The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-06-02
A Coroner's Jury Says She
Was Poisoned by Persons
Unknown.
IT'S VERDICT NOT APPROVED.
DR.. Hawkins and Captain Lees
Think the Testimony Pointed
to 9. w. Winthrop.

lowing mOrullR, WAS COuCluucU before
Coroner Hawkins yesterday. The jury
brought in a verdict to the effect "that
Mrs. Jennie Matthews came to her death
from poison administered by parties I'M
known to the Jury" DR.. Hawkins refused
to receive the verdict on the ground that it
was not in accord with the testimony and
marked the inquisition mot approved"
Promptly at 8 A. NJ. o. w. Winthrop,
assistant superintendent of Laurel Hill
Cemetery, the man charged with the muir
der of the woman, was brought in by Cap
tain Lees and Detective Handley. He was
unconcerned throughout and laughed
when the various witnesses identified him.
The first witness was Fanny Renna, a
sister of the deceased, who lives at 1403%
Folsom street. AT first she said she did
not know Mrs. Matthews, but afterward
said she was her sister. She knew abso-
lutely nothing about the case and was ex-
cused.
Matte Matthews, the deceased's little
six-year-old daughter, was next put on the
stand. 1t was very hard to get a con-
nected story from the child but neyerthe-
less she was able to pick Winthrop out of
the roomful of people as the man who gave
her mother the pill
II went with mamma to the cemetery"
testified Matte. 81 forget the day. We
walked out and came back with two men
in buggy. He gave her a pill and
mamma died" 1t was at this point She
pointed out Winthrop as the man who
gave her mother the pill.
TELL US what you did first of all at the
graveyard" asked the Coroner.
First we walked around to see little
brothers grave; then mamma found some
pansies, and l forget the rest
When did your mamma get sick?"
Mamma got sick when she found the
pansies. A graveyard man gave her the
pill. He gave mamma white pill. Then
mamma was sliding down and the men
brought her home in buggy
Ibid the man have pistol?"
II don't know, but heard mamma tell
papa that the man showed her pistol"
Edwin s. Matthews, husband Of the de-
ceased, testified that his wife told him be-
fore she died that Winthrop made her take
pill out at the cemetery. "He wanted to
get the best of me-" she told her husband,
that pill" The witness then told of being
called from his work and of finding his
wife in commissions. During their talk
that afternoon the dead woman told her
husband that Winthrop had exhibited a
pistol and had also taken pill himself in
order to persuade her to swallow another
one. Winthrop had called at the house on
planned his visits by saying he came to
speak to her about the fixing up of the
baby's grave.
The following letter was shown to the
witness:
Ny Only Friend: My heart is nearly broke
the way he is treating me, and if he keeps on
will kin myself. If do kill myself want you
to take care of my little girl, then I know she
will have good friend and protector, because
my husband he is not fit to take care OF her. I
Qrt Inv
forever, good-by.
Your Poor JENNIE MATTHEWS
Matthews said it looked like his wife's
writing, but he wasn't sure. He had never
i'll treated his wife and could bring wit
nesses to prove it.
Howard Smith, gardener at Laurel Hill
Cemetery, told about the taking of the
buggy to where Mrs. Matthews was sitting
on the coping of grave and of taking her
to her home with Mr. Winthrop. His tes-
timony was corroborated by Gus Brifrage,
a laborer in the cemetery.
Il. M. Griffith, the physician who at
tended Mrs. Matthews, said she told him
some one had given her pill in order to
be able to take advantage of her. Later he
told her that she was dying and that the
statement she had made might send some
one to the gallows. The dying woman in
sisted. however, that she had been forced
to swallow the pill, but did not state the
lldlHC VI VIC man WIZ ildQ Rlfe1 IL 10 ner.
The doctor then described Mrs. Matthew'S
condition and the remedies he had used
and said she died from strychnine poison
ing.
Mrs. Frank Gedge, 1922 Jackson street;
Miss Mabel Bowen, 2107 Hyde street, and
Miss Katie Burton, 2lO1 Hyde street, told
about seeing Mrs. Matthews sitting on the
tanning her and bathing her face with
water. She was grooming terribly, and
was finally taken away in the buggy.
DR.. J. S. Barrett gave the result of the
autopsy, and Chemist Charles L. Morgan
told of finding one-third of grain of
strychnine in the stomach. There was
enough of the poison found to cause death.
Mrs. Mary Hayden, who was called in
when Mrs. Matthews was brought home,
told of her conversation with the dying
woman. Mrs. Matthews said the pill had
been given to her by 'Mr. Wenthal.'t
superintendent of the cemetery. She
didn't want to take the pill and spat it out,
but Wenthal said it would make her feel
fine, SO she swallowed it,
In answer to questions the witness said
that Mrs. Matthews had told her on one
occasion that she had jumped off an Oak
land ferry-boat because her father had
thrashed her. She pointed out the man
who brought the deceased home and said
she had been introduced to him as Mr..
w eutudl. one udu occl ulIn several times
in Mrs. Matthews house. Mr.. Matthews
was not at home on those occasions.
DR.. f. Won Bulen testified to having
examined Mrs. Matthews when she took
out a $4,000 policy in the Order of Chosen
Friends. 1t was made out in favor of
80. w: Winthrop, trustee of my child,
Matte Matthews"
Mrs. j. G, Doolan said she had known
Matte Matthews since she was baby.
She was very truthful child and the wit
ness would believe anything she said
0, w. Winthrop was called, but refused
to be sworn ON the advice of his attorneys.
The jury then retired and after being out
twenty minutes brought in the verdict
given in the foregoing. The prisoner was
afterward removed to the City Prison.
GFTTING QHT RAMNIpo