Amador ledger., 1906-11-02
DEATH OF A PIONEER.
w. B. Sanders found In a Dying
Condition.

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He had been aillng for long time,
the feebleness and impaired health
incident to old ago. He suffered
from heart trouble, and other com
plications, but up to the time of his
final collapse was able to get around
the house, and attend to himself
His son, Ransom Sanders, slept in
the same house, and looked after his
father. On the fatal day, however,
he did not see him, until he was
summoned in the evening by the news
OF his serious illness, as he left the
house that morning about O'Clock,
to go to his work. About noon he
was seen by Steve Vigne, who drives
the delivery wagon for N. Marelia,
apparently as we'll as usual. In the
evening, the boy went to the house
for the key to the barn, IN which he
kept his horses, and seeing the
kitchen door open, he entered, but
tailed to see Sanders. Looking
around, he noticed him lying on the
lounge in the sitting room, and went
up to him, but found that be was
unconscious. The twitching OF
spasms, showed something serious,
so he called assistance from Mrs
Meehan, who lives across the road.
His son Ransom, was sent for, also
Or. Endicott. He lived but a short
time, and never regained conscious
ness. A peculiar short spasm follow
ed touch of any part of the body
Just prior to dissolution. This.
together with other circumstances,
created suspicion that death was the
result of other than natural causes,
and led coroner Huberty to hold al
inquest. A small bottle, labeled poi
son, was found inside the clock. II
had evidently been there tor long
time, and its appearance did not
indicate that it had been disturbed
recently. This was turned over un-
opened to the coroner.
Ransom Sanders, assisted by Mrs
Meehan, went to work to clean up the
room in which he was found, after
removing the body to another room.
The refuse they put In box in the
yard, without examining closely the
rubbish at the time. Afterwards, In
looking over this refuse, a brown
paper bag was found, upon which
was scrlbbled in lead pencil, these
words:
81 want to see Beny Spagnolia, OF
Ransom. Ny hart, Ny heart
There was no signature, but the
handwriting was readily identified as
that OF the deceased. He had suffer-
ed from heart trouble for some time
and was subject to tainting spells and
'pasmodic twitchlngs such as we're
noticed in bis dying moments, al
though not so pronounced
Coroner Huberty, owing to the
conflicting reports that we're abroad
as to the cause of death, decided to
hold an Investigation. The jury was
called together Tuesday afternoon, in
the supervisors room.
The medical experts gave their
opinion that Death resulted from
strychnine. But no autopsy or
analysis of the stomach was made to
place the matter beyond the range of
doubt. The outcome was that the
jurymen we're divided, some inclin-
ing to the suicide theory, and others
that death was from natural causes.
The jurors we're W. ID. Dufrene. V.
ralenti, G. Boro, q. b. F'iIbert, e.
ii. Forbes, W. 7. Peek, b. q. OMEN,
Theodore Schwartz, j. II. Thrasher,
L. j. Glavinovich. There was an
effort made to have the jury render a
verdict without an autopsy. The
medical attendants testified that in
their opinion death was caused by
strychnine poison. All the symptoms
of such poisoning were present. The
commissions upon the slightest touch,
also following an attempt to get the
patient to take stlmulant. The
wave of the doctors hand before his
face was sufficient by the motion of
the air thereby created to throw him
into spasm. Mrs Meehan, Ransom
Sanders, N. Marelia, Steve Virgne
GoI
amined. 1t was reported that there
was no rigidity of the body following
death, as is the case in strychnine
poisoning. This, however, was dis
sipated, the medical testimony going
to show that this symptom was also
present. No stlychnins could be
found in the house, but-it was testiti-
ed that he had some in his possession
about five years ago. There was no
bottle or package anywhere that
would suggest that it had contained
the deadly drug. The bottle marked
poison found in the clock was empty.
1t had contained laudanum. 1t evil
IDENTIFY cut no figure in the case.
Deceased lived about an hour after
being found by Vigne. He was seen
by Z. H. Childs early in the after
noon, who made q customary call on
his way to the hospital. He seemed
at that time in his usual spirits. He
had never spoken of suicide. After
listening to the testimony the Jurors
we're still far from unanimous. Some