The Home advocate. (Farmerville, La.) 1885-1???, 1885-10-23
Synopsis Of S. s. Xix lzpaSz. X :
Tesri1n 7ny.

Tesri1n 7ny.
The .COrOner's jury was again
convened on Monday last for the
purpose Of further investi eating
the mystery connected with the
death of Miss Ida Shuster at this
place, on the 10th of September.
While the evidence auduceh fails
to criminate any one as accessory
to her death, and, therefore. does
not Justify the jury in changin 3 the
verdict they had rendered, it lend :
TO confirm the opinion that the sui
eide was not the result Of a volun-
tary, maturCu determination on he
part OF the young lady to put an
end 10 her existence. Mr. S. S.
Kirkpatrick, whose name has bee II
mentioned in CONNECTION with this
sad affair, promptly appeared be
fore the jury and testified in a
straight forward, explicit manner
as to the facts within lis knowi
edge. Our space will not permit
the publication of the entire evil
Gence, neither do we deem it impor-
tant that we should DO so; but, in
justice to Mr.. kirkpatrick and
others once,ncd, We append the
substance of his-Mr. k's-testi-
mony:
rs. S. kirkpatrick sworn, says:
| was acquainted with Miss Ida
Shuster. | do not know Of her
having any poison administered.
She never ;:ked me to prepare poi
son for her. She expressed 10 de-.
sire to end her life after becoming
aware of her condition. | knew
her condition for three or four
months; during this time l believe
she asked me to prepare, or procure
her medicine to produce an abor-
tion. 1 procured none to have
that effect. When she made these
requests she did net threaten to
end her life in case | did not pro-
cure the medicine. do net know
Of my own knowledge OF from any
source what caused her death. !
never promised TO marry Miss Ida.
! had conversations with Ida the
latter pant Of April OF the first Of
May, aud she informed me OF her
condition. | then asked her if her
mother knew it and she SAID not.
| told her to notify her mother and
that ! would do all [ could to
shield her shame. She notified
me tine night following that she
had'so informed her mother.
never advised her to have an ahor-
ton produced. left that entirely
with her. l was the druggist IN
this town. Ida, nor any member CT
the Shuster family, ever procured
Of my knowledge any extract OF
cotton root or ergot from my drug
store. l did not carry a vial of ex
tract Of cotton root to Ida. A
few days before l left here | pre-
pared it at her instance. She
stated that she wanted it to try to
produce an abortion, | set the vial
on a table in my room in the drug
store, and | tili.K JAS. Underwood
emptied it in the original bottle.
She asked me to bring it but
declined to DO so. | do not know
nor have any way Of accounting
for lda's knowledge of the effects
of this medicine except that her
mother had some Medical works in
the house. The night before |
left here said to some one to let
me know if anything happened at
Shuster's. l requested this because
| naturally inferred and believed
that her mother would make an eff
fort to produce an abortion. I in
ferred this from no real cause fur
ther than that Mrs. Shuster had a
knowledge Of her daughters con-
dltion, and that she attempted TO
force mo to marriage contract
with her daughter. | had carried
no medicine to the Shuster family
a few days lefoEe l left; it might
be that carried a box Of pills or
magnesia. 1 hare not the slightest
idea achat caused Ida's death.
X4nalIfif1, X1Allas Ilx,aaan.