Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-12-11
HELD FOR MURDER
Virginia WardIaW Must Await
Action Of Grand Jury.
SNEAD CASE HEARING
Circumstances Attending Death in
Bathtub Tragedy.
PROSECUTOR MAKES OUT CASE
Suicide Letter in Ink, But None in
House-Two Handwritings,
Expert Suspects.
MAKES OUT CASE

grand jury ON the charge or numbering
her niece.
Miss Wardlaw was brought here a,
9:10 o'clock this morning to be examined
on the charge of having murdered her
niece. Mrs. Ocey Wardlaw Martin Snead
the young woman found dead i'm a bath
ined before Recorder Mott on the charge
The aged woman was brought from Es-
sex county Jail. whore she has been since
November %, the day the body was
found by Chief of Police Bell She drove
in closed carriage, accompanied by
counsel for the accused, Franklin w.
Fort.
Miss Wardlaw was brought into the
courtroom by Chief Bell and Attorney
Fort few minutes after 10 o'clock. She
held a newspaper over her face until
she was seated facing the recorder S
bench and with her back to the spec
tators.
Then she put it down. Leaning for
ward. she began to converse with her
counsel.
The courtroom was crowded with a
curious score or more of men. Two or
three women were present.
ACSSAAuOAy O1 Witnesses.
Sergt Timothy Canniff of the East Or
ange police force was the first witness.
He told of receiving telephone message
November q from 50 North 18th street.
He said he referred the person to DR..
Simmons.
Dr.. NJ. H. Simmons, called, said he was
told over the telephone that there had
been an accidental death. With Sergt
ONeil he went to the address and was
conducted to the bathroom by Miss Vir-
ginia Wardlaw.
DR.. Simmons identified Miss Wardlaw.
He told of finding the body. naked. in
the bathtub. In which there was half a
foot of water. The head lay under water
with nostrils and mouth immersed.
Her hand was partially closed" con-
tinued DR.. Simmons. land she was clasp
Ing loosely wash rag. On a seat nearby
were some clothes on which was pinned
a note
The doctor also found picture of a
child.
None Call to See Body.
Undertaken Kunz. the next witness,
said that from the time the body lay in
his morgue until he took 1t to Mount
hope ceL eteIy no re.at We of Mrs Ocey
Martin Snead. the dead woman, had
visited the body.
Prosecutor Mott said that by agreement
the facts of 0eey Martins marriage to
Fletcher Snead in Kentucky, in 1906. and
the second marriage Jan AIRY 3D. 1858, in
Jersey City. the birth of child February
IL. 1903, and it's death two days later.
would be submitted without evidence
Luun.y Physician M.nenz.e, "a Id to
the stand, said that with DIR. Simmons
he performed an autopsy. He descr. be /
the woman's body as showing igns of
arT q nf 10 tan five fla f
five inches in height, and had much
faxen hair"
Some fluid was in the stomach he
said. land there was a SO the pulp of an
orange. The intestines We're empty. the
lungs were c0ngested and they did no
collapse on opening the chest. as they
normally "hould. Some fluid was in the
larger tubes.
Death was possibly due to drowning
The water in the lungs entered when the
She might have been dead two days. he
said.
DIR. Gustave Martin Of the Newark City
Hospital, helped h m in the autopsy, he
added. DR.. William H. HIGHS was as
signed to make a chemical analysis o.
the contents of the stomach.
Girl Was Perhaps Drowned.
The county physician said that, indie
pendent of the result of that examina-
ton, he would not s,y there was any
other reason for death besides drowning.
The woman had been dead from eight
cen hours TO three or four days, ne said.
In examining the brain, lungs. heart
and liver he found no unhealthy condi-
ton, with the possible exception of the
stomach. which he is still examining.
Water in the lungs, which he found In
some quantity, did not justify him to
whether the woman was alive or
dead when she entered the tub.
Sergt O'Neil of the East Orange police
force told that on the day after the trag-
edy he first visited the house where Ocey
Snead died He was not met at the door
by the aged prisoner.
1t was dark, but he went through the
house. he said with a lighted candle BY
it's light he found the dead girl lying in
the bathtub.
her right side. in just about water enough
to cover her hip
He then told of finding the note on a
pile of clothes. The prosecutor submit
ted the note. identified by O'Neil, in evil
derce.
The sergeant called Miss Wardlaws at
tention 10 the fact that the suicide note
was written in pen and ink. ne asked
~h Their t ere =" ami ink Al ii
the house. She said that she did not
with Chief Bell. I looked Throughout
the house, but could not find any pen or
IL, ONE
Chief Bell said that Miss wardlaw told
him that she did not have occasion to go
to the bathroom during the tw,ntv- or
hours that elapsed after Mrs Snead left
to take a bath.
Two Handwritings on Note.
William J. Kingsley of Nutley, \. J.,
an expert on penmanship. had made a
study of the suicide note.
In my opinion sand Mr.. Kingsley,
NJ Snead on this paper was not the pen
used to write the body of the note
Mr.. Kingsley had reached no conclusion
as to whether the note was a 70. gerry.
The suicide note was admitted in evil
dence.
After several other witnesses were
called. including two physicians who h d
attended Mrs. Snead at different times,
Prosecutor Mott rested.
Miss Wardlaws attorney moved tlrat
his client be discharged on the ground
that 1t had not been Shown that the
woman died a violent death or thrt a
proper opportunity to commit the crime
OF murder had been in existence. He
characterized the evidence at the hear
ing as a '1ot of stuff that was no more
than a vague insinu .tion of crime
Recorder Mott denied the motion and
held Miss Mard.aw to await the action OF
the Essex county grand jury.
Miss Sallie F.. Tfshman. perhaps the
oldest resident OF Cefiterville. Md. died at
the home of Mrs. Thomas Reeves. with
whom she boa ded. She was ninety-tWo
years old. She was a daughter of the
late Peregrine and Harriet Hilghman and
was born at Recovery, near Centerville,
April Il, 1916.
The deck OF the State bridge near Leon