The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-01-12
REMAINS A MYSTERY
CORONER NELSON ISN'T DISPOSED
49, TO INQUIRE INTO THE
DEATH OF WEIS
PUTS IT UP TO THE POLICE
Says They Haven't Furnished Him
With Anything on which to Make
an LnGuiry-Orders the Release
of the Keefe Woman and Thus
Closes the Incident "A Case
That Causes Talk.

The public will never know how
John \. Weis, who died at the city
hospital Sunday from opium poisoning.
Ecame to his death, for the authorities
have dropped the case, apparently ae-
cepting the easiest solution of the
mystery by deciding that Weis killed
himself. They had no evidence to sub
stantiate their position. On the con-
trary. there is evidence Of a suspicious
nature to show that Weis died an acct
dental death. This evidence was so
strong at first that Flossie Keefe, an
inmate of Nettie Wizards bagnio, on
Third street. with whom Weis spent
the night before his death, was arrest
ed, pending an investigation. The fact
q that the woman had a large quantity
of morphine in her possession several
hours before Weis visited her, has
been positively established, in fact
she admits it. After her arrest the
bottle that had contained the poison
was found in her room. empty. The
girl told several different stories about
what was done with the poison. There
was enough OF the drug to kill half a
hundred people. Weis told several of
his friends before he died that he had
been "doped." He was a cheerful
young fellow, with no troubles that
would induce him to suicide. His
friends are firm in the belief that he
did not desigEedly take his own life.
Notwithstanding the element OF
mystery in the case and the entire
lack of evidence to substantiate the
suicide theory, tho authorities are con-
tent to drop the case. Coroner Nelson
does not even believe an inquest nee
essary and last evening he ordered
the discharge of the keefe woman
T. ~ LII
furnished him no evidence which
would warrant holding the woman
longer. Without evidence of some
kind as to how Wells may have re-
ceiyed the poison, Coroner Nelson says
it is useless to hold an inquest.
The course of the authorities is re-
garded as a simple way Of closing the
incident Of young Weis' mysterious
death. but it is claimed in many quar-
tiers that a general apathy among the
authorities has marked the case. 1t
has never been claimed that any one
killed Weis, or thai the poison was
given him by any one with criminal
intentions, but it is believed among the
young mans friends that in view of
the facts that have developed, that he
might reasonably have taken the drug
by mistake, or might have been given
an overdose by someone, whose inten-
The evidence all tends to support some
such explanation. 1t is possible, 1t is
admitted. that Weis. took the poison
himself. But the question is asked
where did he get it, and by whom was
It prepared. Immediately it is also
asked what became Of the eighth Of
an ounce of morphine that the Keefe
woman had in her room. The woman
says it got wet and was thrown away.
But the label had been scratched off
the bottle to hide what it had con-
tanned. But there has been nothing to
indicate foul play. Coroner Nelson, it
is charged. doesn't want to stir the
matter up.
Chief Goss said yesterday that the
police had done everything possible to
clear the mystery of Weis' death, and
had placed the evidence gathered in
the hands Of Coroner Nelson. 1t is
for the coroner to order an inquest or
not, Chief Goss says, and not for the
police department.
BY order of City Physician Weirick
the. Keefe woman was yesterday sent
to the city hospital She is in poor
health. and her arrest and imprison-
-lnent have told severely upon her.
Last evening. acting upon the order OF
Coroner Nelson, Capt Rouleau, of the
central station, notified the hospital
authorities that the Keefe woman was
no longer a prisoner.