The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1892-09-20
Fred w. Edmons0n, q Healthy
Young Col0red Man, Drinks
Tea and Dies Soon
Afterward.
A Series OF Suspicious Circum'
stances Surround the Case
Arsenic Probably q
FactOr-COrOner's
Inquest.

A very mysterious death was that
of Fred w. Edmonson, at 801 East
Seventeenth street, in this city, yes
terdsy morning.
There is q chain of circumstances
connected with the affair. which leads
back to last July.
One day in that month several
members Of Samuel Boswell's family,
colored, were badly poisoned by coffee,
the water used in it having been taken
from . we'll in the yard and had stood
over night. Sickness ensued
to everyone who partook of the bever-
age, but, fortunately, there were no
fatal results then.
Nothing was thought seriously Of
the matter at the time, and the trou-
bic was well-nigh forgotten.
Another misfortune also befell the
Boswells in that. one night, their barn
and all its contents were DESTROYED by
fire. No one seemed to know the
origin of the fire, but it was generally
attributed to incendiarism.
Last Thursday morning the Bos-
wells and Edmonson, who was "a
yesrs old, sat down to breakfast and
drank tea. In less than five minutes,
Edmonson, who is q nephew of Boz
we'll, began to writhe with pain and
he cried out in his agony that he
thought his stomach was burning up.
DR.. S. G. Crawford was hastily call.
ed in and did what he could to ALLY
the mans misery.
Edmonson continued to grow worse
until Friday afternoon, when DR.. W.
B. Scales was summoned. Imme
diately upon hearing . history of the
case and examining the patient, he
arrived at the conclusion that it Was
undoubtedly one Of poisoning.
He found the sick man in O coma.
tose state. he was almost pulseless, he
was perfectly cold and the muscles in
his legs were drawn into great rigid
knots.
DR.. Scales administered what re-
lief he could, but informed the rela-
tives of the patient that there was
very little, if any. hope of his re-
covery.
Yesterday morning. early. DR..
Herbert l.. Scales. con of DR. w. b.
Scales, called to see Edmonson, and
found him at the point of death.
Nothing could be done then to save
his life. and the negro died sometime
before noon.
As stated in the beginning
of this article, the circumstances
surrounding the case are strikiDgly
mysterious and suspicious. Both
Boswell and his wife are strongly of
the impression that they are the vic
Tins of some one who wishes to drive
them out of the community, although
they own the property on which they
live, the husband is An Industrious
teamster and they are altogether re.
spectacle and law abiding. They
openly assert that Q cartain person
living not far from them has been
heard to declare that he didn't want
any more negroes in that neighbor-
hood and that they would not be IL.
lowed to stay there.
Yesterday afternoon the services Of
Mclaughlin Bros, undertakes, were
engaged, and the negro would prob
ably have been buried and forgotten,
but Coroner Muehl was Informed of
the affair and quickly decided that it
was due the family and the public that
the matter should be investi-
gated. This was after supper,
last evening. The doctor vas some
what in doubt as to the legality of
holding an inquest on Sunday, and
sought the advice of IN attorney, who
assured him that the Sabbath was no
tbstacle to IN emergency of this kind.
He has. therefore, determined to
have . postmortem and inquest to-
day.
1t is expected that some startling
developments will be made and that,
in the event Of the poisoning theory
holding good, the guilt may then be
properly placed.
YOU SHOULD nor BE WITHOUT IT
Every family is liable to have heredi-