Evening star., 1896-07-06
SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES
Inquest Over the Remains of the Late
Estelle Chisley.

Deputy Coroner Glazebrook held an in
quest today at the sixth precinct station
house over the body of Estelle Chisley or
Holden. who died at early hour yester-
day morning a house of ill fame, 2O4 11th
street. She was a colored woman, and all
the other inmates of the house, most of
" hom were witnesses at the inquest today,
are also colored.
The circumstances under which the wo-
man met her death were rather suspicious,
and az result of the inquest three per-
sons. man and two women. were ordered
to be kept in confinement until the mystery
can be cleared up. Those detained are
Charles Holden. Mamie Mann, an inmate
of the house. and Lizzie Clayton who runs
an establishment on C street Just around
the corner from the house kept by the
Chsley woman. Holden. who is an en-
chsley woman's friend for some time past.
ard the two are said to have been married
about two weeks ago.
Symptoms of StrychnIa.
The testimony showed that Mrs. Chisiey
was taken sick last Friday evening The
next morning her husband fixed her a seid-
litz powder, which she drank of, and short
ly afterward she was taken with conyul-
sions. Dr. T. V. Hammond was at once
summoned, and Immediately upon seeing
her he ventured the opinion that she had
taken strychnia in some form. The woman
insisted that she had not taken it knowing
ly. At the time she was not regarded as
dangerously SICK but DR.. Hammond gave
her such treatment as her condition called
for. About II o'clock that night he called
again and found her still in the same highly
nervous state. with commissions every five
or ten minutes. About 3 o'clock yesterday
morning she died. 1t is said that after Dr.
Hammond's first call her husband went out
and got a powder, which he gave her him
self.
Saturday afternoon a call was sent to the
Emergency Hospital, but as it was not an
ambulance case no doctor responded. Two
young medical students who were hanging
around the hospital took it upon themselves
to call at the house of the sick woman. and
they administered some simple remedies.
Alleged Threats Made.
A curious feature in connection with the
case Is the fact that a week ago one of
the inmates of the horse, Susie Hight, took
a seidlitz powder. and as result she was
a patient at the Freedman's Hospital for
the balance Of the week. showing the same
symptoms did the Chisiey woman Just
before her death.
A number of the witnesses this morn
ing testified to threat which had been
made against Mrs. Chisley by Lizzie Clay
ton. There had been bad feeling between
the two women for some time past, and
one Of the witnesses, a man known as
Barney Miller. testified that when Susie
Hight was removed to the hospital he
heard Lizzie say that within a few days
some more people would go out Of that
house in exactly the same manner.
Stomach to Be Analyxcd.
Mamie Mann was locked up as an i'm
portant witness, and also because it wss
said that she had some difflcu ulty with her
landlady a few days ago. and threatened
to do her up.
Prior to the inquest this morning DR..
Sterling Ruffln performed an autopsy on
the body of the dead woman, but was un-
able to determine the cause of death. The
stomach was removed, and has been sent
to the District chemist for examination.
After hearing the testimony of the other
witnesses the inquest was adjourned until
later in the week, when the results of the
chemical examination can be made known.
At present it is not even known that ~he
died as result of poisoning.