The Corvallis times. (Corvallis, Or.) 1888-1909, 1905-02-04
WAS NOT ASSAULTED.
His Death due to Accidental Causes
The Edwin Stone Tragedy.


affair at Newport in which the late
Edwin Stone sustained injuries
that cost him his life. An investi-
CATION into the facts was made
Wednesday with the result that
there is practical certainty that, Mr..
Stone was not assaulted in his
room, and that the place was not
set on fire by design. The investi-
/ CATION was conducted by J. K.
| Weatherford of Albany, and Judge
McFadden of Corvallis. They
went to the scene by special train
Wednesday and after day spent
in investigation of the facts, came
out on special during Wednesday
night. The true story of the events
of the fatal night, as cleaned from
this source, seems to be about like
this:
| Shortly before II o'clock, Mr..
Stoue with Ed Sullivan and others
was at, Gene Williams saloon. A
stranger who had arrived in New
port Friday asked Mr.. Stone for a
Job on the railroad. Mr.. Stone re-
piled that he himself knew nothing
about that department, and that
the applicant should make inquiry
of the superintendent of the road.
Then the stranger asked for money,
and Mr.. Stone proceeded TO reprove
him sharply, to which the former
replied in kind.
| A little while after that, Mr..
Stone and Ed Sullivan left the
saloon to go to Mr.. Stones room.
Sullivan ACCOMPANIED Stone at the
request of Sheriff Ross, who was at
the saloon at the time. The room
was on the second floor of the Abb
hey house annex, and light burn
ed there. "That's my room, there
where the light is" Mr.. Stone ex-
planned, as they approached the
} place.
; When they entered the room, Mr.
5 Stone proceeded to undress, Sulli-
) van remaining meanwhile. When
Stone pulled off his coat, Sullivan
hung it on the post at the head of
the bed. A note book and pencil
fell out, and these Sullivan picked
: up and put under the pillow. The
l vest. Sullivan also took from the
foot of the bed and put under the
pillow with the note book. The
pants, Sullivan laid at the foot OF
the bed in such a manner that a
part of the legs hung over the
: wooden bed end. x
When the undressing process
was all complete, Mr. Stone enter
: ed the bed. He put his arm above
his head, and within a short time
> was apparently asleep.
At the head of the bed and very
close to it was a small wooden
stand, and on the stand was a light
ed lamp. After about ten minutes
Sullivan, supposing Stone asleep,
!, approached the stand to turn out
;, : the light. Then Stone, who was
not asleep, directed him to turn the
:. light down and to close the doo1
as he went out. This Sullivan die
and left the place.
In a room on the floor beneath
Stones room, slept two men from
Heppner. About half past twelve
t one of them heard noise like e
falling body up stairs. He listened
and fancied that he heard moaning
He was half awake and half asleep
and it was considerable time be.
fore he reused into certain realiz
: alton of the moaning overhead
Then he aroused his companion
and they went across the street to {
2 saloon, the proprietor of which
named Delaney. accompanied
them. When they reached Stone $
room, it was full of smoke. They
entered, but were at once driver
out by the density of the smoke.
The alarm Of fire had been given
and others came running to the
scene. Ed Sullivan very shortly
entered the room, found Stone or
the floor, and picking him up, car
ried him to place of safety
Stone was then unconscious.
The lamp that had stood on the
wooden stand at the head of the
Q bed, was found on the floor. I,
had apparently broken in the fall
!. and according to the belief of most
people familiar with the facts, set
fire to the mating, and home made
carpet. The coat that hung on the
post at the head of the bed, was
nearly burned up. The theory is
that the flames licked their way up
t the coat, set fire first to the bed
ding and then attacked the head
and face Of Mr.. Stone as he slept,
and that the pain caused him to
, start violently and fall orr Of had