The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-30
Autopsy Shows That Wounds Were Made With a Knife
 Instead of Revolver
PHYSICIANS SAY SUICIDE
 THEORY IS PLAUSIBLE
Was Very Despondent and Weak Minded, and Relatives Believe She Went to the Lake, Stabbed Her
 self and Leaped In Water.

-~-'N~f self and Leaped In Water.
 The body of the woman found Sunday morning in East Lake has at last been positively identified as that of Miss Nellie shaffeld. about s5 years old. who livsd with her two sisters and hrother=in-law at 252l Fifth avenue.
 The identification was made yesterday morning about Il o'clock when her broth- er-in-law. A. l.. Jackson and Coroner ! Paris carried some of the clothing of the woman to the residence and 1t was iden- 1 tihed by the two sisters. Mrs. Jackson and Miss Carrie Skafdeld.
 Soon after the discovery of the identity | Coroner Paris carried Mir Jackson and M. A. Bunstead, an old friend of the fam fly before the coroners jury and after listening to their statement verdict of suicide was rendered This knocked In tho | head all theories to murder, and pract- ] cally prevented any possible arrest in connection with the supposed murder
 Wounds Made By Knife.
 The verdict of the coroners jury Is also based on the post-mortem examination or | the wounds by Dr. T. A. Jones. of East Lake, who declared that the wounds were not from pistol bullets, but from sharp l instrument. supposed to be a knife. The physician also stated that the wounds were of such a nature that they could have been inflicted by the woman herself. and that she would have lived long enough enough after making them to have t,.>own herself into the lake.
 The verdict of the coroners jury has put a stop to all investigation, and while many still stick to a murder theory the case probably will never be investigated further.
 Following is the statement made by Dr. Jones few minutes after conclusion ot the teuiopsy: ,a.x
 pr. Jones' Statement.
 q made a thorough examination of the body of the woman and find that there are no bullet wounds. I am absolutely certain that the wounds on her head were | inflicted by some sharp instrument
 There were two wounds. one directly under the chn the other behind her tight ear. The wound under her chin could have been made by sharp instrument i and not have produced death, as 1t IS l only flesh wound, the blade not pene- trating far before striking bone. There is no doubt but that the wound behind the right ear was made with a sharp in- strument This wound shows that the juguar vein was severed. and In all probability 1t caused death. Death would not necessarily have been instantaneous as it would have taken several minutes to bleed to death. There are no other physical marks the body.
 From the wounds it would have been possible for her to have committed sui- eide The woman could have stabbed herself under the chin, which proves to be only flesh wound She could then have stabbed herself behind the right ear and jumped into the water before she died.
 The lacerated flesh behind the left ear and in the eye, were not wounds. but in all probability were made by fish or from contact with a stump or rock in the wa ter
 q find that her body had not been dis turbed in any way. The examination shows that the woman was pure.
 Suicide Theory Argued.
 Several things have come to light which substantiate to some extent the verdict of suicide, although there are many per sons familiar with the facts and even with these new features pointing to sui- eide, who do not believe that 1t was any thing but murder. The facts 'pointins to suicide are briefly follows; -, 1 For some time Miss Shaffield had been Respondent over the condition of her eyes, which were rapidly growing worse and l blindness was fast approaching her
 She was considered rather weak minded and at times very Respondent.
 She had a difficulty with her married sister at the house Friday morning be- | fore she Is supposed to have gone 10 East Lake and was in a very bad humor
 She was woman who had little pleas ure in life and to whom life seemed burden.
 There Is no seeming cause why any one l cbo oh n dgnoSa of hpr and fhe I physicians have pronounced her virgin l and 1t is believed there could not have | been man in the case. 1 According to the physician it was pos | sible for her to have stabbed herself twice and thrown herself into the lake | before death came.
 There is now no clew which would point l to murder.
 She Left Home Friday.
 Contrary to all the statements made about the whereabouts of Miss Shaffield ! on Thursday, she did not leave home un- til Friday morning about 9;30 o'clock. and she could not have been in the lake more than a few minutes when her hat was found on the bank by the little Cage boy. who picked 1t up about Il o'clock, or few minutes afterwards. It is certain that she was at home on Thursday afternoon, as neighbors and the people at the house saw her frequent ", lHere was Hot tune TUT ner 10 nave taken a trip to East Lake and returned before she was missed. It is therefore practically certain that she was not the woman seen by several people on Thurs day afternoon around East Lake with an elderly white man. Miss Shaffield was seen last on Friday morning about 10 o'clock by her unnar- ried sister, Miss Carrie Shaffield, who works at the Alabama Candy company on Morris avenue and Twenty-fourth street. The sisters walked down to the office together and few minutes later Miss Nellie left, telling her sister good bye. It is supposed that she walked direct ly 10 First avenue, caught the East Lake car and in fit of despondency cut her. self twice and jumped into the lake.
 Members of the family in Birmingham did not become alarmed over her pro- longed absence as she was supposed to be