Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1909-12-14
TELLS GRAND JURY
BATHTUb MYSTERY
MUST Be PRQBEO
Justice Gummere So Charges,
as Fort Admits He Knows
Where Mrs. Martin Is.
DECLARES MOTHER OF
VICTIM IS GOING BLIND
That Ocey Snead's Death Was
Unnatural Is Plainly Shown,
Says Court.

Developments today in the Snead
Der grand jury by Chief JUS
tice Gummere, in which he declared
that it was "plain that Mrs. Snead did
not die a natural DEATH" Franklin W.
Fort counsel for Miss Wardlaw, ar
ranging for a trip to the South to in
vestigate the Snead and Wardlaw FAM
lilies, and a sudden trip back to the
South of the Rev Albert o. Wardlaw,
brother of the prisoner, after several
secret visits to the office of Mr.. Fort
in this city.
Fort today admitted that the Rev.
Mr.. Wardlaw had been in the North
for week. He said that the brother
of his client had made several secret
visits to his Office and that after con-
ference yesterday he had left for the
South, and he would follow him shortly.
Mr. Fort then made the announce
ment that he knew where Mrs. Caro-
line y. Martin, the mother of the muir
dered woman, is living. Under no cir
cumstances, he said. would he let any
one know.
Mrs. Martin is almost blind said
Mr.. Fort. "The eyesight of one OF
her eyes is completely gone and she
is rapidly losing the sight of the
other. That will explain the house of
mystery The only reason all the
shades were drawn was to protect Mrs.
Martins falling eyesight.,
chief It.afioa Cx,,,,,,,,o oro Hi. <1,o.r~o
said:
''The other matter to which l desire
to call your attention relates to the
death of young woman in East Or
ange the latter part of last month. On:
Eoyember 20 Ocey Snead was found
IN bathtub In East Orange. At the
time OF her death she and her aunt,
Mfss Wardfdw, were the only inmates
of the house. Whether this girl died
voluntarily or death came to her at the
hands of another is a matter which you
ought to determine by your investiga-
ton. That she did not die q natural
death would seem quite plain, for some
of the officers visited the house imme-
diately after they were notified by Miss
Wardlaw. They found among other
things a note purporting to have been
written by the Snead woman, in which
she stated that she was about to COM
NIT suicide. If she wrote the note it is
quite fair to assume that the death
was the result of her own act. If she
did not the presumption is equally
strong that death was the result of the
act of another. As l have said, only
two people We're in the house at the
time.
Now. in investigating this matter
ii is not your function to hear all the
evidence pro and con and to determine
then whether any particular person is
guilty of murder and find that death
is due to the act of another person.
It is the function of the trial jury to
determine this, and the grand jury is
only to hear the States part of the evil
dence and determine only whether
probable grounds of guilt are shown.
And If that Is the case it is the
duty of the grand jury to indict. If
not, 1t must refuse to indict. You will
find this case a very mysterious one.
And 1t is important that you give it
all your time and care and then the
public will be satisfied"
II heard what Justice Gummere said
in his charge" said Mr.. Fort. II went
TO the Court House especially to hear
it. want to say that L expect to get
81 complete vindication for my clients.
] intend to leave for the South in
few days, and will endeayor to dis
prove some of the stories that have
been made regarding the families of
my clients