New-York tribune., 1900-03-28

clerk Of the Jersey City Department OF Health
and Vital Statistics issued a new transit per-
my giving authority to carry the body to Green
wood Cemetery. Mr.. Nevins then turned the
body over to Andrew j. Curran. the undertaken.
of No I Third-st. Brooklyn. and accompanied
the undertaken with the body across from Jer-
sey City to the end of Fulton-st. on the Penn
sylvania Annex ferryboat At the Annex land
Ing In Brooklyn he announced thai he must re-
turn at once to catch his train for Florida.
Mr.. Nevins did not give any details of the
death of Mr.. Henderson. and when asked about
the death said simply that the chef of his hotel.
the Riverview. had found the body the stoop
or steps of the front piazza Of the hotel at
about o'clock on the morning of March 15 DR..
Roache was called and after an examination
announced that Mr. Henderson had been dead
for more than hour. Mr.. Nevins said the
body in sitting posture the steps of
the hotel piazza when the chef found It.
No further explanation made by Mr.
Nevins, and he did not say how death certifi-
cate came to be issued giving the cause Of death
as heart disease He was in too big hurry to
get back to Florida, and could not find time to
go and tell the family of the dead man anything
about Mr.. Henderson's death. The undertaken
took the body to his undertaking establishment
and later removed it to Mr. Henderson's home
No. BOB Thirteenth-st.. Brooklyn The coffin
was not opened nor in any way disturbed from
the time Of it's arrival in Jersey City until some
time after reaching the Henderson home.
The undertaken informed that the funeral
would not take place for two three days.
Thinking 1t might be necessary to re-embalm
the body. which had been simply prepared for
immediate burial he arranged his embalm1ng
table in the Henderson home and opened the
coffin preparatory to removing the body. In
the coffin found beautiful wreaths of or
ange blossoms, and around the body were loose
blossoms. The wthering flowers were removed
and. with the help of his assistants. the under
taker lifted the body and placed 1T on the table
THE UNDERTAKERs DISCOVERY.
When the body had been taken from the cof-
fin Mr.. Curran, In closing down the lid, hap
pened to see piece of gauze lying on the pillow
in the coffin where the head had rested. Some
thing peculiar about the gauze led him to pick
it up and look at 1t closely. 1t was stained
with blood. Surprised at the discovery of blood
In the coffin of who had died from heart
disease, the undertaken went to the body and
raised the heaG slightly. On the left side, just
back Of the eCr he found a small bruse filled
with pus. Raising the head higher and turning
it to side, he a cash three and half
inches long, running across the back of the head.
Apparently the wound had been carefully and
thoroughly washed.
In a space over inch square above the in
cison the hair had been torn out by the roots
If heavy weapon like an iron bar had
struck the head a downward blow. tearing out
the hair until the weapon caught the flesh and
tore open the wound There was a small in
cised wound half an inch long In the centre of
the space where the hair torn out. 1t lay
wide open. and the only dressing applied to the
WI he here "
discoloration the left temple and cheek,
which the undertaken had not noticed till he
discovered the wound. Moreover the skin was
knocked from the knuckles of the right hand,
If the dead man had struck blow against
some hard substance.
On examining the wound Mr.. Curran found it
was half an inch deep and it lay in such deep
depression that he was convinced the skull was
fractured He hastened to Charles Johnson,
of No. 154 South Elliott Place, of Mr.. Hen
derson's most intimate friends and told him OF
his discovery Mr. Johnson conferred with Under
Sheriff Dunno, also an intimate friend Of the
Henderson family. and. concluding that
thing wrong, they decided that explana-
ton must be made by Mr. Nevins. Without
alarming Mrs. Henderson they advised that the
body be put in a vault This was arranged, and
Tuesday the funeral was held at Greenwood
Cemetery, the numerous friends who attended II
understanding tnat MT. henderson naQ OleQ from
heart disease.
The funeral over. Under Sheriff Dunno and
Mr.. Johnson, in effort TO solve the mystery
sent this dispatch to Mr.. Nevins at Merritt's
Island. Florida, signing the message jointly.
Hendersons body put IN vault, pending full
planation from you.
This was the answer received:
I do not understand what kind OF explanation
you gentlemen want. THOMAS F. NEVINS.
Under Sheriff Dunno then sent this dispatch:
Thomas F. Nevins
We wanted information to how Henderson
received n laceration of the scalp three and half
inches long and indenation Of the skull half inch
In depth, which doctor thinks caused his death.
JAMES DUNNE.
To this Mr.. Nevins sent the following reply:
Js mes Dune Sheriff's Office. Brooklyn:
DR. Roache, OF Brooklyn, will send you detailed
report concerning Henderson. l did know OF
the cut his head until l returned to Florida
There is nothing wrong about Henderson's death.
THOMAS T. NEVINS.
SHERIFF DUNNE GOES TO CORONER
AS Mr. Nevns declared that he did not know
Continued On second page.