The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-10-06
Coroner Paris Gives Full Ac-
 count of Affair SUICIDE IN BROAD DAYLIGHT
Movements of the Deceased Are Traced From Time She Left Home Until Her Hat
 Was Found.

Coroner w. D. Paris feels that he has been unjustIy criticised by the general public about the decision of the jury formed to investigate the cause of the death of Miss shafield, whose body was found in East Lake one week ago last Sunday morning He Is certain that the verdict could have been no otNer than that the deceased came to her dea'h bY her own hand. When seen yesterday Ee offered a full explanation of the testimony at the investigation. The coroner said:
 In view of some criticism that has been made about the finding of the Jury appointed to investigate the cause of the death of Miss Nellie Shaffleld, who was found in East Lake Sunday, Sept. 27 l feel that in justice to myself and to the jury an explanation of the facts in the case should be made.
 "The verdict rendered was that the de ceased came to her death by suicide, anl the proof of that is in my opinion un- mistakable.
 "The evidence before the Jury showed that the deceased came down town on
  rie Shaffield, and the two went to the office of the Alabama Candy company on Morris avenue, where Miss Carrie is employed as a stenographer. At the of flee Miss Nellie was handed money by her sister, with which to buy soms tick ing for pillows and some fish for dinner 1t being Friday and the family being Catholics. She was told to get a yard and a half or two yards of ticking, and instead soon brought back to the office eight yards.
 Scolded for Extravaganza.
 Miss Carrie then seolded her sister for her extravaganza, and Miss Nellie then threw down her packages and said she was going to leave where they would never see her any more. This was after 9 o'clock Friday morning.
 "She was next seen by J. N. Beason, who lived next door to her. at the corner of Twenty-ffth street and Second ave- hue. He knew her well and his attention was specially attracted because he had never seen her out that way alone be- fore. He saw her take the car for East Lake.
 "At East Lake, she was seen by an Italian, who watched her get off the car at Thirteenth street. feel her way across the bridge, her sight being defective, and take a seat on a bench near where the body was afterward found. The Italian thought from the way she walked she was intoxicated, but 1t was due to the cataracts on her eyes. The Italian saw her pour something from a paper on her handkerchief and put it up to her mouth twice. His attention was so much at tracted that he walked up past her, then went back about his business.
 Within thirty minutes. the boy Willie Cagle, found her hat on the bank of the lake Marshal A. M South, who was on the jury testified that 1t was not yet F o'clock on Friday, when the boy brought the hat to him. The marshal thought nothing about this, because things are very often found about the park.
 The Wounds.
 Dr. Jones testified that with proper att tention, neither of the wounds would have proved fatal. The one under the chin was just slight flesh wound The one back of the ear severed some small blood vessel which, without attention. might have caused her to bleed to death, but 1t would have taken some time. The jugular vein was not touched. The wound was entirely too high for that.
 "The woman could easily have inflicted these wounds unobserved without any one seeing her, because the park is prac- tically deserted in the mornings.
 Since the evidence showed that she was not out of the sight of human be- ings for more than thirty minutes that morning, nothing else but a verdict of suicide could consistently be found.
 Her people never thought any more about the incident Friday morning, be- cause the woman was subject to such spells, frequently going away to her oth- CT sisters, at Ensley. and remaining for a week or two.
 'I simply read the law to the jury, and they found a verdict and l do not believe it could have been other than that the deceased came to her death by hef own hands,"
 
 Ala han Rranino Go