New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-06-20
INSIST EDITOR WAS SLAIN
Friends of A. D. Howard Drive
Jersey Officials to Action.
DECIDE TO EXAMINE BODY
Expect to Prove Absolutely en-
Examination That Death
Vas Accidental

| Although rlna CEunty authorities chung 10
| their rsHee -y..teriay that \ D Howard.
| former Sunday editor OF The Tribune
| whose body was found last Monday In the
| burned ruins Of his home. IN Leonia, y. j.,
net death accidentally in the danes.
friends persisted in the theory tnat there
| had been foul play, and County Physician
Armstrong and Prosecutor Wright decided
! 10 exhume the body for further eIami-
nation.
The body was buried Tuesday in Brook
| side Cemetery, Englewood, and It is
planned to exhume il to-day, II court or
der is obtained. In order TO determine
definitely whether bruises on the head and
| face were caused by a blow from an instru-
ment or by the wreckage OF the house when
IL collapsed.
The theory OF murder was weakened yes
terday by further inquiries as to the con-
diton in which the body was found. Joseph
Rafferty,. who was among those who dug
the body out OF the ruins, denied that
there was any indication that a sheet or
piece of bagng had been wound about
Mr. Towards head as IL to strangle or
smother him
II did not see that the cloths were what
you might say about his head" said Mr.
I.dherty. although they were entangled
II, the bed near Mr.. Towards body"
W V. A Blauvelt county detective. after
further investigation Of the case repeated
his belief yesterday that II was a purely
accidental death He cited the fact that
there was no motive for robbery. since the
Towards were Just moving in and no valu-
ahles were yet in the house. Several
strange men were reported in various quar-
tiers to have been seen in the neighborhood.
but investigation Of these clews brought 10
light nothing definite in this line
Among the ruins there was found a
leather pipe case. This was considered sig
niicant by some in view Of the fact that
MI Howard never smoked a pipe. Others
explained its presence on the ground that II
might have been left by a former occupant
of the house
Mime. +. VI. Nelaro. who lives directly be-
hind the Howard house. her place fronting
on Highland avenue and her back yard
abutting the Howard back yard, told n
story yesterday that she thought seemed to
, indicate the presence Of some one in her
yard at abou: the time the FIRE broke out
She said she seldom retired until after
o'clock. and Monday morning she noticed
that a light which she keeps burning IN a
small summer house I'm her back yard lad
gone out She relighted Il. but twice again
II won't out. n thing Il had never done
before. Next day, she said. she discovered
that a cement ornament was broken in her
yard. This led her TO believe that some one
was proving around there. and had per-
haps put out the light so that he would
not BE- seen entering the Howard house.
She also said that while she was stand
ing In her back yard after lighting her
lamp some one came 10 a back window IN
Mr. Towards house and shut II with a
bang. She saw a light IN the house al
that time. she said. II was dark and foggy.
she added, and she could not distinguish
whether 70 was Mr. Howard or some one
else Then she went ~, and was later
awakened by cries, 10 find the house in
flames.
Or. Armstrong said last night that wnen
the body was exhumed he expected 70 te
able 10 prove that suffocation was the cause
OF death. The purpose Of the exhumation.
he said. was to satisfy friends and relatives
as 10 the cause OF death.