The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-01-04
DARK MYSTERY
TO BE UNRAvELEO
Charles A. Edwards, Wealthy New
Yorker, Murdered In New
Haven.
FOUND DYING IN HIS BED
ASSASSIN LEFT NO CLUE BE-
HIND HIM.

New Haven, Conn, Jan. 3.-Charles
y. Edwards Of New York, formerly
president of the Passaic Chemical COM
pany of New Jersey, and more recently
an officer of the General Chemical COM
pany, with an office in New York City,
was mysteriOusly given a death wound
from a pistol ball while lying in bed
during the night, the guest of his
brOther-in-laW, Charles A. Hitler. SO
mysterious was the case from the out
set that Deputy Coroner Pond opened
an inquest at police headquarters, fol-
lowing a long and searching inquiry
during the day at the Hitler homestead
at III College street, almost directly
opposite East Divinity, dormitOry Of
Yale.
Dying When Found.
Mr.. Edwards was found dying in his
chamber by Charles A. Hitler. He had
retired about II o'clock last night after
attending a birthday party in honor of
his sister, Mrs. Samuel Harris, who il
a cousin of former President Timothy
Dwight Of Yale. Early in the day he
had come over from New York for this
special purpose, and of late he had been
a frequent visitor here, usually as a
guest of either Charles A. or A Maxcy
Hitler, both brothers-in-law He re-
tired apparently in the best of spirits.
His failure to appear at breakfast led
Charles a. Hitler to go upstairs. AC-
cOrding to the latter the chamber door
was not locked and going IN he saw Mr..
Edwards apparently unconscious from
what was at first thought to be a stroke
Of apOplexy.
Bullet Hole Found.
A neighbor, DR.. Metealf, who is
dentist, was called and he gave restora-
tives under the impression that it was
q stroke OF apOpleXy. A little later
Benjamin H. Cheney, NJ. D., reached
the house, but Mr. Edwards was then
breathing his last In the course of his
treatment Of the dying man, DR.. Che
ney found bullet hole in the left side
of the head directly behind the ear.
The hemOTThage from it had not been
prOfuse, but, as it later was deter
mined, the bullet had gone directly into
the brain.
The death of Mr. Edwards was re-
ported by Charles A. Hitler to Deputy
Coroner Pond, who at once went to the
house while a messenger summoned A.
MaXcy Hitler from the superior court,
where ne was trying a case.
Suspicion of Murder.
A. first glance Deputy Pond thought
that death was an act OF suicide but
the absence of the weapon, which hours
Of searching failed to reveal. gave rise
to suspicion of murder. Later the pO-
lice were notified of the death, and a
guard was sent to the house and sew
eTal detectives assigned to the case
The police reached the conclusion that
there had been a murder and the in
VestiSatiOn proceeded on this line. They
found that the house had not been
broken into fOrCtbly, but an unbolted
kitchen door, which the house servants
claimed was securely locked during the
night, gave a possible clue that some
one had passed out Of the house by that
means. There was no sign of weapon
Deputy Coroner Pond informally gave
It as his opinion that it would have
been impossible for Mr.. Edwards to
have shot himself and get rid of the
weapon, and it was equally mystifying
he said. as to the point from which the
bullet was discharged. Determination
of these facts, if il be possible, was left
TO the autopsy which viii be held to-
morrow.
Rigid Questioning.
After examination Of the homestead
the servants in the house and both
Charles and MaXcy Hitler were rigidly
questioned A MESA ge was sent to
Mrs. Edwards in New York, and during
the afternoon she reached this city
Charles A. Hitler lived in the homestead
with two servants. He is unmarried.
He came TO this city from Salina, Kan,
where he was judge, about four years
ago. He is a thirty-second degree Ma
son. A. MaXcy Hitler is a lawyer and
! lives at 433 Temple street. He is very
prominent in affairs
To the deputy coroner Charles A. Hill
/ Ter said that Mr.. Edwards returned
from the home of Mrs. Hargis at about
II O'Clock and, after chatting for a few
minutes, retired. Mr. Hitler says he
was not awakened by any pistol shot
or any disturbance during the night
ar - he first intimatiOn Of the condition
of ais brOther-in-law was when he
found him in the bed. A Maxcy Hitler
said in his interview after referring to
Mr.. Edwards visit here for the Harris
party:
81 was on the best of terms with my
brother-in-law and there has been no
family trouble"
No Motive for Suicide.
''I know nothing about his business af-
Ialrs except that he was large opera
/ tor IN Wall street. I knew Of no motive
for suicide. There were in the old home
on College street last night, my brotheY
charles ana two servants whose last
One of the servants, when questioned
said that before she went to her own
home last 4ight. she extingulghed all the
she SAYS. sho found several lights burn
ing there and rear door unbOlted."
Distinguished Ancestry.
Mr.. Edwards WAS obout 60 years cid
and a descendant # iona than Edwards
one Of the early presidents of Yale and
was related TO many families of distin-
guished ancestry, He was graduated
from Yale iii the academic class of 1856
and was an extremely popular member of
his class, Charles Edwards, as he was
known throughout Yale in those days,
was one of the fathers of baseball at
Yale, and played upon several of the
early university mines.
He married Miss Sarah Catherine Hi
Ter only daughter of Mrs. Abigail Hitler
and sister to Charles aR6 MaXcy Mrs
Hitler died a few weeks ago Her es-
centinEsG gin Page 9.