New-York tribune., 1908-01-04
DEAD FROM OVERDOSE.
IN STUPOR FOR 94 HOURS.
Strychnine Thought To Haze KILLED
hrs. John Fan Ness Roberts.

After living in a stupor for over twenty-four hours
Mrs. John Van Ness Roberts, who was Miss kath-
crime Stuyvesant died last night in her apartment
at No. 227 Riverside Drive. Mrs. Roberts was ac-
customed to taking strychnine for her heart, and
according to Coroner Acritel, it an overdose
of this which probably killed her. Although she
said she was a niece of Mrs. Stuyvesant Fish and
of Mrs Shoemaker, of Philadelphia, her papers
show she had accumulated large debts and had no
money in sight to pay them.
Francis L. Patton jr of No. 40 Wall street, the
son of the dean of the Princeton Theological Semi
nary and Mrs. Robertss personal counsel rushed
back from Princeton yesterday as soon as he was
informed of Mrs. Roberts's condition. He told the
coroner he had win in his office, made several
months ago by Mrs. Roberts, but refused persist
entity to tell reporters anything about mis- client.
On Thursday afternoon Mrs. RObertss maid
found her in a stupor and at once summoned her
physician, DIR. Samuel L. Peterson. of No. 81 West
6sth street. He in turn summoned DIR. Roger ".
Bennett, of No. 69 West 18th street, and the two
worked her all night.
The greatest secrecy maintained by the ply
sicians and friends regarding the circumstances
of Mrs Robertss death. When it appeared yester-
day morning that she was in serious condition the
doctors summoned Coroner Acritel to get if posi-
BILE, an ante-mortem statement. He said bill was
found indicating that Mrs Roberts had not paid
her September rent and letter requesting pay
due the other months. Automobile supply
houses, a garage and small tradesmen of various
sorts had also contributed their requests for the
payment of overdue accounts. The maid said that
Mrs Roberts owned an automobile, in which she
rode frequently.
Mrs Roberts died at sa5 last night without ever
regaining consciousness. Francis L. Patton
turned TO her apartment soon afterward and
manned until after the coroner had finished his
examination. Coroner Acritelli said he had found
memorandum among Mrs. Roberts's things leav-
ing her furniture to her negro maid and her
jewelry to various friends whose names he could
not remember In this memorandum was also men
toned, according to the coroner, large
of money which she had expected to inherit from
a Mrs Shoemaker of School Lane, Germantown,
Penn whom she mentioned her aunt.
There packs of letters there and invita-
tions to musicals and societies at the Waldorf
Astoria, which L didn't have the time to look
over'' said the coroner. 81 noticed among the
visiting cards her table those of Mrs. Fred
D. Grant. Mrs. Henry c. Corbin and Mrs. Stuy-
vesant Fish" When asked who would take
charge of the funeral the said he thought
the undertaken would risk the expenses. Mr..
Patton, he said Mrs. Roberts's sole
tor.
Mrs, Grant said yesterday afternoon she hardly
knew Mrs Roberts and only remembered seeing
such a invitations to meetings at the
Waldorf. Mrs Fish also denied that she was in
any way related to Mrs. Roberts knew her
all.
The police not called into the case until a
reported asked at Headquarters for information
Detective Campbell, OF the West Tooth street police
station, was sent to investigate and returned with
the report Overdose of morphine; nothing
pcious." According to the maid, Mrs. Roberts had
sometimes taken as many as six tablets of
phine at a single dose physician said that this
was very large dose and that if it were taken
frequently it would produce the condition found in
Mrs Roberts before her death.
Mrs Roberts and Mr.. Patton, her lawyer. were
the defendants in a suit brought last July by Shell
don A Butler. Western mining promoter, to re-
cover $500 which he asserted had been obtained
from him under false pretences Butler alleges
that, in answer to advertisement in paper. he
met Mrs. Roberts in Mr. Pattons office in Wall
street. and that she professed to him to be in
fuential society woman, with political and bust
ness connections which would enable her to sell
for him shares of Arizona mining company
which he promoting. He paid her $500 in
advance he said. but she sold any of his
stock.
Patton later got his name stricken from the
suit brought by Butler to recover this money
.the ground that he merely Mrs. Robertss
counsel and had been "A party to her
tracts with Butler. 1t is said the suit TO
come to trial soon.
In addition this suit Mrs. Roberts recently had
another instituted against her by an automobile
company and it is understood that others are
pending that were brought by various mercantile
concerns The coroner said he found that she had
paid the September rent of her apartment only last
month and had a large pile of other unpaid bills
in her desk.