New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-09-06


Coroner OMeagher yesterday decided to begin
the inquest in the case Of Mrs. Evelina NJ Bliss
on next Tuesday at 1890 a.. m. His decision was
announced after a long consultation with AS
sistant District-Attorneys Mcintyre and Miller
and Police Captain Thompson OF the West one
hundred-and-twenty -ffth-st. station. The con-
ference was held in Coroner O'Meagher's private
office and lasted two or three hours. During a
part Of that time the officials had before them
Grace Fleming the little daughter Of the woman
who Is locked up in the Tombs on the charge of
poisoning Mrs. Bliss
A BOX OF DRUGS
Before Captain Thompson went to the confer
ence at the office OF Coroner OMeagher yester-
day afternoon he had received a small box which
his policemen had found In the rooms of Mrs.
Fleming at the Colonial Hotel. The policemen
made search in the re oms early In the morn
ing and found the box Captain Thompson and
the other officials with whom he consulted would
not tell what was in the box At the same time
he said that he was not making any further In
vestigation to discover the druggist from whom
the poison which killed Mrs Bliss had been pur-
chased. He would not admit or deny that he
knew where the poison had been purchased or
who had procured Il. He said all three children
OF Mrs Fleming would be placed IN the care of
the Society for the Prevention Of Cruelty TO Chill
dren. but q was ascertained late In the afternoon
that the two boys were still in the care Of Mrs.
Haight and an agent of the society said that
they would not be taken to the rooms OF the
society.
1t was learned later that the Dox taken from
the Fleming apartments contained quantity OF
drugs found In the accused womans rooms.
II was taken to the Coroner's office. The con-
tents will be analyzed to see II they have any
connection with the poison found in the pail
Grace Fleming and the other two children OF
Mrs Fleming were placed in charge OF Mrs
Hslght. a friend of Mr.. Bliss. on Wednesday
morning. and Mrs. Haght took the children
from the Colonial Hotel to her own home at the
request Of Mr. Bliss An agent OF the Society
for the Prevention OF Cruelty TO Children had
talked with Mr. Bis: about the of the
children. and Mr.. Bliss had declared his in
tcntion to take proper of them. Police
Captain Thompson wanted the little girl Grace,
to be placed In the temporary custody Of the
society because she had confessed that she had
carried to Mrs Bliss on Friday the clam broth
which was alleged to contain the poison that
caused Mrs. Bliss's death Captain Thompson
did not want the little girl to be left in the care
Of Mrs Flemngs relatives or friends, fearing
that she might he tampered with
CAPTAIN THOMPSON ANNOYED.
He was much annoyed when he learned that
Grace had been removed from the hotel by Mrs.
Haight and had not been sent to the society's
rooms In Twentv-third-st. Late Wednesday
night Captain Thompson caused the little girl
to be removed from the house of Mrs. Haight to
the police station He questioned the girl again
and then sent for an agent of the society and
b,I ~ tho -
terday morning TIE little girl was again taken
to the police station and again questioned about
the clam broth which she said she had carried
from her mother to Mrs. Bliss Later Grace was
taken to the Coroners office To repeat her
story and then she was taken back to the
rooms Of the society In Twenty-third-st. where
she will be kept until the inquest.
1t was ascertained yesterday that Florence
King seven years old. daughter of Mrs Saran
T. King Of No 800 Manhattan-ave.. was with
Grace when the clam broth carried 10 the
fiat Of Mrs. Bliss at No. S97 st. N!cholas-ave on
Friday Mrs. King keeps small stationery
store at No 253 West One-hundred-and-twenty-
ffth-st Her little girl has been a playmate Of
Grace and the two girls were much in each
others company. Ms King had been IN
sructed by the police not to talk about the Bliss
case but she admitted yesterday that her
daughter. Florence, had gone with Grace 10 the
Bliss fat on Friday. She said she could not tell
more until her little daughter was called to
testify at the inquest. In the mean time, at the
request Of the police. she had sent her little
daughter away from home where she would be
beyond the reach Of newspaper men,
THE POISONED BROTH
Il was originally said by the police that the
poison which caused the death of Mrs. Bliss was
in clam choHder which had been sent 10 Mrs
Bliss b. Mrs. Fleming In pitcher. Yesterday
the police were sure they said, that the poison
was in some clam broth which had been carried
10 Mrs. Bliss by Grace Fleming and Florence
r.tI had
been ordered the restaurant of the Colonial
Hotel. and the check had been signed By Grace
Fleming The police contend that they know
that the little girl carried the broth UP TO Mrs
where Mrs. Flemlngs mother. Mrs Bliss. lived:
Mary Alice Amont Livingston, the woman who
is known I'm the case Mrs. Fleming, yesterday
retained Charles w. Brooke as her counsel to
look after her interests at the inquest. She had
long talk with him In the Tombs In the after
noon. John c. Shaw. who lad been her fathers
counsel in his lifetime also saw Mrs Fleming at
the Tombs, and Il understood that he had
advised her 70 retain Mr. Brooke to defend her
He and Mr.. Brooke left the Tombs together late
in the afternoon. They said that Mrs. Fleming
appeared TO be confident that ste would be re-
leased from custody as soon az the inquest in
her mothers case had been concluded. Mr.
Brooke said that Mrs. Fleming appeared 10 know
almost nothing about tho c. Sc. She professed to
be ignorant of the fact that any clam broth or
clam chowder had been sent from the hotel to
Mrs Bliss.
MAY PROVE AN AL1BI FOR GRACE
He also said he thought 1T could be shown that
at the time when Grace Fleming said to
have carried the broth to Mrs. Bliss the child
was in another part OF the city Mr.. Brooke also
talked about the part which Or ". F. Buman.
the physician who was called to attend Mrs.
Bliss had taken In the case. He said Or. Bull
man evidently thought Mrs. Bliss was suffering
from cholera morbus. and It vas not unlikely
that he had administered some tartar emetic
the poison which the police say caused Mrs.
Bliss's death. Or. Buman had said also that
some powders which he had left al the fiat had
not been given to the sick woman. but he had
declined to tell what was In the powders II Dr.
Bullman had suspected poison. Mr.. Brooke said.
1t would have been his duty t. remain with the
patient 10 see what effect antidotes would have.
Mr. Brooke talked as II he thought that Mrs.
Bliss had not been poisoned at all. or that her
death was the result OF the PHYSICIANS negli-
gence and hls cross-examnatlon OF DR. Bulman