The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-04-16
SUICIDE OR MURDER.
SUSPICIOUS DEATH OF MRS. SAM
80 UEL "A. FACKLER.

Dedes the Police TO Break into His
Barred House-No Marks of vio-
lence on the Dead Woman's Body,
but q Partly Emptied Bottle of
Leudsnum In Her Dress Pocket
Tends to Theory of suicide-An
| investigation 20 be Held.
The people in the nsighborhood Of Bar
nard and Anderson streets were startled
yesterday. afternoon by the report that
Samuel A. Fackler, who lives on Barnard,
two doors south Of Anderson street, had
killed bis wife, and when the dead body Of
Mrs Faekler was found lying on the floor
OF their house by Mounted Policeman Floyd,
who took Fackler into custody. the widest
runos were set afioat Some said the hus-
band bad shot his wife, others that he had
cut her throat, while the generally accred-
tied rumor was that he had choked her to
death.
Coroner Dixon was summoned and ar
rived at the house about o'clock last
night. The body lay where death had
overtaken the unfortunate woman. She
was lying on her back in the bedroom, her
ieet extending into the family living room.
| NO MARKS OF VIOLENCE.
An examination was made of her throat
and neck by the coroner, but no signs of
/ violence or strangulation were discernible,
and an examination of her head and chest
| showed no fractures or violence, except a
mere bruise on the right side under the
arm. The body was placed ON the bed and
left in charge Of the dead woman's cousin,
Jas. A. Ashley, until this morning, when an
inquest will be held and, if Coroner Dixon's
theory OF suicide by laudanum or other
poison is accepted, post norton will be
held.
The house IN which the Packers lived is
a small one story double tenement. In the
| north end Hardy Scarborough, watch
man at the Central railroad wharves, lives,
and the Packers occupied the other house,
which contained two rooms and a shed
| kitchen.
EVIDENCES OF A STRUGGLE.
The bed room presented a scene of confu-
| sion. The bed was torn to pieces, and a
| portion OF the bedding lay in one corner
| OF the room. Chairs were overturned, and
an empty wooden water bucket was on the
/ floor near the head of the dead woman. A
bottle OF medicine was under the bed with
| IN easy reach, and several bottles of medi-
cine were on the mantel in the living room.
Mrs. Scarborough said that she heard
Fackler fasten the front door OF his house
about o'clock and then the door Of the
Kitchen, and afteTward heard a "hustlingr
| as II there was struggle going on. AS
| she knew Fackler was violent and cruel to
his wife when in liquor. she feared a
tragedy was going on, and she told neigh
hor's hoy for Gods sake to get policeman.
The boy ran over to Anderson street and
| fortunately came acros Mounted Policeman
Floyd, who galloped to Packers house, and,
dlsmounting, knocked at the door, but
tackler refused to admit him.
ORDERED THE POLICE OFF.
Fackler was on a lounge in the sitting
room, and came to the closed window with
his child OF two months in his arm and
warned the officer not come IL, but, look
ing through the window, Floyd saw the
woman lying on the floor and told FackIer
to open the door or he would break it in.
Fackler defied the officer to do that, and
| Floyd burst the door in, and, finding the
dead body, arrested Fackler. DR.. Bulloch
was summoned, and he pronounced the
woman dead. Fackler was taken to the
| barracks
To Policeman Floyd Fackler said that his
wife had taken choral, which had been
prescribed FIR himself, and he had the
choral bottle, portion of which had been
used. nc
LAUDAEUM IN HER POCKET
The bottle was taken to the barracks. but
laudanum from the pocket OF the dead
woman's dress, one-third of the drug having
| been emptied from the bottle, and it is be-
! leved by some that, weary Of the dissipate
| habits and habitual cruelty of her husband,
| she swallowed the fatal poison.
About half an hour before her death Mrs.
Feckier was seen in the neighborhood of
Persse's drug store at Wayne and Barnard
| streets, and the laudanum bottle bore the
| label OF that drug store. Her cousin, Mr.
| Ashley, met Mrs Fackler on Barnard
street and Wake out Barnard to Anderson
street with her, and on the way she inquired
| of him if he had seen her husband. When
| they reached Anderson street Mr.. Ashley
saw Fackler going in the direction of his
home, where Mrs. Fackler went after part
| ing company with her cousin. When the
! latter next saw her she was dead.
TO LOOK INTO THE SALE OF POISON.
Coroner Dixon visited Persse's drug store
| last night. Mr.. Persse was out, and his clerk,
| In answer to an inquiry as to the record OF
the sale OF the laudanum, replied that he
had not sold the drug, and he was unable to
say whether Mr.. Persse keeps a record of
tie sale of poison. The boy said that he
would sell laudanum to any one and would
make no record of the salo, which record,
Coroner Dixon informed bin, is one of the
requirements of the law governing the sale
OF poisonous drugs.
THE DEAD WOMAN.
The maiden name of the deceased woman
was Katie Hank She was born in Will
kinson county. near Toomsboro, and is
about so years of age. Her parents are
dead. She married Fackler at Irwinton In
October 1879. and leaves five children, the
youngest only two months old. Two of
the children are at Bethesda.
Deceased was a communicate at st.
Matthew's Episcopal church, and by those
who knew ner intimately she is said to have
been woman of domestic virtues, a kind
mother, and patient and forbearing under
the yoke OF disspated and cruel husband,
whom she had been trying to sober up
from che spree he had been on for some
DAYS.
Mr.. Ashley says that Fackler ran his wife
out Of the house one day last week with
drawn knife, and the Scarborough family
say that Fackler has been on a spree for a
week and had terrorized his wife most
shamefully
THE DEAD wOMAN'S HUSBAND.
Fackler was weak from dissipation, and
portion of the time had to be supported
by Officer Floyd on the way to the bar
racks He is o printer by trade, and was
for a long time in the employ of
Byck &pSelig, but lost his position there,
and the last place he was employed was at
the i,adependent office. 1t is said that he