Amador ledger., 1904-01-01

A case that has called forth consider
able talk around lone occurred in that
town last Saturday Edward j. Klein,
aged 40 years, wes found early that
morning lying on the sidewalk, outside
Neil Hamm's saloon, dead The dog
which always attended Klein, sat
beside the body of his master, 'faith-
fuliunto DEATH" had kept watch dur
ing the hours that the vital spark was
slowly being extinguished. When any
one approached, or tried to force the
animal away, the dog would nestle close
to the inanimate form, even lying on
his master, as if conscious that life de-
pended upon keeping the body of the
victim warm.
1t seems that Klein, who was heavy
drinker, had been making merry with
his boon companions on Christmas day.
He had partaken too freely of liquor,
and toward midnight was in Hamm's S
saloon, in a helpless state of intoxica-
tion. About half-past II o'clock,
Tonzi, the barkeeper, intimated that
he was going to close up for the night.
The night was bitterly cold and frosty,
and to man full of whiskey, exposure
to such cold would be likely to be at
tended with serious CONSEQUENCES.
Klein, with two others, named w. S.
Andross and j. Fraser, occupied a
cabin in town. Fraser happened TO be
in Hamm's S saloon at the time of clos
ing, and assisted Tonzi in carrying
Klein outside and laying him on the
sidewalk. Fraser also had been drink
ing, but was able to take care of him
self 1t is said that he promised Toni
that he would attend to his companion,
and if he could not get him home him
self he would call assistance With
this assurance the saloon man left and
went home. If such promise was made,
nothing came of it, and through the
balance of the night the man lay ex-
posed to the weather, and his life went
out. Between and Saturday morn
ing, Samuel Lewis, employed at Nc
Calls lumber yard, passed that way on
going to his work, and noticing Klein
lying there, stopped to look into the
matter sufficiently to find that he was
dead.
Coroner Geo. M. Huberty was noti-
fed, and went down and held an in
quest the same day. Three witnesses
were examined, S. Lewis, j. Tonzi, and
B. Dufrene. No medical man was call
ed to pass an opinion as to the cause of
death. The jury, in the absence of
any testimony toindicate any particular
cause, found a verdict that deceased
came to his death from heart failure.
In the afternoon of the same day the
citizens took action in the matter,
moved thereto by the unsatisfactory
investigation. They concluded to have
the affair solved by expert testimony.
The district attorney, G. P. Vicini was
appealed to, and at his request DR.. E.
E. Endicott went to lone Sunday, and
assisted by DR.. A. L. Adams, conducted
an autopsy Sunday afternoon. The
result was that the heart was found to
be in healthy condition. No disease
of that organ had caused death. There
was no evidence of violence orr foul play
to account for death. The autopsy re-
vealed such state of the vital organs
that the physicians declared that acute
alcoholism, and exposure to cold while
the vital forces were reduced by drink,
were the causes of DEATH A coroner's
jury is supposed to be called to deter
mine by semi-judical inquiry, the
true cause of death. If it stops short
of taking the necessary steps-by ex-
pert testimony or autopsy-of finding
out the facts, it might just as well be
dispensed with altogether. 1t is simply
waste of time and money. The peo-
| pie of lone are to be commended for
taking action to redeem the affair from
the unsatisfactory shape in WHICH the
cOrOner's jury left it.