The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-08-18
FAVORING MRS. SHANiN,'.
Her Testimony Regarding the
Mutilation of Johns Body.
THE JUDGE EXPRESSES SURPRISE.

Her Dead Son-Expert Opinions Differ.
Kate h. 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
u carriage i'll the street, but in which direc-
ton 1T was going she could not say. The
carriage did not stop.
Mrs. ShanT 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 ut
the time. John did not expect to recover.
lie 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 tina. 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, I'm 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
OH her wrapper. put on her slippers, and,
taking a small lighted lamp in her hand,
went down stairs. Three men, when she
opened the front door, stepped inside, and
Nff lar, Al.
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 Mr. Vanselous.
boarder. but the men said that would
not be necessary. The spokesman pushed
hor twice while the conversation was go
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
lind out i'll good time" In a little while
the two men who went up stairs came
down, They passed out of the front door.
and 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
dazcd. 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 blood stain on the canopy over the
corpse. The three men wore storm coats
and SLOUGH hats. Mrs. Sham aroused
Nanselous, 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 the
family physician, and soon everybody con-
cerned knew of the affair. DR.. Bergner
when he came, said to Frank Borden, who
brought him the news: We'll, Frank. this
beats graveyard robbery The men who
did this will talk of it along time. how
they made the autopsy without -nliing
up the girl who was sleeping in the same
room
The witness before the conclusion of her
direct examination, in reply to questions.
denied that she had disembowcled her son,
or had any knowledge of the deed There
was no reason why she should wish the
dlsembowelment of her son. She had given
John nothing in his food or medicine which
she wanted to conceal. Under cross-eXam-
lnation the witness said it was n 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 5:;30 in the morn.
ing. The man who pushed her aside used
her roughly. but she made 10 outcry at
all.
WHAT" exclaimed Judge Albeit. "you
uttered not II word:"
mo, sir; | did not" said Mrs Sham.
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 DIR. David Warman. of Trenton,
declared in his evidence that the autopsy
on young Shann's body was improperly
performed. DIR. Thomas H. Mackenzie. OF
Trenton. testified that from the symptoms
OF young Sham 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. The person who dsemboweled
him had to know a good deal about anat-
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