The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-07-10
REST AUTOPSY OF LITTLE USE
TyDERT AKER'S PREPARATION OF
HODy FOILS EXAMINERS.
Removal Of Intestines. Not an Unusual
Procedure, May Have Removed Eyi-
denrr Of Foul PlaS-SOns Insist That
,bc Mining Promoter Died or Violence.

,.,s,,inv a Dir. John d Woods was not
c,nsed by apoplexy, as DR.. Woods stated
IN the death certificate, the autopsy per-
formed ON Bests body, which was exhumed
=, caldwell n. j., on Wednesday, failed
IN furnish any conclusive evidence of the
,baory Of foul play held by Best's sons
here. The reason for this, according to
DIR. Mckenzie and those who assisted him
IN performing the autopsy is that the
stomach, lungs and intestines had been
removed from the body and replaced with
,ovdust. That is an old method of UNDER
,nkers n preparing bod es for shipment to
distant pc nts
According to advices from San Fran
cisco the undertaken who prepared Best y
b,,y for burial, says that he removed
rh,. organs and put in the sawdust ana that
such treatment was necessary and not at
al unusual Alfred and Charles Sumner
Res, sons of the dead man, were so in
formed by the doctors who performed the
autopsy. but the Bests seemed to think
Yesterday that the removal of the missing
organs was very suspicious. The body
had been opened by some one accustomed
To surgical operations
Or William Mckenzie, the county physi-
,ian who had charge of the autopsy, for
warted his report yesterday to San Rafael
He said that on account of the missing
ORGANS there was no way Of telling from
what Best died.
Dr. Mckenzie declared that the organs
which the undertaken says he removed
are the only ones in which traces II an
lrrltant poison would be shown. and al
though City Chemist Baldwin took the
,ther organs, some of which We're found
loocse in the sawdust. il is doubtful II an
ANALYSIS of them would be worth while.
Both Chemist Baldwin and Dr. Mckenzie
said Yesterday that not even preliminary
ANALYSIS had been made of any organ found
in the body and that statement made by
the Bests that they had found traces of an
rrtant poison was entirely untrue.
The discovery Of sawdust in the body, to
which a great deal of significance was at
taChed by the Bests, does not disturb the
Essex county authorities. The organs
removed are those which. according to
undertakers, cause purging after death.
The authorities in Essex county said
Yesterday that there was no law 10 compel
lmdertakers to inform the authorities be-
fore cutting open a body for this purpose.
In this case no suspicion attached to the
death when the body was prepared, and tn e
undertaken might reasonably have felt at
liberty to take such means for preserving
the body, in addition TO embalming it.
Chemist Baldwin, who has the other
organs found in the body, will not make
an analysis OF them, which would take
several weeks, unless ordered to do so by
the California authorities. He said he
would not do so simply to oblige the Bests.
The Essex county authorities said yester-
day that they were through with the case,
as they had done all that they could do
under the circumstances
The Bests received a telegram yesterday
morning from District Attorney Boyd OF
San Rafael telling them that warrant
had been issued for the arrest OF Woods
for grand larceny, and adding that if the
result of the autopsy warranted 1t charge
of murder would be added. This WAS sent
before the report of the autopsy reached
murder charge will be made unless other
evidence turns up there. Alfred Best said
he understood, however, that such evil
dence had been found.
The Bests asked Inspector McClusky
Yesterday to send out an alarm for
from Atlantic City, where he had been stay
ing with woman. Inspector McClusky
said that he had no right to do so, and that
all he could do would he to let the Bests
know Il any of his men heard Of Woods
whereabouts. There was no record Of
Woods at Police Headquarters.
Alfred Best said yesterday: Il am con-
WINGED that my father met some kind Of
foul play, and l expect to hear any minute
hat more serious charges have been made
by the District Attorney at San Rafael.
! think the undertaken violated the law
when hi opened the body, and have asked
Nlr BOYD to look into the matter"
#Mrs Robert Cooper OF 4S8 Gates avenue.
Brooklyn, an aunt Of Woods, said yesterday
that he was former minister and the
anne man who offered to testify in favor
nj doctor here for $1,000, Mrs. Cooper
aid that Woods practised medicine in
Chicago ten years ago, and that he married
a Miss Mann of Buffalo, who afterward
got a divorce when Woods ran away with
another woman This woman Mrs Cooper
says, il now with him.
Woods's home is in Union Hill, n. j.,
where his mother lives None OF his
family has seen him since he eloped, Mrs.
Cooper says, but last month he wrote from
N" West that he intended to come East
on business. Mrs. Cooper has not heard
rom him since So far the only charge
against Woods is grand larceny in con-
ealing personal effects Of the dead man
and the forgery Of a one-thousand-dolla
note, which he said Best had given to him
This is the description of Woods and
the woman with him which the Bests LETT
at Police Headquarters:
DR.. John Donald Woods, 80 years;
feet 81 inches; 14O to 145 pounds; dark
brown hair, streaked with grey and very
curly; blue-gray eyes; smooth face; sallow
complexion; prominent Roman nose; small
spot like mole at corner of each eye; blue
circle mark on both wrists. May wear
blue serge or gray drab suit and gray fe-
dora
Alice Cloy Woods; S feet S inches; very
thin; short, sharp features brown hair;
watery gray-blue eyes; 100 pounds; upper
right side teeth filled with gold; is about
~ or as years old may be accompanied
BY girl named Catheen, about o years
old long brown hair hanging down to
waist vorv tal<at've.
SAN FRANCISCO, July 9,-There seems
To be no doubt that Gov. Pardee will grant
r""Guisition papers for bringing Dr. John ID.
Woods and his reputed sister, Cloy Woods,
Ia San Rafael. The trial, when they are
caught, will be sensational, as District
Attorney Boyd hopes to be able to gather
enough evidence to try the culprits for muir
Cor
III" fact that the stomach and intestines
OF Best were removed by the SIN Francisco
coroner may furnish good clue, but thus
iar the authorities have been blocked IN
'heir search for evidences of poison by the
queer conduct Of Deputy Coroner Ward,
who says he cannot remember whrt he dill
with the v'scera that he removed Ward
says tlat he found the arteries in the tenn
I,IeH So conEested that he could not intro
o'ce the embalmrg fluid in the usual way
ana was therefore forced to remove the
Nsc"ra I'c received $3.50 as his pay end
n'ld $50 10 Woods ar commission fer giving
MN the job
lhITn ID Si.,, bat