The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1893-08-17
FAVORING MRS. SHANN.
Her Testimony Regarding the
Mutilation Of Johns Body.
THE JUDGE EXPRESSES SURPRISE.

In Answer to the Judges Query the
Prisoner Says She Mado No Cutlery
When Strangers Came to Disombowel
Her Dead son-Expert Opinions Differ.
TRENTON, Aug. 17.-The evidence of Mrs
Kate f. Stryker, which was taken at her
home in Princeton, was read in open court
when the Sham murder trial was resumed.
Mrs. Stryker is sick abed. She testified
that she heard the door bell at Mrs.
Shann's house ring between and o'clock
the night that the disemboweling took
place. About half an hour later she heard
carriage in the stree, but in which direc-
tion it was going she could not say. The
carriage did not stop.
Mrs Sham was then recalled. Her
daughter Mabel and her son Hugh, she
said, were lin the house with her when
John died. He had been low, but the
family was not looking for his death at
the time. John did not expect to recover.
He talked several times about his death
He had horror of embalming and ice
about the body, and requested that his
body be kept longer than his fathers was
He begged his mother to remain in the
room with him after his death, and until
he should be removed. For that reason
she stayed with the body, and her daugh-
ter Mabel stayed with her She was alone
with the boy when he died. 1t was about
o'clock in the morning John called his
mother, and she went to him and put her
arms around him. He said, Mamma,
mamma, Pm going home" and he was
dead. Mrs. Sham wept softly, and in a
moment proceeded with her story.
Mrs. Sham told the story of the three
men as follows: She was awakened by the
ringing of the front door bell. She slipped
on her wrapper put on her slippers, and,
taking small lighted lamp in her hand,
went down stairs. Three men, when she
opened the front door, stepped inside. and
one OF them inquired il there was a young
man dead there She told them Yes"
and they wanted to know if they could
see him. She said "No," objecting on the
grounds that the hour was late and that
her daughter was asleep in the room where
her dead child laid. The spokesman of
the party said they had come to see the
dead man and intended to see him. Mrs.
Sham said she would call MIR. Vanselous,
boarder, but the men said that would
not be necessary. The spokesman pushed
| her twice while the conversation was 60
ing on, and the other men passed quickly
up stairs.
She attempted to follow them, but was
held back by the man who remained down
stairs She demanded to know what the
outrage meant and the man said: You'll
find out in good time" In LITTLE while
the two men who went up stairs came
down, They passed out Of the front door,
aud the third man followed them. Wit
ness could not say that the men who went
up stairs carried anything in their hands.
She did not know whether they had any
thing when they came down. She was
da2cd, and was unable to express on the
stand just how she felt when this thing
took place. After the departure of the
men she went up stairs, and thought she
saw II blood stain on the canopy over the
corpse. The three men wore storm coats
and slouch hats. Mrs. Sham aroused
Vanselous, and he went to the corpse and
detected what had been done.
The witness then described the waking
of her daughter Mabel and how she told
the members Of her family OF the occur
renee. They passed the hours until day
light in talking, crying and praying. Mrs.
Shann did not know what to do about
sending for persons She concluded not
to notify anybody right away, thinking
that perhaps this was the autopsy that the
insurance agents had threatened to have
made. At o'clock she sent word to tho
family physician, and soon everybody con
cerned knew Of the affair DR.. BerGncr,
brought him the news: well, Frank. this
beats graveyard robbery. The men who
did this will talk of it long time how
they made the autopsy without waking
up the girl who was sleeping in the same
room ~
The witness before the conclusion of her
direct examination, in reply to questions,
denied TINT she had disemboweled hef son,
or had any knowledge of the deed There
was no reason why she should wish the
dis2mhowelment OF her son. She had given
John nothing in his food or medicine which
She wanted to conceal Under eross-exam-
inaton the witness said it was stormy
night that the three men came to the
house, but she did not notice that they
were wet or that their feet were muddy
They made tracks in the hall, but witness
did not notice them until $50 in the morn
ing. The man who pushed her aside used
her roughly, but she made no outcry at
all
"What" exclaimed Judge Albeit, "you
uttered not Il wordf'
mo, sir; l did not, said Mrs Shaun.
Later she explained this by saying that
she was so dazed frightened and grief
stricken that she thought she must have
become partially unconscious
Rev. Albert T. Baker, an Episcopalian
clergyman, testified to frequent inter.
views with John during his illness
The greater part Of the afternoon session
was taken up with expert medical testi.
mony. Dr. David Warman, of Trenton,
declared in his evidence that the autopsy
on young Shann's body was improperly
performed DR.. Thomas II. Mackenzie, OF
Trenton, testified that from the symptoms
OF young Shanu as described in the testi.
mony it would be impossible for him TO
say what the cause of death was. The
symptoms were characteristic of many
diseases. Tho person who discmboweled
him had to know a good deal about mat.
omy. Surgical knowledge was not neces.
sary. DIR. W. W. L. Phillips, the Oldest
practicing physician in Trenton, was OF
the opinion that young Shann died of
CASTRO enteritis, but what caused this dis.
ease he could not say.
Many FURNACES IdIe.
LANCASTER, Pa, Aug. 17.-Nesta furn-
ace. at Lower Marietta, owned by the Co.
lumbia Rolling Mill company, and en-
ploying seventy five hands, has shut down,
There are thirteen furnaces within aradlus
of six miles OF Marietta and not one is in
operation
DIR. raimage VIII Not be There.
HARRISBURG, Aug. 1z-Colonel II. @.
Demming, chairman Of the committee of
arrangements for the National Farmers
Alliance at Mt. Gretna, received a tele-
gram from Rev. I, Dewitt TaImage that
he cannot deliver the opening sermon next
Sunday.
Failed to Break the Paciug Record.
PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 17-At the Bel
mont track yesterday Saladin mode two
unsuccessful attempts to break the pacing
record of 2.0s. He covered the mile in 20S
and 200.