Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1886-11-19
Statement Of C|uVeriuS' Brother

WHY THE CONDEMNED MAN HAS NOT At
TEMPTED TO PROVE WHERE HE WAS
ON THE NIGHT OF THE MURDER.
[From the Richmond Dispatch of Ney. 11th.l
A "Dispatch' reporter yesterday had an
interview with Mr.. w. B. Cluverius con-
corning the case of his brother, and OBJ
tanned from him answers to number O.
questions submitted. Mr.. Cluverius re-
sponded to each question addressed to
him, and the results of questions and an
sWerS follow
Were you at home when your brother
returned there from Richmond-March
IA, 1885?
was at home and met him as he got
out of the buggy. My father brought him
from Centreville.
What account did your brother give
you of his trip to Richmond What was
his manner? How did he look and act?
Idon't remember that asked him for
an account of his trip or that he gave me
any account. His manner was natural.
He looked and acted as usual with him.
When did you first hear of the death of
Lille Madison? Did you suppose that it
was suicide from what you first read and
heard?
On Wednesday morning. the 18th of
March, two copies of the ''Dispatch'-one
of the 10th and the other of the 18th-were
received by my aunt, Mrs. Tunstall. They
were sent to my aunt by Mr.. George Rob-
ert Bagby. of the city of Richmond, who
knew of the relationship that existed be-
tween my aunt and the deceased. The
''Dispatch'' of the 10Th contained the an.
nouncement that the. dead body of a wo-
men had been found in the reservoir The
Dispatch" of the 18th announced the
fact that the dead body had been identi-
fed as that Of Fanny Lillian Madison by
the two Misses Dunstan, who at the time
| lived on Reservoir street, and formerly
lived in King William county, near the
home of the deceased, between whom
there had existed friendly acquaintance,
and the letters found in the trunk of the
deceased, written from Reservoir street
1O3 and 305-by one Of the Misses Dupstan
the deceased whilst in Bath county showed
that the friendship continued up to the
death of the deceased. Yes; supposed it
was suicide. I had no ground or reason
to suppose otherwise.
Are you still of the opinion that de-
ceased committed suicide?
am still of the opinion that it was sui
eide,
| You have thought over this matter a
great deal, doubt not; will you be good
enough to tell me the reasons which In
cline you to believe that Lille Madison
committed suicide?
WHY HE THINKS LILLE COMMITTED
SUICIDE.
have thought over the matter great
deal, and my reasons for believing that
Lille Madison committed suicide are:
1st No human being had so strong a
motive to kill her (even if she had been
seduced and her seducer was engaged to
another girl) as she had to terminate her
| own life. She had been the recipient of
unkind treatment by her parents, and was
of such temperament as to contemplate
suicide on account of that treatment. She
| had taken final leave of her childhood g
home; she must of necessity leave her home
| in Bath, and her prospects of social reeOg-
milton and making her support with re-
| spectacle people. were about to be destroy
ed. She had all the dread and apprehen-
| sions that women in her condition must
| experience in passing through their con-
| fnement. She had no home, friends or
mother to comfort her in the prospect that
was before her. She gave expression to
| her feelings to the conductor of the cars
| on her way to Richmond from Bath. which
shows that the tendency of her thoughts
were towards suicide.
| Cd. l further believe that she committed
suicide, because lin addition to what
have said above and what might still be
said) there is no fact or circumstance
proven, in my opinion. or in the opinion
of Coroner DR.. William 81. Taylor, the
| medical expert who conducted the post
norton examination, and who as Coroner
was called to examine the body at the
reservoir. to wholly contradict suicide, or
| that is inconsistent Herewith.
Sd. do not believe that any man of
binary muscular strength who had never
had his strength developed by hard work
or other physical exercise could have raiAed
the deceased girl from the ground In a