The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1907-02-09
SISTER, BROTHER-IN-LAW AND COMPANION
OF DEAD GIRL ARE ARRESTED AND HELD
Deadly Drugs Found in House and
Other Suspicious Circumstances
Cause Coroner's Jury to Investigate.

Was E1ie Gay Hall, seventeen
years old. murdered at her brother
in-law's home where she lived, did
she commit suicide or did she die
from the result of illness and en-
posure?
These are the questions that were
being investigated by a jury em-
pannelled by Coroner w. P. Camp
Saturday morning to inquire into the
death Of the Hall girl which occur
red Friday afternoon shortly after 2
O'clock at the home of her brother
in-Eaw, William M. Lawrence in
Point Comfort in peculiar circum-
stances. Late in the afternoon the
evidence adduced by the coroner's
jury gave indications that the girl
committed suicide.
Coroner Called.
1t was about 4 o'clock Friday at-
ternoon, or about two hours after
the girls death that Coroner Camp
was notified OF the case. He immed-
lately went to the Lawrence home
and began an investigation. He con-
cluded the circumstances were such
that an inquest should be held and
pending such he caused the arrest of
William NJ. Lawrence, vernie Law
renee, his wife, and Josephine stans-
berry, who boarded at the Lawrence
home. The body was taken to the
nndertaker's morgue on his orders.
The coroner found bottle of NOR
phine sulphate in the house. small
bottle Of bichloride of mercury anti
ceptic tablets and a small box of
white pills.
Girl Was Taken Ill.
1t appears that the girl was TAX
EN- I'll about two weeks ago and a
doctor, who was summoned, said
that she had symptoms of typhoid
fever. He gave instructions that she
should not be allowed to go out of
the house. She continued Ill, but
Thursday evening she put on her
clothing and went to the city, stayed
a couple of hours and returned. That
night she was taken i'll in bed. She
began groaning and though she said,
according to the witness. that moth
ing was the matter with her, she
sank lower and lower until the next
afternoon when she died. The fact
that one of the occupants OF the
house used morphine, the finding of
the bottles Of poison. the suspicious
occupations OF the girls and the fact
that the dead girls life had been in
sured only three weeks before arous-
ed suspicious that she did not die
from illness.
Poverty and Beprayity.
Poverty and depravity marked
conditions at the Lawrence home.
The members OF the family are poor
" clad and their occupations seemed
ito be Of an uncertain nature. Three
of Mrs. Lawrence's sisters and
Josephine stansberry lived at the
home. The sisters of the dead girl are
Eliza Hall, aged %, and Maud Hall.
aged 20. The stansberry girl slept
in the same bed with Efie Hall and
sometimes three Of the girls slept
together in the same bed. ThsI
stansberry girl slept with Efie Han
the night before she died.
Jury Convenes.
At 10 o'clock Saturday morning
the coroner's jury. which was COM
posed Of Oliver Boughner, VIII H.
Cole, Edward j. Doyle, John NJ.
Knox. r. 3, Kidd and W. C. Nc
Keehan convened at the undertake
ing establishment and viewed the
body Of the dead girl. There were
no marks on the body and no out
ward Indications Of poisoning or vio-
lence. From the undertaking es-
tabiishment the jury proceeded to
the eorener's offce in the court
house to finish their work.
William n. Lawrence Yves the frst
witness called. He said that EGe
Hall was II years old on her last
birthday. that she lived with him