The San Francisco call., 1898-04-15
His With esses Wer Not Called to the
 Stand.
Inquest on the Body of Mrs. Vidal Cervantes by the
 Coroner.
Verdict by the Jury of Death From Natural Causes-An Unsatisfao-
 tory Autopsy.

By the acton or coroner Hawkins, at the request of the Police Department, in eXhuming the remains of Mrs. Vidal Ger
 vantes and holding an inquest, her hus- band has been officially exonerated from the suspicion entertained by Detective Anthony and friends of the deceased that her death was the result of foul play. The remains have been again laid away to rest. and the verdict rendered by the jury of death due to natural causes will allow the whole matter to rest so far as the authorities are concerned.
 Modification had set in before the ex- humation of the body, and for this reason the autopsy made by Autopsy Surgeon Gallagher, in the presence of pr. Ragan, who appeared on behalf of the husband, was not at all complete or satisfactory. Dr. Gallagher explained afterward that, owing to the progress of decomposition, the autopsy was of little value. He found some signs of dilation of the heart and hardening of the first part of the aorta. Ihe stomach and other alimentary organs were delivered to Dr. c. L. Morgan, chemist for the Coroner, for analysis.
 At the inquest yesterday Dr. Morgan testified that he found morphine in the stomach, but not in sufficient quantity to cause death.
 Dr. Artigues repeated the prescription which he had given Florentino Cervantes to have. filled. It was composed exclus- lively of poisons, and was as follows: Sixty grains of iodide of potassium, 30 drops of tincture of belladonna and 60 drops of tncture of lobelia; dose, q table spoonful every two or three hours until relieved of the pain caused by the asthma with which the deceased had been suffer- ing. He also ordered ten morphine pow ders of one-siXth of a grain each, one powder to be taken every three hours until sleep should be induced.
 The only time he was called in to see the patient was on March 29, a day before death took place. She was gasping for was suffering from an intense attack of asthma. He found symptoms also Of fatty degeneration of the heart. Next morning man from Marini, the under taker, came to him and asked him to sign the death certificate, but the doctor re- fused to do so, because he had seen the patient only once before her death, and he told the man that probably some other physician had been called in after he (Artigues) had left.
 After the young man had gone away Undertaken Marini called on the doctor and requested the doctor to sign the cer- ti1cate for the one visit, promising to take it to the Coroner and have the Cor oner sign it. Dr. Artigues then signed the certificate, setting forth that death re- suited from heart failure and asthma
 Hans Neilsen, agent for Mrs. Vidal Ger vantes, told how the deceased came to see him the day before her death and said to
 
 would ever see her alive She explained that she was suffering from the effects of an overdose Of medicine administered to her by the servant girl; that the dose prescribed by the doctor was from twenty to forty drops, and the girl had given her 200 drops She became very sick and was obliged to send for doctor. The witness was not positive whether this conversa- tion took place before or after the mar riage.
 After ITS. Cervantes died a woman and MT. Cervantes called upon Neilsen for the personal property of the deceased Ger vantes informed Neilsen that the deceased had mentioned him as having worked for her for many years, and had requested him to remunerate NeilSen for his past services. He offered Neilsen $500 at first, and afterward increased the offer to S15O0
 Felicitas Navidad, a Mexican woman, testified that the deceased told her Ger vantes had been urging her to make will, but that she had refused to make any will because she did not believe she was married to Cervantes.
 Florentino CervanteS is swarthy good-looking young man, employed as a leather-Worker in Montgomery-avenue establishment. He married the deceased he said; on Marcn 21 of this year, and she died nine days afterward. During her illness he and the bridesmaid waited on the sick woman. He never saw the brides maid before the day of the marriage. and she was not relative of his. Although appointed special administrator, he had turned over the estate to the Public Ad- ministrator. He denied that the deceased had made him a present of $2000 or any other sum on the day of the wedding She never gave him as much as 1 cent. He found $906 belonging to her in her box in the safe deposit vault.
 The witness denied also that Neilsen had asked him for any money or that he had offered Neilsen any. He had told the witness that he had two lawyers who would sue the estate for wages due him by the deceased for his services Ger vanteS sad 1t was not necessary to get lawyers, because he (Cervantes) would pay him well, the deceased having recom- mended that he should do so.
 With regard to the cherry pectoral, the witness said he swallowed two teaspoon fuls of it --.mself before he administered teaspoonful to the deceased
 After Coroner Hawkins had sent out the jury to deliberate upon the case, De- tecuve Anthony loudly expressed his dis satisfaction with the manner in which the inquest had been conducted. He pointed out to the reporters several witnesses not been given an opportunity of telling what they knew about the case He said he was aisguSted and that he had never in his experience seen an important mat ter rushed through so hastily.
 The verdict of the jury was based on the testimony of Chemist Morgan, to the effect that there was not enough nor phine in the stomach of the deceased to cause death and that there were evil dences of disease of the heart.
 It is likely that the inquest has ended the matter so far as the police are con- cerned.