Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-02-21

FOxcroft, Me, Feb. 20.-A finding
that Mrs. Phoebe Maude Woodbury.,
the wife of Herbert Woodbury., came
to her death ION November 4, 1907, by
violence inflicted by some person or
persons to the jury unknown" was re-
turned tonight by the coroner's jury,
which has been investigating the
tragedy discovered on last Thursday,
when the body of Mrs Woodbury., bad
ly decomposed. was found hanging by
a rope attached to door knob in IL
room of the Exchange Hotel The in
quest conducted by the coroner has &C.
cupied two days, during which the evil
dence of those who found the body
was taken, and physicians who con-
Quoted the autopsy gave their testi-
mony.
The result of the autopsy was not
made known until tonight. 1t was con-
Quoted by three physicians, DIR. Will
liam Buck of FoXcroft and DR.. C. P.
Hall and DR.. H. A. Holt, both of Dover.
Each of the physicians gave it as his
opinion that death could not have
been caused by hanging.
1t is intimated though not directly
declared that the woman may have
died from strangulation, but that some
other agency than the rope which was
found about the neck caused the
strangulation. In support of this
statement. the physicians pointed out
that the windpipe was not closed, as
it would undoubtedly have been had
stranGulation been accomplished by
the rope.
There were only slight marks of the
rope on the outside of the neck. If
the woman had been strangled by the
hands of some person and after death
the rope tied about the neck as it was
when the body was found, the wind
pipe might be in the condition. dis
closed by the autopsy.
Other interesting testimony was CIV
en- by Detective Leader, city marshal
of Lewiston. who was employed by
Mrs. Woodbury's father to investigate
her disappearance. Mr. Leader told
of the finding of the body in the hotel
after search had been made of vari-
GUS rooms. He said that the door of
the room in which the body was found,
resisted their efforts to enter and that
when an entrance was finally obtained,
it was found that one of the doors was
held by braces of wood from the in
side, while against the other door,
which was locked, the body of Mrs.
rin ha
suspended by knotted rope from the
door knob.
Mr.. Leader then told of an interview
which he got with Herbert Woodbury.,
the husband of the dead woman i'm
mediately after the finding of the body.
/ According to Mr. Leader, Mr.. Wood
bury said in this interview that Nov.
he went to Bangor with the intention
of employing a detective to watch his
wife as he suspected that she was
friendly with another man. Failing to
find a detective, Mr.. Woodbury. said
that he determined to return home that
night without letting his wife know
of his coming. He therefore hired q
team and driver in Bangor and was
driven that night over 35 miles of road
to FoXcroft, arriving about midnight.
According to the witness Mr.. Wood
bury said that he found nobody in the
house with Mrs Woodbury. when ha
reached there. He told the witness
that he had some words with his wife
that night and on the following Mon
day afternoon. Nov. 4, they had an
other argument After this last quar-
rel, Mrs. Woodbury. put on her hat and
coat and when asked by Mr.. Wood
bury where she was going, replied:
That's my business" Mr.. Wood
bury told the detective that the last
he saw of his wife was when she pass
ed through Monument Square in front
of the hotel. apparently on her way to
the Maine Central station. 1t was only
a few minutes after the quarrel.
Herbert Woodbury., the husband.
| who was arrested last night on a
charge of numbering his wife, will be
given a hearing at 10 A. NJ. Tuesday.
In the meantime he will remain in the
Jail in Dover.