The herald., 1898-03-21
THE DEATH OF RAMOS
STRANGE CIRCUMSTANCES OF
HIS DEATH
WAS 1T THE WAGES OF SIN?
Either Sudden Stroke of Apoplexy
or Blow From an Indignant
Observer

SAN BERNARDINO, March 20-The
finding OF the dead body of Florence Ramos
Saturday evening about o'clock under Pc
culiar circumstances in the house of the
Garcia family is the latest sensation that
Is puzzling the officers. The deceased is
an old resident of this city, about So years
OF age and quite a we'll known citizen
among the Mexican portion of the inhabi-
tants. He is man of some property, and
recently sold his home place at the corner
of Seventh and l. streets, and has OF late
resided at the corner of Seventh and
streets.
Saturday evening he was seen on the
streets until about Z o'clock or little
later, when he was heard to remark that
he would go home. He was not apparently
under the influence of liquor at the time
and was in apparently good health. On
his way home he called at the residence OF
the Landers and Garcia families on u
street, between Fourth and Fifth, where
he was we'll acquainted. He made short
call and then proceeded on his way home,
as was supposed.
After his departure members of the fam
lily left the house and went down town,
leaving the grandmother Garcia, an old
lady about so years of age. and one or two
of the little children. The old lady, who
is the mother OF Mrs. l.anders. had gone
to bed, being quite feeble, and the children
were in another room. when they thought
they heard n noise in their grandmothers
room and went In there. thinking she
might need something, or that the clothes
had slipped partly from the bed and that
she wanted them replaced. AS the boy
entered the bedroom he stumbled over the
dead body of Florenzio Ramos, which lay
with its feet resting on the bed where the
old lady was lying and his head on the
floor.
The alarm was given and the police re-
moved the body, under directions of the
coroner, to the undertaking rooms of Nc
Donald & Sons, and although close ex-
animation of the body was made, no signs
of wound or any external cause of death
was found. The inquest will be most
searching examination and may reveal the
manner of death of the deceased.
From the appearance of the surroundings
including the clothing of the dead man, 1t
was evident that he was about to commit
an assault upon the old lady and that as
she pushed him away he fell to the floor
with his feet still upon the bed, and strik-
ing his head, either broke his neck or died
instantly of concussion of the brain. The
only other cause is attributable to Il sud-
den stroke of apoplexy or some kindred
disease.
1t is thought that he watched the family
out of the house and entered stealthily and
attempted to commit the crime when over
taken by death in some form. His victim
speaks only Spanish and onthing could be
learned of her, her only reply to questions
being an unintelligible muttering in her ma
tive language that gave no light TO the
awful tragedy. she being greatly frightened
evidently over the affair.
LATER-Coroner Keating conducted an
autopsy of the body of Ramos today and
found that there were no external signs of
violence. There were evidences of conges-
tion of the lung and internal hemorrhage,
but the doctor would not say that he at
tributed death to either of these causes.
In fact, Coroner Keating is so dubious
about the case that he has postponed the
inquest to Tuesday, by which time he ex-
poets to have more reliable evidence There
Is a distinct impression abroad that Ramos
met with foul play, and it is suggested that
he never left the Garcia house at all, but
was poisoned while there. No arrest has
been made at present but the attitude of
the coroner is such that an arrest Is ex-
pected before Tuesdays inquest.