New-York tribune., 1900-03-28
DEATH DUE TO A BLOW.
CORONER'S PHYSICIAN THINKS WILL
IAN HENDERSON DIED FROM
VIOLENT INJURY
FLORIDA DEATH CERTIFICATE GAVE CAUSE
AS HEART FAILURE-NO EXPLANA-
TION FROM MR.. NEvINS


Mysterious and inexplicable circumstances
have been disclosed regarding the death of Will
lam Henderson. of No. 33 Thirteenth-st., well
known resident of Brooklyn, the friend of
Hugh Mclaughlin and other we'll known poll
ticians. whose body was brought to Brooklyn
on March II from Merritt's Island, Fla, where
he had been with Hugh McLaughlin's party
a guest of ex-Fire Chief Thomas F. Nevns,
OF Brooklyn, proprietor of the Rvervew Hotel,
at that place. Mr. Henderson was about sixty
years Of age, had lived In Brooklyn for forty
years, and had made fortune in the mineral
water business. He had spent his winters in
FLORIDA for the last ten years the Rverview
Hotel Mrs. Henderson has engaged ex-Judge
William d. Veeder to have the circumstances
OF her husbands death thoroughly investigated.
The body brought home by Thomas F.
Nevins, who. however came no further than
the PENNSYLVANIA Railroad Annex Ferry at the
loot OF Fulton-st., saying that he must hurry
pack TO Florida No details of the death of Mr..
Henderson were given by him. and he did not
see any member Of Mr. Henderson's family.
Ihat Mr.. Henderson met his death through some
violent means, whether accidental otherwise,
was only learned by accident. When Mr.. Nevins
turned the body over to the undertaken. Andrew
j. Curran Of No Third-st., he said it was
ready for burial. 1t was decided, however, by
tne Henderson family not to hold the funeral
until three days after the arrival of the body,
and Mr.. Curran considered 1t would be neces-
sary 70 re-embalm the body On opening the
casket ne found beneath wreaths of orange
blossom gaping wound on the head. It seemed
as If the orange blossoms had been arranged
with care for the immediate burial Of the body
The undertaken at once informed Charles John
sen, of No. 154 South Elliott Place, and Under
Sheriff James Dunno. of No 317 Clinton-st.. in
innate friends of the dead man, of his startling
discovery, and pending investigation the
body was placed in a vault in Greenwood Gene
terry.
Mr.. Nevins was asked by telegraph for an ex-
planaton, and he answered that he failed to un-
derstand what explanation wanted. In
reply to urgent dispatch he said that Dr.
James RoaChe of Brooklyn who is Hugh Nc
Laughins son-in-law. would send detailed re-
port in regard to Mr. Henderson's death. Mr.
Nevins added that he did not know of the cut
Mr.. Henderson's body until he returned to
Florida, and that there nothing wrong
abount Mr.. Henderson's death.
INJURY VIOLENTLY INFLICTED
Sheriff Dunno called Coroner Burgers atten-
tion to the case. and he had Coroners' Physician
Hartung make autopsy Saturday after
last The doctor found that the cause of
death hemorrhage of the brain, the imme-
diate cause of the erusion OF blood being an In
jury to the head violently inflicted. DR.. Har-
tung is of the opinion that Mr.. Henderson may
either have been hit the head with
weapon. have fallen and struck his head
against stationary object The object
which caused the injury must have been very
blunt, account of the heavy congestion of
blood around the cut. and If 1t made by q
fall 1t could only have been made by a forward
fall
Mr.. Henderson is said by his friends to have
been vigorous man, with a strong constitution
and the autopsy disposes of the statement of
the Florida death certificate that he died from
heart disease He fond Of poker among
friends, not of a quarrelsome disposition.
and only a moderate drinker. In the party
at the Florida hotel were Hugh Mclaughlin and
Mrs. Mclaughlin, Mr.. and Mrs. Thomas F.
Nevins, Frank Nevins Thomas Kerrigan and
his daughter Sara Kerrigan and jeremiah
Quaid. The party left Brooklyn Saturday
January 90, and week or so later were Joined
by DIR. James Roache and Mrs. Roache and
Assistant District Attorney W. c. Courtney and
Mrs. Courtney.
When Mr. Henderson died on March Is, it
given from the Riverview Hotel that he
found dead in the corridor his room
early in the morning, that it supposed he
was taken i'll during the night from heart
trouble and in making an effort to summon
help expired. This is at variance with Mr.
Nevins's reported statement that the body was
found on the stoop the steps of the hotel
piazza.
Under Sheriff James Dunno said yesterday that
Mr. Nevins arrived in Jersey City on Saturday,
March II, with Mr.. Hendersons body and turned
over 10 the health authorities there the permit by
which he had brought it from Florida. This
tilted that the cause of death heart disease
and from the original certificate A. ]. Rooney