Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-05-15
SUSPECT FOUL PLAY
MIR. BoLrz's RELATIVES ASK THAI
A POST MoRrEM NE MADE.
WAS FOUND DEAD on HIS FiRr.
Coroncr's Jury sny IL Was . Caio
of Apopiexy-A CoIored Man Ens.
tombed in a sand-Pit-Had to n
Dug Out. ~

the city yesterday morning. suspect that
no was victim OF foul play.
The position in which the body wa9
lying when discovered. and tho fact that
Mr. Boltz had always been I'm good health
and so far as was known had mona
of the symptoms OF apoplexy, which
the Coroners jury said he died Of. have
| led them to believe that their relative
was poisoned. 1t Is also said that they
have further ground for their lurmise
in this respect because OF certain alleged
entanglements in the insurance left By
the deceased.
Whether the suspicion Of foul plays
is well founded is to be seen. Certainly,
| the examination of the body made yes~
| terday by Squire Vincent, as Acting Corr
oner. and his jury, aided by DR.. Cols
Inns, revealed nothing to warrant any
one in supposing that Mr.. Bolts died
| from other than natural causes.
WANTED CORONER TAYLOR.
Persistent efforts were made by reia-
tives OF the deceased, however. TO have
a post-mortem examination made at
once Miss Rupert niece OF Ar. Boltz.
approached DR.. William Ii. Taylor yes
terday afternoon and laid the facts IA
she understood them. before him, ana
urged him TO make the examination ana
analysis. DR.. Taylor told the young iaoy
| that he could not do this, 40 II was
| county case. and suggested that Mr.
| Conway X. Sands, Commonwealth's At
| torney OF Henrico be consulted relative
| to the matter. IL that officer deemed q
| post-mortem necessary he would pro-
| badly have DIR. Croxton. the Coroner OF
| the county, TO make 1t. and. II In tnat
event the authorities chose TO call MN
In to make the analysis, DIR. Taylor tod
| his visitor that he would then ob.ige the
| family.
5lss Rupert departed. and Common>
wealth s-Attorney Sands was seen re-
| gaTding the matter, and IL Is propaDe
Inat a post-mortem. TO assure the
| family, II nothing more, Will be made
| this morning.
| In the mean time, the body has peer
embalmed. and the embalming fluid con-
talns several kinds OF polsons and II
Will, therefore. be all the more difficult
to tell II poison OF any sort was the
cause Of death.
DISCOVERY OF THE BODY.
Mr.. Boltz's body was found about 5:3(
| o'clock yesterday morning by Mr.. n. Al:
| Gordon, a near neIghbor and friend OF
| the deceased. The corpse was lying upon
| the ground in little wheat patch neal
| the house. The news or the discovery
spread very rapidly, and Squire Vincent.
| the Acting Coroner OF the county. was
| notified and held an inquest over the re-
| mains.
Mr.. Boltz was last seen alive by Mr..
Gordon on Thursday afternoon. but wnen
| the latter gentleman went 10 Mr.. BolZs
house late that evening he could not ma
him. although ne called aloud for him.
Later in the evening Mr. Gordon sent
some of his children oven TO Mr. BoSz >
place TO look for him. but their search
was fruitless.
HIS DOG KEPT WATCH.
When the Henricoan discovered his
| friend yesterday morning there was
standing over his dead body a faithful
hound. which had evidently kept watch
all night long, and by his bowling sang
a solemn and pathetic requiem to his
masters memory.
The finding of Mr.. Boltz under these
circumstances excited some suspicion. and
| when the news reached Seven Pines the
entire population of that hamlet hurried
to the spot. Dwellings and stores alike
| were closed, nearly every man, woman.
and child having gone over to the Boltz
farm. The theory of murder found many
| believers. and intense excitement pre-
vailed for some time. Justice vincent
was. as before stated. summoned to the
! scene. He called to his assistance Con-
stable r. c.. Garnett, and after viewing
| the body the Magistrate decided TO noid
an inquest A jury was summoned
forthwith. and DR.. G.. r. Collins, OF High
land Springs, made close examination
of the body. Ne marks OF violence were
discovered. and the physician gave It ~
| his opinion that death had resulted iron
apoplexy, the man being suddenly stricken
while crossing the neld.
| Ths exhausted condition OF the dog sus-
| tained the theory that death came TO
Mr. Boltz about eight hours before his
remains were discovered. He fell with
i'm forty steps OF his house.
| Justice Vincent made inquiry into all
| of the circumstances connected with tho
case The Jury returned n verdict TO
tho effect that deceased had come TO his
death by natural causes, and the re-
| ,oafps were then taken to McDonough'S
,,ader.aking establishment and prepared
| for burial.
LIVED HERE MANY YEARS.
| ,rr poltz was a native OF Hesse Cas-.
60, Germany. and came to this city d.
roct from the Old Country, In 1S0 lie
| had therefore been a resident OF Rich
| ,.,n,,d for thirty-seven years. His parents
| came over with him. and both or them
have long slept in Hollywood The de-
| ceased was As years OF age. and many
wears ago married Miss Johanna
| Ehriser. also of this city and sne. with
| two children, survives ner husDSha. M,.
| uolty was a frugal. careful man. OF good
/
cassru, in anything that he undertook.
and leaves his family IN comfortable Cir
| a,,,rstances. Besides the family already
roantioned. he leaves a brother, Mr.. H.
| ~ poltz who conducted one OF his
riaces az business up town. The de-
ceased was a member OF Liberal Grove
of Druids.
would have attended this case. but was
| not notihed
Man Entombed In sand-Bsnk.
racob Dudley. a colored man who was
| engaged In digging sand for moulding
| nurposes. at the end OF Nicholson street,
f, between . and 10 o'clock yesterday morns
ing was most effectuaily buried alive.
ne was at work under q ledge OF earth
ahon, 1sx2t feet. which suddenly cayed
In unon him. killing him instantly. AZ
The time of his death Dudley was alone.
the driver OF the cart having left him
ahout o'clock. The unfortunate man
had been warned not to dig further under
the bank. bur evidently must have dis
regarded the admonitlon.
For nearly two hours the body must
Rave remained buried. as the place was
NOT visited until about noon. when II Was
'svs sssooyerei and hurriediy dlsinterred
Dud,ey had been working In pit about
.s deem as his shoulders. and must
have had q warning OF the cave-tn. fu1
the the body was found in D3sition 70 IN.