New-York tribune., 1908-02-08
EDWARDS MURDERED.
REFUTE SUICIDE THEORY.
did Not XII Himself IN HiHer
Homestead, Experts Say.


.,;, Of that city. is now in the possession of
uHI. Edwards, the nephew OF the dead man.
a. .be contrary. IL tends 20 show that Mr. Ed
..-ss was murdered
-,is evidence. which includes q multitude Of
facts not brought out by the investigation
a the authorities and the deductions Of experts
...-sf-oro was gathered TO be used in a suit
.-.,ns- the Fidelity and Casualty Company, of
,s,s c,-v 70 force ii 10 pay the $4,000 insurance
g. which Mr Edwards held a policy
IN. co--panv. relying on the suicide verdict
=. ne Coroner. refused 10 pay the g, 600 because
,oricv contained a suicide clause Although
ar I Edwards anxious 10 try the case
49, he r,irht take the stigma Of the coroner's
.-s,-. from the memory Of his uncle the COM
- Incoming aware OF the strong case of the
.1.3,,se has backed down and paid the policy
ir fun
RFvIEw or EDWARDS'S DEATH
.-- r7dus-ds. who had gone to New Haven IN
.,-ce the appointment Of an administrator of
=, er+ste of Abigail Hitler, his nother-in-lav-
=. found unconscious with bullet wound
scr the lobe OF the left ear in his room on 2
-resnesday morning. The following SATURDAY.
,-.ie q. laudanum was found in the back ward
,5 q, Monday revolver was also found in
rs-6 which had been carefully searched for
several days.
-orons- Mix decided that Edwards had taken
s,so, and shot himself in the yard and then
-. I'D The hack stairs TO his room. As soon as
- ns5 reached this verdict, which was extreme
= unsatisfactory 10 many familiar With the
H L Edwards. who is a lawyer in this
,s-v decided 10 make an investigation Of his
VT He followed il Up vigorously when. in or
6s- 70 get ths 5000, Il became necessary TO
- .hst NJ Edwards did not commit suicide
tss employed D.. Arthur J. Wolff a chemist, of
hartford. Conn, who had had a long training in
,imspoloziosi work In Germany. With Mr. Ed
xu-ss snd James Il. Webb. New Haven
,svrer. Nj Wolf went over carefully every inch
:. the Hier house. With an acetylene lamp
sss strong msgnifying glass Mr.. Wolf exam
.,as the stairs and wainscoting where blood
Gains had been found. They wen: through the
-ocnns on the second floor and then up in the
ssu1.
uxss n the latter search that hitherto ua-
discovered blood was found On the plaster Of
ihs val leading 10 the attic was a large clot
n blood and on 8 broken iron fastening on the
INSIDE OF the attic door there was Tnore blood.
Twas shown BY the microscope that the blood
rtsns on the wainscoting Of the stairs leading
10 lie second 9oo- were made by q person GO
ux doEn, as they were snaeared in downward
.i-ec,on. Thus. 20 make the conclusion Of sui
,Ess teHable Nj Edwards must have shot him
ssn upstairs gone down to the yard. thrown
szxy the pistol and laudanus and then retraced
Us steps
Dr. Charles Phelps. OF this city. an expert on
injuries 10 the brain caueed by gunshot wounds,
rendered an opinion after carefully studying the
gscts that il would have been almost impossible
for man injured as was Mr. Edwards to have
ala cd Ro t-a -p4a1
s.sr shooting himself Experience in hundreds
c: eases had established 2 rule. rarely violated.
tar such injuries resulted In almost immediate
ts Of locomotive power.
MORPHINE N STOMACH.
Although some morphine was found in the
rsnach. there.vere TOT sufficient evidences that
s1r Of il had been absorbed into the system.
according 70 the experts employed by AIr. Ed
wards The suffoca1ing effect rnat it produces
Il causing Death could have been produced by
TIE blood which was found at the base OF the
b-san they say. They suggested that the NOR
raine might have been administered TO stop the
E-iaelt breathing % M Edwards after he had
beer shot
seems that the pistol vas found in the yard
with the butt pointing away from the house. the
-everse of what * would have been had it been
hared out. l. was badly rusted on the side
tors-6 the ground and only slightly on the
stpe- SIDE II much rain had fallen or IL the
srestest amount OF rust would have been on
ral the experts say Z il had been placed on
ne ground after heavy rains the under Size
rosl6 have rusted badly The records Of the
Hsw Haven weather bureau show some twenty
hosrs Of rain between the day Mr. Edwards
Tss founo and the following Monday, when the
fEiel vas found
rfrr y 1sa
Eavsrds snS MI Wolf was the apparent dis
5;pesrsnce q blood thai was found on the
e-oksn iron latch OF the attic door. Three days
stis- & was found e photographer assisting in
sstias the evidence went to take q picture Of
'ais blood sne IT was gone Under the micro
seaTe. however NJ Wolf was still able find
traces q 3:
u Preparing the care II has now abandoned
Ice Fidelity ana Casualty Company last sum
hAr under q court order examined twenty
f-es Witnesses in New Haven. ". H l. Ed
~Sras had the privilege Of being present ana
Soss-e~snining witnesses At that time the
eo'F ~ the qzarrels between Charles A Ed
Tsrds an6 a. Naxcy Hitler his brother-in-law-
ss< relssrsed- II the case had come 10 trlai
z. :. Edwards WAS prepared to prove that
Aezcy Hitler was injured by 4 falling scat
ia.dilg e the age OF sixteen. that later he At
sahes has brother with an axe ana was sent
I" retreat In Hartford. He was prepared To
i'oFe that wfre z lieutenant in the Civil war
Se saot and killed one of his men, who had an Z
aayeo him
ANNOTED AT Mr.. EDWARDS.
Ea-Judge Charles A Hitler brother OF MaxcS |
1'4ier. testified mat the latter had threate1ec /
: sao9t Charles a Edwards unless he tMaxcy |
'u-srl should be allowed to administer me /
@e Of ms mother The day that MI &c
Aes arrived At the Hitler home he h-o q talh
.ta Judge Biler saying that he was prepared
" make al application at once for papers OF .