The San Francisco call., 1898-02-04
WILEY WAS IN
 GOOD SPIRITS No Reason Why He Should Take His
 Own Life.
There Was Nothing Unusual in His DemeanOr When
 He Went to Bed.
Story of the Man Who Was Last in His Room as Told at the
 Inquest.

The Coroner's inquest into the cause of the death of Charles Walter Wiley was commenced yesterday morning The evidence taken showed no motive for the suicide of the deceased nor anything that would lead to the belief that Wiley had ever contemplated such an act.
 All the witnesses united in the dec laration that he had been sober on the evening before the day on which he was found poisoned by the gas. Ills landlady. Mrs. L. s. Harvey, said he was most regular in his habits and she considered him lone of my very nice roomers; quiet and interfering with no one"
 Timothy J. Lyons, his attorney, was with Wiley in Lyons office on the af- ternoon before the death of the de- ceased, and they spent an hour or SC in reading the Gospel of St. John in Latin They quit at half past o'clock and Wiley agreed to meet Lyons again at the office at half past s in the evening. Lyons was detained and did not reach the office until 9:O5 or 9:1O, and he was informed by the janitor that Wiley had been there about five or ten minutes before and had said he was going home.
 L. s. Harvey, the landlord, told the jury the door of Willey's room had not been locked, and when he traced the odor of gas to Willey's apartment he turned the knob and went in. The single gas jet was fully open, but the crevices in the transom, the window and the door had not been stopped up, and ther were no indications that any attempt had been made to do so. Wiley had retired in the usual man. ner and was undressed and covered with the bedclotheS.
 The deceased had had a visitor on the evening before whom MT. Harvey had seen going to Willey's room on several occasions. This man had called on Wiley at about 10 o'clock on Friday evening, the evening before his death. Harvey did not know his name, but was familiar with his ap- pearance.
 The man in question proved to be Hugh Landels, a carpenter. He was called to the witness stand and told the jury that he had frequently visited Wiley because of his heart trouble.
 Landels said he was passing by the Estella lodging house, at 1145 Mission street, between half past g and 10 o'clock Friday night, and went into the house with a boy, who was taking in a pitcher of milk. He rang the bell for the landlord, and was shown to Willey's room. The room was dark and the door was locked. and Landels was turning away when Wiley opened the door and invited him in. The de- ceased had just got out of bed and remarked that he had come home early and had retired because he felt little fatigued Landels said it was 10 o'clock and he would not stay. He went out, closing the door after him. The con versation took place in the dark, the gas not having been lighted. Nor was there any odor of g&s in the room.
 Willey's body was taken to the crem- atory last Tuesday, but the body was not consigned to the flames owing to the protest of the attorney for the uncle and the cousin of the deceased. The remains will be buried in the Masonic cemetery to-day, the funeral beginning at II o'clock, should the jury return a verdict in the morning. If they do not, the funeral will be post poned until after the verdict shall have been rendered.
 The carpenter, Landels, who was the last person in the room of the deceased on the night of the death of the de- ceased, lives with the Muirheads, the beneficiaries of the will at 31a Larkin street