Evening journal., 1895-09-11

New YoRK, Sept II. CoroiieS
O'Mengher and n Jury made an inquest
into the causes Of the death Of tIrs. Eve
lima Matilda Bliss, whose daughter, Mary
Alice Almont Livingston, otherwise
known as Mrs. Fleming, Is accused OF
poisoning her Through the fear Of tho
district attorney 20 reveal to the defense
the whole strength or the possible weak
moss Of the case he has against the accused
woman the jury was forced TO bring in
this noncomlnittal yordicti
"Wo find that Eyelina Matilda Bliss
, came TO her death on Aug. 30 from acute
gastritis, also chronic nephritis and lime
plates on cardiac valve, the result Of
cnuscs unknown 30 the jury
There was no mention Of pOisOns. al
though the little testimony that was offer
ed was rcploto with suggestions of It,
This was "a negative GcQuittal OF the wom-
an charged with the crime. Consequently
her lawyers demanded that she be released,
declaring that the coroner had no right to
rocommit her The coroner wavorod, then
issued % warrant for the rocommittal Of
the prisoner, which was not however,
formally served.
So the strange little woman who is 40
cused of matriclde sat In the courtroom
FOR more than three hours, advised by her
friends that she was being restrained
without due process of law, but knowing
that should she start TO move Acting In
spoctor McCullagh rs a peace officer,
would arrest her.
During that long wait after the verdict
Of the coronor's jury witnesses wore being
rushed before the grand jury for the pur-
pose Of having the woman indicted. Only
part of the witnesses were heard, but it
was understood that an indictment viii DO
returned today
Bench Warrant Resorted To.
To meet the emergency Of the night and
20 overcome all question Of the legality OF
Mrs Floming's rooommittal by coroner
whose jury had failed 60 find against her,
Judge Fitzgerald in general sessions, was
applied to and granted bench warrant
for her arrest Demanding an oxamina-
tion she was taken before the judge, and
the hearing Of the ease was set down Tor
p. IN. today. II Is not probable that thore
will BIO any hearing, however, for the in
dictmcnt will, it is said, be handed down
by the grand jury before noon, and pro-
cecdings under IL will supplant proceed
ings under Judge Fitzgoralds warrant
Tho case attracted great crowd TO The
municipal building and there was mu IN
Excitement during the day as the case
passed from one stage TO another. Whom
Coroner O'Moaghor entered he found
Acting Inspector McCullagh and Police
Captain Thompson sitting close TO the
witness chair. Chemist Walter Il. Scheelo,
who analysed the contents of Mrs. Bliss
stomach and part Of the unused clam
chowder reporting that no found arseni-
Gus acid and antimony in large quantl-
tics, sat with DIR. W. j. O'Sullivan, the
modico-logal sharp who Is likely 20 ontor
the case for the defense If It ever gets TO
trial
Assistant District Attorneys Mcintyre
and Miller were there 70 look after the peo-
plos interests. while Charles W. Brooke
Graft Nathan, John G. shaw ana Howard
=. Okio were defending the accused wom-
an. Henry y. Bliss, son Of the dead wom-
an and the prisoners half brother sat in
the rear of the room, pale and nervous.
His father and sister were not there. Nell
Their was Augustus L. Tuehner who sat
at Mrs Bliss bedside the night she died
and says he heard her say that she believed
she had been poisoned by clam chowdcr
sent her by relative. Grace Fleming, the
accused woman's S-year-old child, and
Florence King her playmate, who arc
said TO testify that they carried the clam
chowdcr from Mrs. Fleming 90 Mrs Bliss,
were also absent. A few women attended.
How Mrs. Fleming Looked.
There was q murmur when Mrs Flom-
ing entered in the custody of court oili-
Ger. The eyes of the little woman i'm black,
whose marked physical peculiarities have
been so fully described, looked red. Her
naturally white skin had assumed an al
most CHASTITY pallor, accentuating the
prominence of her nose her big brown
eyes and the dishguring mole on her lip.
She was dressed m full mourning, but at
no time yelled her face.
She smiled as she greeted her counsel
and friends and took scat before the
coronor's bench, with her bacl1 TO the
crowd. She kept ON smiling throughout
the ordeal that followed Int her smile was
rather an historical, involuntary action of
her features. Once she wept. IL was not
when she listened 20 description Of the
autopsy that had been performed ON the
body of the mother She stood accused of
numbering or whom her half brother, evil
IDENTIFY under severe mental strain and
scarcely able to retain his composurc was
with duWncast eyes and scarcely audible
voice giving testimony against her. Her
tears cufno WhCni nliOf thc Norulct OF tnN
jury, the lawyers were arguing the Quos-
ton Of whether she should be recommit-
ted or not
The jury was out just n minutes and
returned 60 render the verdict above print
cd. Its reading was followed by an out
break of applause from the crowd, which
was quickly stopped by the court officers.
Those who are familiar with such pro.
coodings were not surprised at tho verdict
seeing that In the effort TO keep the de
Tense from learning his case Assistant Dis.
trict Attorney Mcintyre had failed TO Civ,
the jury sufficient evidence 60 find a Grim
mating verdict ON.
Mrs Fleming started mp as though C
leave the court Mr. Mcintyre asked thai
she be committed TO await the action OF
the grand jury. Dir. Brooke declared that
the coroner had no authority to commit
her after the finding Of the jury, as n,
was not sitting as a magistrate. He de
manded that she be released. There fol
lowed long argument over the law.
After Il was all over and Judge Fitz
gerald had issued bench warrant tn,
little woman In black was led back to hei
cell I'm the Tomhs, and still she smiled a.
she went. She will be brought into court
this afternoon, but it is likely that tn,
I u.