The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-11-20
THE CAR MYSTERY.
PosT.MoRTEM AND INQUEST ON
THE DECEASED.
The BODY Carefully Examined, and Death
Relieved TO be from suffocation During
si.e.-So signs Of violence-yerdict OF
the CDroyer's Jury,

Ne,teved I'm he from suf5ocation During
sl.ep-No signs OF violence-yerdict OF
the Coroner's Jury.
The TIMES Yesterday gave full account
OF the discovery Of the dead body OF a col.
ored man In a box ear loaded WIN WOOL
which was being unloaded at the tiyde
Line wharyes.
Yesterday morning DIR. Taylor made
most norton examination, which took from
10 o'clock till after to complete.
THE INQUEST.
After the post norton a coroner's jury
was impanneIcd. After the jury mad view
ed the body (at a distance) the evidence
was heard.
Henry jackson ic0lored). sworn and de-
posed. testified that be lived at $50 Ihirtieth
street. corner q. When Julius NenaDle
pulled down "A bale Of wool Monday out OF
a car that we were unloading at the CLYDE
Line wharf yenabie shid. Henry, there -
man in this car" | said, "llow do you
KNOW lie said. II see his feet.' look
ed and saw them too. then jumped out
of the car. The bales were all straight up;
we could not see him until we pulled down
bale: then We saw him in between two
bales head downward and his feet IN the
air. Car was full OF bales. About q loot
and half free space from top OF bales 10
top OF car. Some OF the cars shut up pretty
tight-in fact most Of them. and little u any
air can get in. This car when closed "as
very close and person could not get much
fresh air.
Julien Venabe (cOlCred) lives in Fulton.
on Fulton street between Orleans and Viz
ginia. Monday when was at work thring-
lug out the bales Of wool in the car, saw
something like a shoe and some flesh stick
| ing up. took il 10 De foot. That was IN
| the left hand side. one bale from the end
| There was window at the same end, but II
WAS closed. Neither the window nor the
| door can be opened from the inside. turned
| 10 Henry jackson and told him there Is a
man in here" | then went 20 the door OF
the car and stopped, and called the boss.
telling him that there was man IN me
ear. The boss said get the wool out Of the
other end of the car, and let the body stay
until the coroner came. The car u u very
close one shut up close. and very little ali
can get i'm. know nothing about the man
MIR. Richard L. Dowden was next sworn
| lie lives mt 11O4araham street, Fulton
| The knowledge he had Of the dead body was
| the men coming TO the door and calling him
| Ihcv said that there was man IN the car
| went 10 the door and could see from The
| knee to the foot. told them 10 let that end
alone and finish the other end Of the car
| When that had been finished | told them &c
close the door. There were several partie1
however. who went in there afterwards. y
| few minutes afterwards ! went away e
dinner.
WHEN THE CAR WAS LOADED.
The car, according to the way BILL say.
that it was loaded at Macon. No State j,
mentioned. 1t was loaded on November
rh. The seals Of the ear had not beer
| broken. They were the same put on at Ma
ION. Do not know whether the window
WAS sealed or not. Some times they are
sealed: sometimes not. 4 person confined
| ~ one Of these cars cannot get out. There
is no way Of opening either door or win
| low. 4 man inside would have poor
chance of getting any air. 70 put Il MAI
| through the window from the outside would
he difficult job and would require time
! IL could not be done i'm hurry
On THE PERSON OF THE DECEASED.
The coroner exhibited 10 the jury wha
/ was found on the person of the deceased
rhey were piece Of envelope addressed
.. Henderson, Olive Hill, Carter Co.. Ky
! II was post marked "Cincinnati, NOycm
| Der 9" the very day that the car, accOrdin,
to the way-bilI, left Macon for Richmond
| On the inside Of this scrap were the WOnl'
| r.. H. Henderson, Olive Hill, II II. 100
| 4 l0-cent silver piece was found loo e in hi'
pocket. lie had a partly used bag of 10
| haccQ: Waterbury watch; piece OF soap
a pOcket-bOOk containing no money; .
Ishoe.tring. and pipe with the tobacco
partly burned. This found by his side oi
! the floor.
RESULTS OF THE POST MORTEM.
The coroner told the jury theresults Of To,
| most mOrtcm. He said he would not Civ,
| il in technical language, because it might
not be understood, hut would give plain
account Of what be learned.
The Doctor said he found the man 10 b,
one Of about twenty years Of age. lie wa.
Il man who had been well fed. His stomach
was empty. IL took IA long time for usu-
ally well-fed man 10 die Of starvation, and
| the ten DAYS the car WIS locked WAS moi
long enough. He excluded the idea o.
death los starvation.
The face of the dead man wore PLACID
| look. There was no sign Of pain. III
seemed to have died like a person asleep
| Tn his person there was no sign Of injury
or violence. The body was greatly decOm
posed which intcrfered with the investiga
| lion lie thought. as far rs ne could judge
that the man had been dead a week.
Having thoroughly examined the outside
Of the body, we examined the inside.
! looked for sign of sufiocation. which eX
pected 70 find, but they were cOnspicuOu.
| hv their absence. There have been cases Of
death by actual suflOcation when no sign.
OF sufiocation appeared in the body. Their,
Was nothing about the brain 20 indical,
brain trouble. The body having been hang
| ing head downward for number Of DAYS
| the blood had rushed 10 the brain, but thai
| was all.
The post norton does not show conclu.
sivey what the man died from. but doe,
show that he did not die from violence but
from natural causes. think il rather Ger
tain that he went To sleep and while asleel
died from suilOcatiOn, and the i0stling ri
| the cars threw the body head dow ward in
the hole formed by the round bales Of WOO
which were standing on the end.
THE VERDICT.
The Jury, after consulting awhile, return.
eI a verdict that the deceased came 10 his
death "on or about November T., 1852
| from causes which We cannot positively as
certain, while confined in a box ear. but ",
are Of opinion that his death was not causeC
| 10y violence.
WM ii. TAYLOR, Coroner.
WM. {. TAYLOR, Foreman.
+. u. EACHO,
joins PITT.
joins HUME,
H. A. LIGGAN,
W. L. FORD.