The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-05-08
THE CLUVERIUS CASE.
Application for a Rehearing in Reference to
the Decision Announced on Thursday.

RICHMOND Va, May Counsel of T. j.
Cuverius, convicted of the murder of Fannie
Lillian Madison, entered motion in the Su-
preme Court Of Appeals, to-day. for rehearing
of the case decided yesterday, in which the judg-
ment of the lower court was fully affirmed No
rehearing will be allowed unless one of the
judges who concurred in the decision is dissatis-
fed with it and desires rehearing.
The Cluverus- Madison case excited the great
est interest throughout Virginia. The accused,
being lawyer of good repute in King and Queen
county, and superintendent OF Sunday school,
relied almost entirely upon his previous good
character for acquittal. the evidence againt him
being purely eircumstantial. March Ia, 1885,
the body of a young woman was found in the
city reservoir. II was identified as that of Fan
ME Lillian Madison by two of her female friends.
investigation showed THAI she had arrived in
Richmond Friday March 10, early in the morn
ing; had registered at the American Hotel as
Miss F. l.. Merton. Cluverius came to Rich
mond Friday, March IL. and registered in
his own name at the Davis House. He
called on 'Miss Merton" at the American Hotel.
She was out. On her return she sent note by
a small negro boy. The boy could not find the
person for whom it was intended, and came back
and gave it to the American Hotel clerk, who
kept it. The note reads: II will be there as
soon as possible, so please do wait for me-" 1t
was NOT directed, out an envelope was IounQ In
tho room occupied by the so-called Miss Merton.
directed to T. j. Cluverius. This led to his ar
rest. The proprietor of the hotel positively
identified Cluverius as the man who called
Miss Merton twice that day. Miss Madison,
thus registered upder an assumed name, was
Cluverius's first cousin. They had lived in ad-
joining counties They were about the same
age-twenty-two. She had mentioned him to
some Of her female friends as her sweetheart,
and had limited that she expected TO marry
him. After the discovery of the body it
was revealed that Miss Madison was in deli
cate condition at the time of her death. There
were evidences of a struggle near the reservoir
embankment, and man and womans footsteps
huddled together. A big, old-fashioned watch
key was found in the same spot. The dead
woman's hat was found near smallpox hospital
a few hundred yards off, Her shawl was found
in an entirely different locality, hanging on a
Saturday floating down the river. The river is
a mile from the reservoir. The watch key was
identified as Cluveriuss property, and it was
proved that Cluverius and Miss Madison had
been in the vicinity of the reservoir the night of
the tragedy. The suicide theory was advanced,
but the evidence of struggle dsproved this, and
the claim of the accused that he had not seen
Miss Madison since Septem ber-clearly false
went against him. He was engaged to an
heiress at this time, and herein is found mo-
tive for the killing. Cluverius stoutly main
tanned his innocence throughout the trial, and
regularly kept up his devotional exercises