The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1898-03-15
NOT GUILTY
Was the Verdict of Squire
Floyd i'm thePrelimi-
nary Hearing of
the Engles.
EVIDENCE WEAK.
A Case of the Most Intense Interest
In Our COunty.-The Trial
and Testimony.

the startling TACT OF the deatn OF
John S. Engle at his home near Id
gan on Thursday afternoon last.
The mysterious sickness and sud
den death caused a coroneI'5 In
vestigation as we stated and the
verdict was that John S. Engle
came to his death by strychnine
poisoning administered by some
unknown person. The suspicious
of some of the family and of many
neighbors was that the poison was
administered in Mr.. Engle's coffee
at breakfast, by his wife with whom
he was not on the best of terms.
The funeral was held on Sunday al
Antioch and such an immense
throng never before assembled at
that little cemetery church though
the weather was inclement.
On Sunday night Bert Enele, one
of the sons, swore out a warrent for
the arrest of his mother and broth
er Frank and brothers wife for the
murder of his father. The warrents
were served and the trio brought
to Logan and placed in the custody
of the sheriff. BY special arrange
ments of the justice, because of the
i'll health of the ladies, they were
permitted to take rooms at the
hotel with special guards at their
bed room doors until the next
morning. The next day the trial
was set for one o'clock in the court
room, with Squire Floyd on the
bench, and Weldy, Buerhaus and
Vickers arrayed on the side of the
defense and prosecutor Petit and
partner G. V. Wright for the State,
and a battle royal it was. The court
room was crowded to suffication,
there being probably an hundred
women present. Drs. Dye, Smith
and Pullen were first called and
gave testimony about the same as
follows in this article as given by
them at the Inquest. Young Virgil
Eugle was called and more than hi>
testimony as given at the inquest,
he said that he hal heard Frank'e
wife say she would not live with
such a man. His mother said that
they would not have to live with
him more than month.
Witness said he saw his mother
get the strychnine bottle from the
book case, but it was while his
father was sick and the doctors
were there. That he told his broth
er Ed who took the bottle from
her. That he saw his father at the
book case also early in the morn
ing before break fast, but his father
did not open the upper part where
the strychniue was kept. That
the father and mother did not get
along very well.
Mrs. Ed. Engle was placed on
the stand and said she had over
heard conversation in the kitch-
en- the Sunday before the tragedy
between Mother Engle and Frank Is
wife in which The latter said she
would not live with such man
she would kill him. That when
the daughter Eta died last sum.
mer that Mother Engle said she
wished it had been John (Mr.
Engle) instead Of Eta.
Ed. Engle was placed on the
stand and gave about as he gave
At the coroner's inquest which is
given in full below.
After supper there was a wrangle
between the state and defense con-
cerning the reading OF the inquest
testimony which was won by the
state, and read.
After due deliberation justice
Floydsaid that it was of his opinion
that there was not sufficient evi.
.dence to hold either of the accused
on such a grave charge, and dis
missed them.
This case caused the greatest in.
terest Of any that has come before
the courts here in years and may
not end yet. The coming grand
jury may investigate the matter
farther. Much depends upon the
chemical examination of the
stomach. If quinine and stry CHI,
nine are both found there, the de-
ceased came to his death by in
tention; but should there be no
quinine present, he may have taken
the strychnine instead of the qui-
nine, either for suicidal intention
or by accident.
Below is tbe coroner's investiga-
tion which will be of much interest.
TESTIMONY or DIR. j. III. DYE.
DIR. j. IL. Dye heing sworn says /:
~ received a message over tele-
phone to come to J. S, Engle's on
March 10th, 1893 at about 0 a. m,