The morning call., 1893-09-20
INQUEST AND VERDICT.

dispatch received last night from a
CALL reporter at San Rafael reads: The
story of the trunkless head which, in
closed in a wire net. was found in the bay
and brought to this place for investigation
and disposition by Coroner Eden on the
18th inst. has yet to be told, nntwithstaDd-
ing the fact that Coroner's jury sat on
the uncanny object and heard testimony
as to its identity this afternoon. The i'm
portant sequel as to whose body the head
came from is not determined, although
two witnesses swOre that tney thought
they recognized the unsightly object as
having been that of Miss Addie Gilmour.
Fhe witnesses who appeared before
Coroner Eden this afternoon W. X.
de JarDatt of Colusa, brother-in-law of
Miss Gllmour, Miss Laura Allen, the part
ner in the millinery business of that lady
in Coiusa, and DR.. W. j. Wickham,
County Physician of Marin County.
Inls morning Mr.. de Jarnatt and Miss
Allen, accompanied by a de ective from
Lawson.s Agency, appeared at the COro-
ner's office, and, upon being shown the
head by the Two first named, that officials
son declared that they positively recOg-
niZed ii as the head of Miss GllmOur. At
the examination this afternoon they re-
ceded from the position of positive identi-
hcatiOn and were content to say that they
thought it belonged to the missing woman.
As matter of fact a view OF the head fixes
the conclusion in the unpTejudiced mind
that no one can tell 10 whom it belonged.
Tie skin has heen removed wholly from
the face and from the skull except little
strip at its base upon which a few brown
hairs may be seen. The ears had evidently
been cut closely from the head by a sharp
instrument and the head severed from the
trunk in an equally woTkmanlike manner.
The edge of the skin remaining on the
skull showed that it had been separated
by he same sort of implement. The eyes
had disappeared, and no skin softened the
view Of the grinning teeth, by which latter
as by the shape of the stripped forehead the
visitors claimed they recognized ii.
w. j. de Jarnati. the first witness,
testified as follows: II have been resi-
dent OF COlusa Tor twe1ty-seven years,
and had known Miss GilmOur about
twelve or fifteen years. She was a mil
liner, doing business at Colusa under the
name of GilmOur q Allen. last saw Miss
GilmOur in August IF this year. when she
visited me at Maxwell, Colusa County.
My wife received a letter from her on the
4tb of his month, in which it was said
that she would write again. l went 10
San Francisco TO search for her. | have
seen the head at the Morgue and ex-
amined it. l recognize the formation
of the forehead and the position of
theleeth. L think 1t is the head of Addie
GilmOur. She kept company with K. Nc
Annis of Colusa, who is still there. The
deceased went from COlusa to San Fran
cisco TO work IN wholesale millinery
store. to trim hats. / inquired for her, but
found out nothing excepting that she was
missing. The deceased was alb Mt %
years old and was native Of Canada. |
do not think the deceased ever carried
much money. She had no enemies that |
know Of have no idea as to what caused
hnr~ a 1.
ceased was engaged to be married"
Miss Laura Allen, the partner of Miss
GilmOur in business at Colusa, was sworn
and testified as follows: Il have resided in
Colusa tor the last six years. | am in the
millinery business. | knew Addie Gil
mour. She was my partner in the bust
ness. ! saw her last alive about August
z, 1893, at her home in ColuSa. She WIS.,
tied her sister and then went 20 San Fran
cisco TO attend to the business of the firu
l have seen the head of the woman al the
Morgue. From the teeth and the shape
of the head 1 think it is the mead
OF hddle Gllm0ur. have examined
It closely. have had one business letter
from Miss GilmOur since she left Colusa,
aud 1t came from the store of +. Toplilz, in
San Francisco. The deceased did not
carry much money that | know of. She
had some male friends and was very we'll
liked. We had been in business about fOHr
years. Inc ueceheeO was ABOUT ~ years
old and a native of Canada" In answer TO
questions Miss Allen said that Miss Gil
mour was not very strong; that she was of
good disposition, and that she thought
she identified the head bv the shape of the
forehead and the filling of the teeth.
DIR. w. j. Wickman. the County Physi-
clan, was the last witness, and his testi-
mony was description of the head, the
teeth and their filling and the condition of
the head. HIS testimony given was signifi-
cant and of Importance when he concluded:
The skull appeared to me to be that of an
individual about 40 years old or more. ]
could not tell the sex. My opinion is that
the head had been in dissecting-room and
must have been removed by knife from
the trunk. The skull gave an odor which
is very peculiar to dlssectng-rooms."
The evidence OF the phys closed the
testimony, and the Coroner's jury. after
some discussion, reached the following
verdict:
We, the jurors summoned 70 appear before
Coroner Eden. the Coroner of Marin County. at
MS ONCE on the thirteenth day OF September,
10 inquire into the cause OF dealh of portions
OF a body (bead ouly). having been duly
sworn according 10 law aud having made such