Perth Amboy evening news., 1906-01-09
SAY EDWARDS
is A SUICIDE.
Remarkable Finding in New Ha-
ven Tragedy -COrOner's
Theory Of Death.

anew ia LSANs SOllhs Jdh. sui
eide by means of both bullet and poison
is the explanation given by Coroner Eli
Mix of the mysterious death of Charles
A. Edwards of New York city at the
Abigail Hitler homestead here on Tues.
day night last. This finding is contain.
ed in a preliminary report to State At
torney Williams and is based in part on
the discovery of morphine In the body
of Mr.. Edwards.
The preliminary report is made at
this time to relieve public suspense, and
Coroner Mix adds that Mr.. Edwards
death probably was one of the most re-
markable on record. The theory of sui
eide, however, appears not to have been
held by the coroner until Saturday,
when two headquarters detectives un.
earthed in the shrubbery near the Hill.
Ter house an old fashioned % caliber re-
volver and a half pint bottle containing
a quantity Of laudanum.
The first action taken by Coroner Mix
after reaching a conclusion in the case
was to order the release from surveil-
lance of A. Maxcy Hitler, brother-in-
law Of Mr.. Edwards, who on Thursday
evening last was placed in charge of a
police officer under a recently enacted
law which gives the coroner the right
to hold an important witness in a case
as he sees fit.
The %coroner's brief report does not
dispel the mystery in the death of MI.
Edwards, and until the complete find
ing is ready probably no public solution
be found as to why Mr.. Edwards
at 2 o'clock on Wednesday morning
last, clad in his underclothes, left his
chamber and descended to the base
ment, lighted the gas, unbolted and
opened the real door, then twice dis
charged a revolver at himself, the bull
let going into the ear; then, failing to
kill himself, threw the weapon away,
drank laudanum and tossed the bottle
after the pistol and with blood flowing
dragged himself back to his chamber,
got into bed, drew the bedclothes over
his shoulders and after placing a hand
kerchief under his head to stanch the
flow of blood lapsed into unconscious
ness, death coming six hours later.
Coroner Mix so described the actions
of Mr.. Edwards on the night in uues-
ton.
Maxcy Hitler took his release from
surveillance calmly. but denied himself
to all callers. BY advice of his counsel
he has refused to make any statement
whatever.
Coroner Mix said that one bullet
went wild, being imbedded in the door,
while the other made the wound. In
an ordinary man this bullet would
have brought on Inconsistencies, but
probably with Mr.. Edwards it simply
had a d%eadening effect.
The hand rail Oh the stairs and the
wall show bloody hand marks, as if
Edwards had first put his hand to the
wound. smearing it with blood before
starting upstairs.
He added: 1.-The chamber of the re-
volver found contained two empty
shells and five loaded cartridges. The
blood stains ran from the outside of
the rear dining room door, up the back
stairway and to the landing to the
front hall. The blood stains formed a
trail, but stopped at the landing. He
used two handkerchiefs to stop the
bleeding. In my opinion the man shot
himself first and then took the poison"
Absurd" "Ridiculous and out
rageous"
1t requires a strong emotion to move
Timothy Dwight, the venerable former
president of Yale, to give expression to
such sentiments, but in part those were
his words in regard to the verdict.