The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-08-21

l insurance company, whose name 1 bnluk
is DR.. Mcdonald. who passed. him
surance was effected. which would be on
or about October or November, 1892.
ut Is also In evidence by certain wit
nesses in this case that the deceased was
taking some kind Of medicine. the exact
| character of which has not been oiveni in
testimony, for some disease. Whether.
| 1t was medicine that was given bY Dr..
Bergen. or whether it is medicine that
! he obtained from some other source Is
not shown In this case. and IL is ciainfed
on the part of the defendant that This
medicine was ito cure him OF a case OF
| syphilis contracted by him during the
! holidays, about Christmas. 1892. up to
some time in January. AS TO whether
| tnere is any evidence In this case suf-
ficient to show that he had syphilis, or
was taking mercurial medicine for IL,
the testimony IS for you.
"There is also a circumstances in this
| case which is of the gravest Importance.
1t is presented by the State upon Che
| question of evidence that there was an
/ attempt on the part OF the defendant.
either alone or in connection with some
one else. to disembow vel the remains of
her son after death, for the purpose of
removing the interior organs Of the
body, in order to conceal the existence
therein of mercurial poison which had
been administered during the lifetime,
and the State produces evidence upon
that point, and the defendant aud otaer
witnesses have also testified concerning
it.
1.-THE defendant was informed.it seems,
either on the afternoon when this tels-
gram came from MIR. Golf to DR.. Bergen
that the insurance company demanded a
public post mortem or autopsy upon the
body, TO ascertain the cause Of
death. or at some period during the
night up to about eleven o'clock. 1t is GER
tain that at some period subsequent 10
tas receipt OF that telegram, aud the
weight of the testimony, although that
is for you, would seem to put it at some
period between nine O'Clock In the even
Ing, or eleven o'clock and three O'Clock
next morning, that some perGou or per-
sons did remove from the dead body OF
john f. Sham all the internal ~viscerH,
both the abdominal and thoracic, and
took them away. They have never since
been seen. The testimony of the expert
physicians is that in those portions of the
body, If there had been mercurial POISON
administered, there would have been
found evidence of its existence by show
ing what was left III the system, either
by absorption or by leaving IL there d.
reetly as administered.
MRS. SHANN's STORY.
"Now, gentlemen, The story as told by
Mrs. Shaun Is that OF that night, after
Mr.. Bordeu's wife had left the house.
and after she had been informed that
there would be an autopsy the next
morning. that Three persons dressed in
storm coats. SLOUGH hats. and whose gen
eral appearance, but not with much par
ticularity, she described, came to
her front door; rung the bell;
she arose. went down, opened the
door, admitted these th.ee men. That
they insisted upon seeing the
-, 49, 81. faa FhnH
continued TO insist, aud In answer TO
some question. she odd them where the
body lay. Two of them went upstairs
and entered tins room where the body
lay. They came down after some length
of time, she being meanwhile detained
by a third person at the foot Of the stair
by violence. who threw her twice against
the wall wheus she attempted to go up
stairs. That then they departed and left.
Whether they had anything with them or
not she was unable to say. During this
time the lamp WAS on the table in
the hall. which she had brought
down burning. She says that her con-
dition of MIND under the circumstances
was such that she thought these persons
came from the Insurance. company 10
make some examination or otherw1se. n
that she Was SO affected by IL that she was
unable to make any QUERY or do any
thing SO as to arouse any or the boarders
III Uuo HOUSE,. OE uGE u&u&ulcG vi &Auut
Eliza. ! think, who slept In u roo N about
eight feet from where he stood, detained
by one of these three men. 9ou have
heard all the corroboratioa given TO that
story by the testimony of the sick lady.
Mrs. Stryker, who lives on the opposite
side of the way. who was iu ner bed, and
who heard at some time between one
and two o'clock the ringing OF the door
bell, which she t~esEifies W 10 in her judg-
ment-of course, she didn't see it-but
according to the sound, IL was the gong
on the trout door of the Shann residence.
There is also testimony. however. some
what indefinite as TO Time, OF carriages
being heard; also testimony OF footsteps
being heard on the pa :kstairs aud other
things. You will recall all the tssti.,
mouy In the. case bearing upon 1t and
c0rrobOratiuR her testimony.
Now. gentlemen. il the story ia true
as given by Mrs. Shann, IL she did not
make any cutlery for the reasons stated,
il ahe submitted for the reason she has
occurred, then this body was niseIn-
boweled by some person unknown to her.
having no connection with her. u
against her protest, as to their going into
the room where her son lay. 1t you be-
lieye That story to be true, You would
hesitate very long, 1t seems 20 me, before
finding her guilty. If, however. you fnd
that the statement of ner onduc was
unreasonable, and no sufficient reason
given for not crying OUT and arousiug the
house, IL FOL find That there Is no Cor
roboration whatever of her story which
satisfies your mind, that 1t occurred as
she stated it, aud you further lind that
she wiifully aud daliberately coucocted
that story, made 1t up, and that IL is
false and untrue, then 1t will be- a most
serious question. II you reach that result.
as TO whether or not such q false
story is not evidence Of the tell
ing of the story for the purpose
of concea ling some crime. All tho infer
ences, however, to pa drawn from II are
tor you and for you alone. think yon
would hesitate a long time. Ii you be-
lleved il 10 be true. with thu corroborat
ing testimony she produces, before
convicting her: if IL is untrue, then the
Court will moi say to you what is your
duty TO do in the question of considering
that fact. except To say that It would be q
most Significant fact for you 10 consider
with all The other testimony In the case,
as to whether or not. ii false, it was not
~