The sun., 1897-07-22
.WHOKTLLED MISS LARSONf
E'C0RoNER's INQUEST THROWS LITTLE
LIGHT ON THE MYSTERY.

JIGHT ON THE MYSTERY.
uichiovide or Mercury II Supposed TO Ravo
Besn tho Poison Gscd-Charyiti. tho Dins-
So rnores' BETTER, Contrndicts Himself on tho
: stnnd--sesds Flowers for the airi'a Conn.
8 Coroner Bevicr OF Mattcawan began the In
Quest on the case Of Selma Larson In Fishkll
Landing yesterday afternoon. After tho testi-
mony OF tho witnesses had been heard, the fn'
quest was adjourned until week from next
Monday TO await the chemical examination OF
tho stomach and itscontents by tho State chem
list at Albany. No such examination has yet
been made Coroner Bevier and District Attor-
ney Wood heretofore being unwilling TO incur
the expense. hut the testimony at the inquest
gproduced such puazlng results that 1t became
necessary to know beyond n doubt that the girl
was poisoned before any progress could be made
in solving thcinystery that surrounds her death.
I na chemical analysis OF tho stomach and its
contents shows the presence OF poison-and DIR.
,Dawson. who performed tho autopsy, says that
.heis confident that poison will he found and
that the poison will prove TO be bichloride OF
mercury-Wiliom Charvill, the Dlnsmore but
ler who WINS discharged on Monday, may have
Ito answer some embarrassing questions. After
he left Staatsburg ho was not seen until
late Tuesday night. when he called on
Mrs. wickstrom, the sister of tho dead
TeirI. and offered TO render her any
assistance he could. Ho went to the
funeral Yesterday morning and talked freely
about his relations with tho dead girl. apparent.
IN explaining all his connection with the case.
In the afternoon he went to Fishkill Landing
and was examined at tho inquest. He mado
stnteu,cnts uIder oath, which. after consulta-
tion With District Attorney Wood. he changed
ifn some important parts. His self-contradictions
! and his nervous and uneasy manner gave tho
Impression that he was still concoaling some-
thing.
The inquest wGs hold IN the corporation
rooms n, yshlxill La nding. Coroner Bevier pre-
sided, bait District Attorney Wood conducted
the examination seconded by the foreman Of
tho jury, Samuel B. Rogers, without whose
holp somo intere'tjng facts about Butler Char
will might not bayA, been known.
The first witnses was Christina Campbell, tho
Dinsmore housekeeL er. In response to ques-
tions she said th,,re he been five men employed
An the Dinsmore house hold at Staatsburg, " Tho
I,ocusts" First%vas William Charvil the but
ler Then came Arthur Elliott second butler;
Harry Cook, Mr.. Din smore's valet; Baptiste
Bezoni, general utility man, and Michael Nc
iannan his assistant Selma Larson had been
employed since May 1 as parlor maid. Her du-
ties were first to take cate OF the rooms on the
ground floor, which she dia before breakfast.
altar breakfast, and throughout the rest Of the
day she worked in tho pantry with Charvill and
Elliot cleaning dishes, glass, and silver, and
helping them in various ways. They were tho
only two servants with whom shecamein contact
10 any great extent. Miss Campbell said that
Selma had not visited Now York since she came
to the Dinsmores and did not visit any one in
staatsburg except Mrs. Elliot, the wife of the
second butler. q Swedish woman, whom she
".Wh "eHS he ho was selma s.chum r. asked the District
"she hadnene that I know Of" answered Miss
to ali tho servants, but'was not intimate with
FHave You noticed any particular friendship
on her part for any of the menf
Ibid YOU ever see her 60 walking with Char
vmI"
would YOU have known it If they had walked
toEeNtnerI Nss mSGh ab;nh would"
Never saw anything thatwould indicate that
they U were lOversr
Miss Campbell then told aboutsema's trip to
ss She aus came to me Friday and asked me to let
her 60 to New York the next day and stay until
Sunday night in order that she might attend
At her
was at 1890 o'clock on Saturday. when told
going i tIS and had said that she might stay until
Monday; also that the coachman should drive
the second laundress, who was going to Pough.
keepsie on the Same train at $3.50; Selma was
Mrs. 6%nsmore. % M and she went away singing.
-tWhen saw her next 1t was in the hospital
evening. W When Mrs. Dinsmore received the
tslegrnm announcing that Selma tra was a II there
as '5 to her sn room Sn When
'sfssr :SiS .Ro boz ino%%yoar HsS%r
so S.re q Sss
ssi fs sshS hsl so ea9sn
luDch She aaid snOthin0' We had had
insS thsy had not made hsE sicE bSsaSss ' had
popt that she was very sick; that she had SUI;
fered agonies In the ambulance when it had
ce shs Said alter leaving PouE
keepsie First she had a slight pain in her side
gave shsn her Whsfsy HS but did g9Od 'D' Train
How long were you with herT
conscious ali the time"
"Did you suspect poison I"
ibid sny6SdY come to the ,siss hospital from tho
efs@sI. sSsss ss s:sS saturday even
aWas he in the room with selmar
was. He didn't say anything about The package
iettor to Mrs Dinsmofe. He went away and
later came back and got it. told Selma m that M he e
ESe didn't ask to sec SEQ him. and didn't seem to ex-
hfbit tho slightest interest in him. He came
nack ABOUT 10 o CLOCK TO get tno notep ana wnen
be left, said he was going to take the II o'clock
train"
That ended Miss Campbell's testimony. She
was followed by Maggie Flanagan, the second
laundresa who accompanied Miss Larson on the
train as far as Poughkeepsie. The witness said
she went to the coachhouse with Selma
70 walt for the coachman to hitch up
the wagon that WIS to take them to
the train. While in the coachhouse
sstSS ooasS%sn that r@f seaR%
he ,gave nothing to Selma but said ho hoped
she'd have good time, and asked her when she
was going to return. Whom they reached
the station Selma got brown paper
package. Charvill was there also, but did not
say much to her. The witness said In the course
Of her testimony that Miss Larson had bad
cough. She was apparently well usual
when she left Staatsburg and did not cat any.
thing on the train. She had no lover that the
witness knew of.
Arthur Elliot. the second butler said that he
had known Selma since May i. He had known
charvill slightly in London when both were
footmen there. He said that selma,s duties
in the morning. and both he and Charvill were
In there most OF the time. He had never noticed
tntt. hnt.., had