The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-03-09
FIND TRACE
 OF POISONING Millionaire Meets Most Mysterious Death.
CORONER HOLDS AUTOPSY
Undoubted Proof of Unnatural Death
 Found by Physician.
No Clue. Hovvever. Has Been Discov- cred in Reference to Cause of Foul Play Toward the
 Former Texan.

New York, March s.---An autopsy held today by coroner's Physician o'Hanion disclosed. 1t was subsequent ly stated. that Leonidas Preston. q millionaire who died suddenly yester- day at the hotel Cumberland had enough hydrocyanic poison in his stomach to kill six men.
 Coroner Hamburger immediately re- ported the case to the police and de- tectiyes were set to work upon several mysterious circumstances connected with the case. MT. Preston was New York manager for the Timlkfn Roller Bearing Axle Company. Mir. Preston died while telephoning to some busi- ness acquaintances, The hotel physi- elan who was called in when Mir. Pres ton succpmbed gave the opinion that death had been caused by a cerebral hemorrhage.
 i. Mir. Preston's wife told the company that Mir. Preston returned from bus mess trip to New Orleans two weeks ago suffering from a severel attack of grippe, complicated with bronchial troubles. Against the advice of his physician, Dr. Millett. he insisted up- on transacting business.
 Because neither pr. MIIlett nor Dr. English could definitely give the cause OI QGdtnp SOfOA6A 1Attt gAh ts&t aCt0A . mined to hold an autopsy. Dr. O'Han- lon observed as soon as he reached the stomach unnistakable traces of a powerful poison.
 It appears that when MT. Preston died William R. Timkin, the head of the concern Of which Preston was New York manager. Leonard Gray and Ed ward I. Hewitt were in the hotel of flee. They had sent up word that they wished to see him.
 Found Preston Dead.
 Preston answered in person over the telephone. telling them to come right up." When two minutes later they reached his suite, Preston was dead.
 Representatives of a law firm were summoned to the hotel late in the even ing and taken to MT. Preston's room. They remained there until early today, going over mass of books and papere
 Mfr Preston came to New York from Dallas, Tex, some years ago. He was said 10 be zhs sole heir to fortune oi S3, GOO 900 In New Orleans, and to have arnassed another fortune of s1.000, 00( in business. He was 46 years of age tall. muscular and very, strong.
 MT. Preston's friends have assured the coroner that his affairs were In good shape and no possible motive for suicide othen than possible temporary insanity brought on by illness.
 
 J. B. Cook. one of Preston's intimate friends, received a telegram today from Mir. Preston's brother in Dallas, ask ing that the body be sent there for burial.
 Mir and Mrs. Preston took quarters at the Cumberland Hotel last Septem- Der. They had no children, but 8 lit- tie boy. Dr. English is house physi- clan of the Cumberland. and said that the millionaire died in terrible convul- sions.
 When I reached the room." said the doctor. MT. Preston was lying across the bed fully dressed, as though he had thrown himself there. The convul- sions gave me the Idea that he had suf- fered a ceI ebral hemorrhage. It was too late for me to do anything.
 His wife was hysterical for time When she was able to speak, she said that the only medicine he had taken was a cough mixture"