, but would
only be gone a short while, and that
Miss Mcdonald then said to her Fan
nie) that she was going over to Mrs.
Kemp's, who lives near by, and see if she
Mrs. Kemp would not take her to
town. Mrs. Gill then remarked again,
81 feel very uneasy about Miss
Mcdonald" and asked me what she
should do. | proposed that we should
90 over and see if she was in the house,
which is only short distance from the
asy lum. Before starting asked Fannie
if we could see into Miss McDonald's
room from the ground. Her reply was
that we could not without we had some.
thing to stand upon, and that her room
was securely fastened. Mrs. Gill,
Fannie, and myself (taking with us a
step-ladder) went to the house.
The ladder was placed beneath the
window ofone OF the rooms occupied By
Miss Mcdonald. Mrs. Gill was tn;
first to mount the ladder and look, bu
failed TO see Miss Mcdonald in the room
| then looked and saw lying in the foo
what took to be lot of bed-clothing
and also failed to see Miss Mcdonald
and said to Mrs. Gill that if she was il
the room she was probably be
meath that covering. Mrs. Gil
" q