New-York tribune., 1903-07-09
SAWDUST IN BEST'S BODY.
ORGANS WE'RE REMOVED.
DR.. and Mrs. Woods Charged zgith
Grand Larceny at San Rafael.

To the complete "stonishment of every one
connected with the case the autopsy on the
body of Colonel william Best, held at Caldwell
yesterday, TO ascertain whether poison had
= caused death, showed that the body had been
opened previously and the abdominal organs re-
moved. the cavity being filled with sawdust.
Coincident with this discovery came the an
nouncement from District Attorney Boyd, of
San Rafael Cal. where Colonel Best died. that
he had evidence pointing to foul play. War
rants nave peen issued charging grand larceny
against DR." John D. Wo IDS and Alice Woods,
at whose house Colonel Best d'ed
When William II. Mckenzie, the county physi-
clan, who performed the autopsy at Caldwell,
n. J., yesterday assisted by DR.. P. S. Pelouze
and Herbert Baldwin, the chemist Of the New
ark Board OF Health. laid the body the oper-
ating table, of neat stitches seen,
tending down the middle of the abdomen. To
the physicians and even to Alfred and Sumner
Best, the coloneTs sons this absolute
surprise, for in the letters received from Cali
fornia at the time of Colonel Best's death moth
ing Of this nature had ever been mentioned.
AS DR.. Mckenzie made the incisions he said that
it was OF use, that the organs he should need
would be missing. and so it proved.
AS to who had done this there is no inforrna-
tion. although one of the physicians said that
undertaken would have no reason to make an
IL.
had been done neatly, but, although the vital
organs had been removed, the intestines were
in place The embalning Of the body had been
done from the inside Of the incision instead OF
from the outside of the body, as is usual, show
ing, in the opinion of physicians. that the body
had been sent to the undertaken in that condi-
tion.
The mass of sawdust which filled the cavity
was carefully sifted. revealing some Of the
viscera. which, with parts Of the intestines and
the sawdust itself, will be analyzed by Mr..
Baldwin.
The result of this analysis will be sent to the
California authorities at the earliest possible
date. This autopsy, in fact, held at their
request, and was part of their case.
Colonel Best died at the home of ''Dr." Woods,
in San Rafael, on April 6. DIR. w. F. Jones, who
had attended him from April l, when he was
taken ILL., until April 1, but had administered no
treatment, acting only in consultation with Or"
Woods, issued a burial permit, giving the cause
of death as cerebral hemorrhage. The body
was taken to the morgue, but, according to ad-
vices, no autopsy was performed there. After
being held a few days, the body was shipped
East for burial When it reached Caldwell 1t
was in a metallic coffin, with glass top. F. R.
Cook a Caldwell undertaken, closed the coffin.
but did not disturb the body, which he under
stood mad been embalmed.
There are two methods Of embalming in vogue
nowadays. in both of which the embalnling huld
is injected into the body through a kind or
syringe from the outside. There would be no
necessity for incisng the body or removing the
organs.
Colonel Best's sons believe that death was
caused by the unnecessary administration of
morphine They asked that certain suspected
persons be arrested. District Attorney Thomas
P Boyd, of San Rafael. Cal. had delayed issu-
ing warrants awaiting the result of the au-
topsy
Charles S. Best, told Prosecutor Riker yester-
day that he had information to warrant the
belief that his father had been murdered, and
that the motive robbery Mr. Best said
there was more than one suspicious circumstance
connected with the case. He declared that when
his father first visited the home of Dr. Woods,
the doctor and the woman called his sister told
people that Colonel Best millionaire from
the East and had been a Supreme Court Judge
TBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE.l
San Francisco. July S.-The news that organs
had been removed from the body of Colonel
William Best caused much interest here. No
autopsy was performed here, so there was no
official reason for this. The undertaken who
had the body here put under examination
at once by the District Attorney, but his an
swers about this phase Of the case are not at
all satisfactory to the authorities, VINO are now
straini5lg every nerve to get at the bottom or
the affair.
San Rafael, Cal. July S.--Warrants were is
sued to-day for the arrest of John D. Woods
and Alice c. Woods on a charge of grand lar
ceny a detective swore TO the complaint. Dis
trict Attorney Boyd stated that he would await
developments in the autopsy about to be held
on the body of Colonel William j. Best. in New
Jersey before proceeding further. He further
said that he is in possession of evidence pointing
10 foul play MI. Boyd and a detective VIII
etart to-night for Sacramento to procure extra
ditjon papers from Governor Pardee The de-
tective will go East tomorrow morning. Inc
Woods have left Atlannc GIy' p"' nave Oeeii
located at Phillipsburg y. j.