The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-08-22
WAS SHE PO|S0AED2
The Body of Mrs. Arthur Jewali
Exhumed by the Coroner.
JURY HEARS EVIDENCE
About Half the Is Witnesses
In the Case Examined.


Tuesday--Dr. McCuIIers, the Mother
of the Dead Woman and the Sister
ln-Law of the Deceased the Principal
Witnesses.
The body of Mrs. Arthur Jewall
was eNhumed by the coroner at 1890
o'clock yesterday morning. She was
the wife of a well-known young citi-
zen of Panther Branch township, and
her husband is charged by his mother
in-law with having poisoned his wife.
There were wild rumorS that the
body had been taken from the grave.
On the representation of Mrs. Britt,
mother of the late Mrs. Jewall, and
other people of Panther Branch, the
coroner yesterday began an inyesti-
cation into the causes of Mrs. Jewalfs
death.
He empaneled the following jury:
George l.. TonnoffsKi, j. Il. Ramsey,
j. T.. Newsom, W. III. Strother, r. II,
Bradley, M. j. Edwards. These were
all selected from Raleigh SO as to
secure an unprecedented jury.
DR. r. b. Ellis, the county coroner;
the jury and Col. T. NJ. Argo and
Panther Branch from Raleigh yes
terday
The Jewall place is about ten miles
from the city. The body of Mrs.
Jevvall was buried in private grave
yard, in which there was only one
other grave. The grave was very
shallow, only about two feet deep.
No graye-diggers We're present, so the
members of the jury opened the grave.
The top was removed from the cof-
fin without taking the casket from the
grave This was done so thas the
coroner might view the corpse, as re-
quired by law.
Some forty or fifty neighbors- and
friends had gathered to attend the in
vesdgation.
Seventeen witnesses had been sum-
moned, and one more was subpoened
last evening. About half the witness
es were examined yesterday, the ex-
animation lasting from 1880 o'clock
a. IN. to $50 O'Clock p. m. The hearing
was then adjourned until next Tues
day, when the remaining witnesses
viii be examined In the courthouse
here.
The three principal witnesses were
the attending physician, the sister-in-
Miss Rosa Britt. sister-in-law of the
late Mrs. Jewaa. testified that the
morning She reached Mr.. Jewall's,
she inquired after the health of his
wife, and he said he Thought she was
dying. Il went into the house and
Mrs. Jewall was lying face down on
the bed, her hands and feet were cold.
/ called my husband in and we asked
Mr.. Jewall if he hadn't best send for a
doctor. He said it was no use, as he
knew she was dying. Arthur went to
the bed and asked Mary if he should
send for a doctor. She said she didn't
know, and asked, Will he keep me
from dying?' He repeated hi. ques-
ton, and she said, DO just az
You like The doctor arrived
about nine O'Clock, examined Mary and
said he saw no reason why she should
die so soon with the diseases with
which she was afflicted. He injected
some medicines into her side and gave
her same liquid medicine, perhaps. At
ten o'clock he gave her pill, leaving
seven others to be given. While DIR.
McCullers was in there he asked if we
had given her any medicine / told
him we had not since I had been there.
1t was not long before he asked if she
had had any medicine that morning.
lary's little girl spoke up and said;
Papa gave Mamma capsule this
Papa gave mamma a capsule this morn
ing When asked what kind of cap
sule,she brought the box,eXamined the
same and laid it on the foot of the
bed. Arthur came in in a few minutes
and asked why that box was there.
DIR. McCullers told him what Flora
had said. Arthur said he had given
her the capsule. DIR. McCullers asked
him if it was one of the powders he
left when he (Arthur) had the fever.
He told him it was, and asked if that
powder would hurt her. DIR. McCullers
told him it would not. When the doc
tor left he remarked that it was some
satisfaction to do something, and to
heat water, putting it in bottles, and
keep it to her limbs; that it might
cause reaction. About one o'clock she
commenced to get warm. She did not
move or stir but once and that was
about eleven o'clock, when she raised
up in ths bed. When the last breath
left her she raised her hands, and laid
them across her breast. This was a
few minutes before sunset, August 18th.
AShe was not conscious all day"
<Mrs. Edith r. Britt, mother of the
deceased, testified that Bunyan Britt
came after her on August 7th, and
about ten o'clock she reached Arthur
Jewall's house, and found Dr.McCullers,
Zoe Britt's wife, Arthur and her daugh-
ter there. She corroborated Mrs. Rosa
Britt's testimony regarding Flora's
statement about the capsule. She re-
manned there during the day and until
after Mrs. Jewall died. Before left, "
she said, Arthur came to me and said,
We'll, she is dead, and / can give her
up, but / can't see how you can? |
replied, 1T is hard to do So" She testi-
fed that on the day of her daughters
death she saw nothing that would
lead her to suspect foul play. She
said, II heard him say on Monday be-
fore she died that he never expected
to have any doctor with her again
nor buy any more medicine for her.
Arthur told me that Mary said if he
would not get her any medicine or
carry her to the doctor, there was one
thing he would spend money for and
that was for her coffin. On the Sum
daY night after Mary JewaII nv