Omaha daily bee., 1910-02-08
SCORE OF WITNESSES TO TESTIFY
Relatives Appear in Two Groups, DR..
Hyde Heading One.
RsT TESTIMONY is ROUTINE
Undertaken Tells Of Funeral and Re.
opening Casket.
LIBEL SUIT FILED
DIR. Hyde Asks Additional Hundred
Thousand Because of Letter writ
ten by IrIin G.
Paxton.

Paxton.
KANSAS CITY, Feb IA curious, eager
crowd packed tho little court room in the
court house at Independence today and
listened to first steps in the states official
unfolding of the swope mystery. Men.
women, and even children made up the
spectators and every inch OF space was oc-
cupied.
The prominent members Of the Swope
family were present with the exception Of
Mrs. h. c. Hyde, and proved TO be the
main attraction. Or. Hyde, the Swope
family physician who had brought suit
against John G.. Paxton, the executor,
charging him with criminal libel, was an
noyed By the gaze cf hundreds Of curious
eyes, ~
Dr. Hyde looked straight ahead of him.
I'm feeling fine" he said to a reporter
Then he added: IT only wish Mrs. Hyde
was able to be out I,left her In bed She
was very III this morning and her physician
ordered her to stay in bed"
The morning was taken up in going over
the details OF the embalmIng of the body of
Colonel Swope, his funeral, disinterment
and the autopsy Nothing startling was
brought out
Inc LlTSt WltnesH IN tne AFTERNOON was
DR.. G. T. Twyman one OF the swope fam
lily physicians, who had displaced DR.. Hyde
after Colonel Swopes death.
During the noon recess deputies who had
for a week been trying to enter the Swope
residence served subpoenaes upon Mrs.
Logan o. Swope and three Swope nurses
to testify later IN the Hyde libel suits.
Chicago sctentists to Testify.
DR.. Ludwig Hoekten Of Chicago. the
toxicologist who had in charge the ex-
animation of the stomachs Of Colonel
Swope and the latter's nephew, Chrisman
Swope. was subpoenaed to testify before
the coroner. DIR. Hoekten will arrive from
Chicago probably tomorrow.
All the witnesses who last week so vigor-
ously resisted the efforts OF the subpoena
servers desiring their dispositions an civil
! suits growing out OF the swope mystery,
readily accepted service when subpoenaed
by the coroner and all were present at the.
hearing today.
Mrs. Logan H. swope and her daughters.
Miss Lucy Lee swope Miss Sarah swope
and Miss Margaret Swope. with their at
torneys. formed one group. while sitting
in another party was DR., b. @. Hyde, who
has filed a suit demanding 100000 for al
| legged libel result OF the Swope SEN
sation The estrangement Of Mrs. swope
and daughter. Mrs. Hyde, was emphasized
by their attitude towards each other today,
the first time they have met In weeks.
! John G. Paxton, one OF the defendants
in the civil suits filed by Dr. Hyde, was
also among the witnesses subpoenaed. y
| EmBaIIner on stand.
The coroner instructed the six Jurors
that they were to determine the manner Of
! death and whether It had been accidental
or was the result OF a felony, and to In
| quire into all the circumstances Of the
case.
James Craig, city clerk OF Independence,
first witness, Identified the death certifi-
cate of Thomas H.fSwope He could not
identify the signature OF DR. D. c. Hyde
but believed II was genuine. The certificate
read by the witness gave the death as
October g. 1909, but did not show the hour.
r. B. Mitchell, an employe OF an under
taking company, told Of preparing the body
for burial. His testimony touched upon the
assertion previously made that the em-
balming fluid might have contained a
poison. Mitchell said he had been called
to the swope home and conducted imme-
diately to the room where the body lay.
What shape did you find the body in"
asked Attorney Trogden.
Il saw nothing strange about It," replied
Mitchell.
Were the muscles contracted or any
thing of that kind?"
Nothing that 1 noticed particularly 1
wasn't looking for anything OF that kind"
Mitchell said the nurse and Judson Mann,
an assistant, were the only persons present.
He had, he said, embalmed the body at
once in the room where he had found
j it. 1t took an hour and half to do the
work.
did you notice anything unusual" asked
the attorney
Il could not say that did" repeated
Mitchell. because I wasn't expecting
anything"
Mitchell told Of the funeral and OF his
having closed the coffin before II was de-
posted in a vault at Forest Hin cemetery.
The witness told Of having gone TO the
vault nearly three months later on January
II, with an assistant and OF removing the
casket and returning 1t to independence for
the autopsy ordered by some of the swops
heirs
did you notice anything peculiar about
the casket at that timer" asked Attorney
Trodgen.
mo, SIR"
Had It been opened since you last CLOSED
I t?"
Yes Ii was supposed 10 have beer
opened in the city TO take cast of tn,
! hand afterward. / was not present. Tn,
casket was not sealed up as tight as 4
might have been afterward. because th'
body was frozen"
Mitchell told OF preparing the body fol
the autopsy
At the close Of the autopsy, Mitchell said
the body had been taken TO an upstairs
room over tho morgue where It was lef
until the following day when 1t was re
! turned to the cemetery.
"Did you lock the room?'
The witness did not give a direct answer
1T was placed entirely out OF the way o
anybody" said he Nobody could havl
o found II even II they had been looking
$ for IT,"
New suit for Libel.
suit demanding 100000 for ALLEGED
| libel was filled today by the attorneya o.