The daily sentinel., 1906-11-30
STRANGE DEATH
of Joseph n. Hing, a Well
Known Young Man of the
City, Found Dead Under
Peculiar Circumstances.

inent family in Iowa.
The mystery is connected with the
cause of the death and in spite of the
made the coroner's jury was forced |
to return n verdict of cause un-
known"
The young man was boarding and
rooming at the home of Mr.. and Mrs. |
Edwin X. Price at S25 Rood avenue.
Yesterday morning at about five o.
clock Mr.. King went to his room after
having been out nearly all night, hay
ing parted with some friends up town
and started for home only few min
utes before that hour.
Yesterday morning Mr.. Price arose |
and after starting the fire in the gas
range in the kitchen went out to give
attention to his horse. Returning to
the kitchen presently he went to the |
basin to wash his hands and turning
on the hot water noticed that the
pipe was filled with steam showing
that the water tank in the bathroom
must have been extremely hot He
remarked to himself King had taken
bath and must have left the gas
heater in the bathroom burning. He
entered Mr.. Kings bedroom and to his |
horror and surprise found the
young man laying dead upon his bed,
His body was not cold, he had eyi-
IDENTIFY been dead but a short time.
In the bathroom there was burn
ing the gas heater which the young
man had evidently lighted soon after
entering the house. This heater isl
the only means the family has of
heating the bathroom. In the bed
room. directly over the bed and up
on which the dead man lay. gas Jet
was flaring. The bathroom door is
near the head of the bed. There Is
no doubt but what on returning to
his room at about five O'Clock in the
morning King decided to take bath
before retiring. Lighting the gas
heater and the gas jet King then
stripped himself of all his clothes
Then thinking that he would lay
down and read a while until the
water in the bathroom was heated,
he pulled back the cover of the
bed and stretched himself at full
length, being entirely nude. He pull
ed the coverslip over him and his chin
and to all appearances began to read
magazine. When Mr., Price found
him he seemed more like a sleeping
N
zine had fallen from his hand and lay
on the pillow near his face. His fea-
lures wore a calm look. He had
evidently died without struggle.
The bedroom is small and has only
one window, The bathroom has no
window at all and neither room
was ventilated to any extent what
ever
After discovering the body Mr..
Price notified the coroner. DR.. Han
son went over and viewed the remains
and turned them over to Undertaken
E. A. Krohn, who removed them to
his morgue.
Many theories were advanced yes
terday regarding the probable cause
of the death, the opinion prevailed
been suffoeated by gas but it was
argued that with a gas jet burning in
the room and leakage gas from the
heater would have been consumed.
There was absolutely no indication
whatever that the young man had
taken his own life.
Yesterday afternoon an autopsy
was held by DR.. Ursa S. Abbott. DR.. |
II. r. Bull and DIR. Knude Hanson.
The contents of the stomach were ex-
amlned. Some easily digestible food
was found therein. The heart was
considerably enlarged. probably from
smoking. the lungs were in excellent
condition. No marks were found on
the body.
This morning in an interview with
the Sentinel DR.. Abbott stated that
it was possible that the young man
had died from inhaling poisoned |
carbon di-oxide gas: 1t is a well |
known fact that in n close room.
where there is little or no ventilation
and in which gas lights are burning
that the gas is liable in a certain
length of time to consume all the oxy-
gen in the air and leaves this poison
ed oxide air. The circumstances in
the bedroom of King could easily
have brought about such condition
and this theory seems very plausible.
DR.. Abbott states positively that the
youth was not suffocated by crude gas
When Mr.. Price entered the room
this morning he noticed at once n
strong odor that he thought was gas
but which was beyond a doubt this
bad air. Had the room been well
ventilated this bad air could not have
accumulated Others noticed its pres
ence.
1t was about $40 when Mr.. Price
discovered the body. Dr.. Hanson
viewed the remains half hour later.
He stated af the inuueSt today thot