The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1903-07-14
POISON IN DNSTS BODY
The Autopsy Reveals Evidence OF
Foul Play.
sroMAcH FILLED WITH sAwDusT

All Precautions Had Been Taken to
Hide Cause Of Death-Diseover'es
Made win Reopen the Sensational
Case.
Newark. y. j.. Jaly 10 The author
flies have found evidences - q power
full irritant poison I'm the body oil the
late Colonel william J. Best. which
was cNhumcd in the cemetery in Caid-
we'll ~ D.. and examined by County
Physician William j. Mckenzie. OF
ESSEX county. y. j. DR. Herbert Il.
Baldwin. chemist oi the Ncwar. board
of bcalth. made a preliminary chcmi'
cal test OF the one piece OF intestine
that was found still adhcrins to the
body of Colonel Best. and h' an
nomcel the discovery of the evidences
oil poison in the body to Charles sum
ncr Best son oil the dead man.
Colonel Best died AZ the home Of
Or" John y. Woods at san Rafael.
Cal. last April.
Whom tho autopsy was made IN ac-
corlancc with the desire of the cali
fornia authorities and the relatives. ii
was ascortanod that tie body lad
been opened once before. in all lihrii-
hood before 10 was sent cast. and That
the stomach, The digestive ana other
ORGANS. together with the lungs, hat
been removed. Sawdust had been in
serted where they had been. aud while
some of the other organs were in
place there was every evidence they
had been disturbed.
Then. when 10 came 10 a search for
evidence OF the Insertion of a hypoder-
mic needle before death. the physi.
rians were unable 10 discover any
puncurc of the skin. even such a. Is
made usually in The process of cm-
balm'ne. That the body had been
emhalmcd there was no doubt How
q was done was a question which puz-
zlcd the physicians until they made a
careful internal examination. They
found then that the ombalming fluid
had been injected from the inside.
through a large vein which. il was
s. %. bad first been broken and then
tied
All the physicians agreed that every
nrccaution had been taken to prevent
any light being thrown on the cause
Of the col0nols death and that no one
could say whether it was the result
OF irriant pois . or otherwise.
But ID this was the result of design
the person responsible overlooked one
important natter he failed TO do
what he should have done had he de.
sired to have the cause OF death, as
set down I'm the certificate which was
sent here from the west. go unoonlra-
-dicted In this Il was stated that
Colonel Best had succumbed 20 cero-
lral apopezv We're this the fact the
bsain would disclose f. and the skull
had bot been opened.
Nothing has been learned yet Of the
whereabouts of Or. John ID. Woods. in
whose home. I'm San Rafael, Colonel
Best died. and who. with the woman
who posed there as his sister. but who
rs said "a Dee his wife. disappeared
from Atlantic CITY, ~ j.. the night be-
fore Dc was 20 ton all hc knew about
tho colonols Illness and death ~ the
SONS of The dead man.
From San Rafael comes the news
that Dr. Woods and his wife are 10 be
arrested and that warrants were is
sued for thom. charging them with
murder. District Attorney BOYD. Of
san Rafael said that he had in his
poss ion evidence which would show
that Colonel Bcsts death was the re-
suit of foul play.