Evening star., 1902-05-07
REMAINS A MYSTERY
CAUSE OF WILLIAM SMITHS
DEATH UNDEvELoPED.
County officials Disbelieve Murder
Theory Advanced by the Dead
Mans Relatives.

Opinion Is divided concerning the manner
| in which William Smith recently came to
his death in Prince William county, Va,
which was referred to in Mondays Star.
Some insist upon the theory that the man
was murdered, but majority of them,
perhaps, believe that death resulted from
natural causes.
The furor caused by the finding of the
body last Saturday and the verdict of muir
der rendered by the coroner's jury the next
day has subsidized. Yesterday when Private
Detective James A. McDevitt of this city
met States Attorney Thornton and Sheriff
Leachman at Occoquan station, near the
late home of Mr.. Smith, they found no evil
dence of excitement nor was the question
of lynching suggested by anybody. States
Attorney Thornton and Sheriff Leachman
returned to Manassas, the county seat
after they had made an investigation Of
the case, fully satisfied that no crime had
been committed They believed Mr.. Smith
merely suffered attack of heart failure
While passing through the woods and fell
dead The sons of the dead man and DR..
Lambert who performed the autopsy in
sisted, however. that murder had been COM
mitted. Detective McDevitt also expressed
the belief that the man had been foulIy
dealt with.
When Detective McDevitt reached Occo-
guam station yesterday and met the Vir-
ginia officials they heard the statements
OF witnesses and then consulted DR.. Lam
bert.
The doctor was positive in his declara-
ton that Mr.. Smith had been murdered
He was the first person to touch the body,
he said. and he was satisfied that death had
not been caused by 4 sudden attack Of
heart failure.
Dr.. Lambert's Discovery.
1t was stated that Mr.. Smith. who was
s1xty-three years old and weighed more
than 200 pounds, had complained of heart
trouble. but this was denied by members
of his family. DR.. Lambert told of bruise
on the side of the body, a scratch on one
finger and a slight bruise across one of his
wrists. The mans head was horribly de-
composed The hair and beard had dropped
out and 1t was the opinion that such a con-
d1tion should not have existed when the
body had been in the woods only about six
DAYS Detective McDevitt suggested the be-
lief that hot water had been thrown on the
head. A warrant for the arrest of some
colored people had been obtained, but
Sheriff Leachman could find no reason for
serving it.
Sunday morning after breakfast to go to
the home of William Jewell, three miles
distant. A sister of Jewell did Smiths
laundry work Smith left Jewells house
in the afternoon and started toward home
saying he was going to stop at the house
of William Roam. colored, to inquire if the
latter had recovered a COW that had been
stolen from his farm a few days before
According to the statement of Mrs Roam
yesterday, he did not reach her house
Before leaving the Jewell house Mr. Smith
was given a bunch of lilacs, and the alb
sence of the flowers, 1t is argued by those
who believe he was murdered, has an i'm
portant bearing on the case. Search was
made for the flowers near where the body
was found but no trace of them was dis
covered.
Where Body Was Found
The body was found in a clump of young
oak trees not more than 200 feet from the
road. The hat of the dead man was on
the ground near his head, while near one
hand was found a piece Of tobacco. There
was not the slightest evidence of a strug-
gle, nor was there anything to indicate
that the body had been brought there
When Mr.. Edwin Cockerill found the
body, Saturday afternoon, he notified his
brother-in-law, Mr.. S. B. Stonnell 1t was
deemed advisable to leave the body in the
woods until morning, when a satisfactory
the dead man remained on guard in the
woods all night. 1t was reported yester-
day that two colOred men had been seen
on the road near where the body was found
about o'clock Tuesday morning and De-
tective McDevitt suggested that the body
may have been placed in the woods at that
time No motive has been advanced in
support of the murder theory. Certainly
the man was not robbed for his clothing
had not been disturbed and his money was
found where he usually carried it.
Detective McDevitt has not yet aban-
doned the investigation. He will return to
Prince William county in a few days.