The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-07-10
RrPvYLC SPECIAL

REPUEIIC SPECIAL
New York July e.-Far more surprising
than all the sensational developments which
have come stree the mysterious death Of
Colonel William ]. Best in San Ratel. Cal.
on April last. was the discovery made
YESTERDAY afternoon. after the body had
been exhumed IN the little cemetery in
Caldwell. y. J., where It was placed in the
middle OF April.
When the autopsy was made, IN accord
snce with the desire OF the California au-
thor!ties and the relatives. 1t was ascer-
tanned that the body had been opened once
before, IN all likelihood before 1t was sent
East, and that the stomach. the digestive
and other organs. together with the lungs
had been removed. Sawdust had been IN
serted where they had been. and. While
some of the other organs were in place.
there was every evidence that they had
been disturbed.
PECULIAR METHOD
OF EMBALMING.
Then. when it came TO search FOR evt-
dence of the insertion OF a hypodeTmic
needle before death. the physicians were I'M
able 10 discover any I'uncture OF the skin'
even such as is made usually in the process
Of embaIming. That the body had been EN-
! balrne,i there was no doubt. How 1t was
done was 4 question which puzzled the ply
sicians until they made a careful internal
examination. They found then that the EN-
balmin, fluid had been injected from the
inside through a large vein. which, it was
seen. had FIRST been broken and then tied
This satisfied the physicians that the en-
bairner must have known that the body
WAS not IN its entirety when he was at
work No one had heard that any autopsy
had been performed IN California; indred.
the request OF the authorities OF that State
that one should be held here proved corclu-
sively this had not been known before.
All the physicians agreed that every pre-
caution had been taken to prevent any
light being thrown on the cause Of the
ColoneTs death. and that no one could say
whether il was the result OF irr.tant posons
or otherwise.
OVERLOOKED VERY
IMPORTANT MATTER
But IL this was the result OF design the
person responsible overlooked one impor-
tant matter. He failed to do what he
should have done had he desired to have
The cause OF death as set down in the GER
tIlcate and sent here from the West, go
uncantradcted. In this It was stated that
Colonel Best had succumbed 10 cerebral
apoplexy. Were this the fact the brain
would disclose it, and the skull had not
been opened.
That this declaration IN the certificate IS
absolutely unfounded and that cerebral ap-
oplexy was not the cause Of death was de-
ternined by the physicians. They found
that the brain was in healthy condition
so healthy, IN fact. that there was not
the slightest indication of apoplexy.
EVIDENCES OF
POWERFUL POISON.
Evidences OF powerful irttant poison
were found in the body. Doctor Herbert B.
baldwin. chemist of the Newark Board OF
Health, made a preliminary chemical test
of the / per cent OF intestinal which was
found adhering to the body Of Colonel
Best, and this morning announced the dis.
covery OF the existence of poison in the
pbody TO Charles Sumner Best, a son of the
dead man.
Doctor Baldwin said also that in his
opinion the discovery OF the poison was
sufficient grounds on which to base e Grim
inal prosecution.
Alfred N. Best, another son OF the dead
man. last night telegraphed the result OF
the autopsy to Prosecuting Attorney Thos
P. Boyd OF San Rafael, Marine County