Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1907-04-22
HEART DISEASE
CAUSES DEATH
Verdict of Jury at
Inquest Over Late
James C.. Conklin
COMPANIONS FIND HIM DEAD
Bloody Cash Under Chin
Gives Rise to Suspicion
of Foul Play.

Was James G. Conklin killed or did
he die from natural cause? This
was a question which a corOner's jury
was called upon to determine at an
inquest over the remains and after
due deliberation from the evidence adj
duced, verdict was returned to the
effect that death had resulted from
heart failure. Mr. Conklin's lifeless
body was found yesterday afternoon
about o'clock in room in the rear
of Felipe Delgado's store at the north
east corner of San Francisco Street
and Burro Alley.
What gave rise to the suspicion
that the deceased might have met with
foul play was the fact that there was
a cash about an inch long under his
chin that looked as if it had been in.
flicted by some blunt instrument and
around which blood had CONCEALED.
Gerimonio Delgado and Petrolno Pine,
who had been with the deceased dur
ing the afternoon. were held in Gus
tody pending the investigation, as the
jurors believed the circumstances war
ranted their detention.
Dead Man Had Been Drinking.
According to the testimony of Del
gadO and Pine, who were the only wit
nesses examined, Mr. Conklin and
themselves had been together part of
the afternoon They said that they
went into the room and remained
there for about an hour during which
time they drank some wine drawn
from cask standing in one corner.
Delgado and Pine stated that they
went away leaving Mr.. Conklin alone
in the room and when they returned
they found him lying on the floor.
Thinking that he had fallen in
stupor Delgado said he dragged the
body outside into the placita in the
hope that fresh air would revive the
PROSTATE man. 1t was then they real
lied that life was extinct.
Mysterious Cash Under Chin.
How Mr.. Conklin received the cut
under his chin is still mystery. The
supposition is that he was stricken
with heart failure while either stand
ing or in sitting posture and in fall
ing struck himself in such a way that
the wound was inflicted There was
no evidence of a struggle in the room
and The indications are that death
must have been instantaneous. Only
few drops of blood were discernable
on the floor in the room where the
body had lain before being removed
to the placita and the cut itself had
bled but little which strengthens the
theory that death resulted almost in
stantly.
Held Post Mortem Examination.
Doctors David Knapp and ]. M. Diaz
were called to examine the body as it
was at first believed that in addition
to the wound already referred to, the
neck had been broken, but this proved
to be untrue. There was no other cut
or bruise anywhere else on the body
excepting little place on the left
knee where the skin had been scraped,
such as might easily have been caused
by fall. In the opinion of the ply
sicians the cash under the chin was
not sufficient in itself to have proved
fatal. They expressed the belief that
death had been caused by heart dis
ease.
Companions Arrested, But Released.
Justice of the Peace Jose Ma. Gar
cia conducted the inquest in his ca
pacity of coroner, impanneling the jury
upon being notified Of the death. AS
stated, the only witnesses examined
were the two companions who had
been with the deceased shortly before
his death occurred and their testimony
was in brief as already narrated. They
related in detail what had transpired
in the room during their presence
Their stories were rather contradic-
tory at first which warranted the jury
in having them detained while ad
journment was taken until o'clock.
Meantime they were locked up in the
county Jail and kept in separate cells
to prevent them from conversing with
each other When the jury recon
vened In the evening Pine, who had
been apparently badly frightened dur
ing the inquest in the afternoon stated
that he did not know what he was say
ing then and told a straightforward
story which corroborated that Of Del
gado.
Born and Reared in Santa Fe.
James G. Conklin was thirty-three
years old and lifelong resident of
Santa Fe. He was son of Charles
C. Conklin who was until recently
city marshal Of the Capital. Surviving
him Of the immediate family are his