The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-01-18
CLAIM THAT
MRS, SL|NKEY
WAS MURDERED
An Anonymous Letter
Charges Foul Play.
CORONER WILL INVESTIGATE
BODY TO BE EXHUMED AND THE
STOMACH ANALYZED.
It Is Insinuated That the Husband
of the Dead Woman Is ImpIi-
Gated in Her
Death.
CORONER WILL INVESTIGATE
BODY TO BE EXHUMED AND THE
STOMACH ANALYZED.

Acting on an anonymous letter, which
asserts that Mrs. James E. Slinkev. who
was found hanging in a closet at her
nome, ITO Ellis street last Friday. was
the victim of foul play, Coroner Edmund
e. Hill will to-day at noon exhume the
body from Laurel Hill and remove the
stomach in order to ascertain if possible
Whether or not the woman came to her
death from poisoning.
The letter was received by DR. Hill on
Sunday. 1t was postmarked s a. m. of
that day and had been mailed at the main
office. The writing is evidently that of
woman. 1t reads as follows:
DR.. E.. Hill: Mrs Slinkeys death. INQUEST
OF this date, was not suicide, as she was an
i aah for over year and at the time of her
death could not move or lift even a pin. She
could not, under any circumstances, have com
mitted sef-destruction unless she had taken
poison AS she did not do such, then others
fastened her end. This demands an inyestt-
cation for the commonwealth, 1 have also
written the Chief of Police and journals of this
city and will, when occasion offers, present
myself with evidence. Living at his (Mr
slinkeys) house know all kindly investi.
gate. as 1 am the only friend his wife had.
as he is cohabiting with woman who is at
present pres with n him He has declared if his
is not written in malice, but in a spirit of
justice. A FRIEND
After receiving the letter Coroner Hill
consulted with the police, and Detective
Dillon was detailed on the case, but
nothing can be found to throw any light
on the matter. DR.. Hill decided yesterday
that he would have the body exhumed.
He has invited Drs. Hughes, Gallagher
and O'Brfen to be present with himself
and DR.: Zabala, the autopsy surgeon. The
stomach will be removed at the cemetery
and then the body will be reburied
Mr.. Slinkey visited the Coroner last
night, at the request of the latter. and
seemed very much surprised at the init
nation In the letter that he was guilty of
the murder of his wife. He said the letter
must have been written by an enemy.
probably a woman, but was unable to
form an opinion as to the authors iden-
tity. He denied that there was any truth
In the statements made in the letter, but
said to DR.. Hill: IF l am guilty 1 want
to be punished" An effort to see Mr..
Slinkey at his lodging-house last night
proved futile. The Office boy admitted
that Slinkey was in, but this was vigor-
ously denied by John Dern, brother of
the dead woman. Dern stated that he
was of opinion his sisters death was
a plain case of suicide, but that If he
thought there had been foul play he would
guilty party to justice.
1t is very doubtful If the analysis of
the womans stomach will bring any proof
of poisoning to light. DR.. Hill said that
strychnine or any form of opium could
easily be determined. The fact that the
body had been embalmed probably with
arsenic would be sufficient to make use
less any evidence which might be offered
that arsenic was found in the stomach.
When the autopsy was performed the
stomach was accidentally punctured and