The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1912-03-21


saw the death certificate, at once.
though he had at that time no evil
dence of foul play, decided that an
Investigation would do no harm. and
as a result OF his investigation and
subsequent autopsy the hideOus and
revolving details were revealed, and at
once reported TO police headquarters
The negro doctor" as soon as he
was placed under arrest, admitted 70
Detective Wiltshire, so the detective
said this morning. that he had recent
! ly been 70 the Stage home, and ner-
Vously asked if Mr.. Stagg had sworn
out warrant against him.
Frcadricie, who appears to be about
| fifty years old, says he is over seventy,
and claims Haiti as the land Of his
nativity. He is a powerfully built
very black negro, with unusual cum
ming if not actual intelligence.
This morning, when he appeared
| in Police Court to be held over until
after the inquest, ne was trembling
in every hnib. He said that he had
retained Attorney Harry NJ. Smith,
and did OF care 10 make any state
ment regarding his case. His case
was postponed until March 18th to
give the police ample time to pre-
pare the evidence which they claim
to have against him.
When seen in the iron cell shortly
before his case was called, the negro
did not deny that he had treated"
Mrs. Stage, and was very anxious to
know what StagB had said about him
Neither did he deny that he had
served a term In the Virginia State
penitentiary as charged by the police.
he would not give the name under
which he had served, however;
neither would he tell for what he had
been sentenced nor from what city
or county. 1t was said that he had
served under the name-Tom An
cordins to one of the prison officials
seen there this morning, show no such
name.
commemorative Attorney Minitree
Folkes has been in close consultation
with the police and will attend the
be held in the coroner's office in the
City Hall, beginning at 10 o'clock.
Mr.. Folkes will have a blank war
rant in his pocket for the negro when
the inquest begins. He will then. ac-
cording to the police, fill out the
and details as the hearing continues
This warrant will at once be served
on Freadricie. Whether bail will be
allowed could not be ascertained this
morning, but il is not customary to
allow il in such cases.
Through his attorney. the negro
may waive the preliminary Police
Court hearing and go directly before
the Hastings Court. 1t is known that
inasmuch as Mr.. Folkes is familiar
with the details of the case he will
object to bail under any conditions.
1t is believed by the police that the
negro has performed "A number OF
criminal operations in Richmond
within the last few years. and they
are now trying to find further evil
dence against him. They have al
ready found one other case. The wo-
man is now in the Memorial Hos
pital. according to police information.
and but for the treatment of surgeons
after she had been "ministered to" by
the. negro would have died. She is
said TO be a relative OF Stages.
Stagg Tried TO Conceal Crime.
When Coroner Taylor began his in
vestigation into the causes OF Mrs.
Stages death he was told by Stage
that the woman had died from heart
disease. Stages statement was made
to the coroner in the presence of I'm
dertaker Arthur Nelson, the coroner
said this morning.
DIR. Taylor declared that he found
Stage extremely reticent, and IL was
only with the greatest difficulty that
he forced him TO admit that his wife
had not died as the result of heart
disease, but as the result OF an ex-
crutiatingly painful criminal opera
tion.
Before the close of the interview the
man told everything, the coroner said.
He said that he had been present and
knew the nature of the operation at
tempted by the negro. He did not
know whether his wife had been given
chloroform. She died about fifteen
minutes after the attempted operation,
he said.
There Is no evidence rejecting
upon the character of Mrs. Stagg.
The question, as the coroner points
out, was merely one OF economics.
The Stages were not wealthy peo-
pie and already had four or five
children. Additional children
meant additional cost.
The child was killed by the negro
doctor, being dreadfully mutilated.
Parts of the child were found by the
coroner wrapped in a bundle of
clothes. Other parts were not found
until the autopsy was performed yes
terday.
Mrs. Stage died Friday night. The
coroner was unable to reach the home
of her husband until the next day. II
was then that the effort to prevent the
investigation was made by Stagg, the
positive statement being made by him
that nothing was the matter; that
his wife had died of heart trouble.