Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-07-08
Investigating Body Blame
Whisky and Drug Used i
BY Sylvester as Cause
TWO MEN ARE HELD &
AS ACCOMPLICES
Fred Moore and w. Spurioci
Arrested; Dead Man Took
a Quantity of Heroin

a Quantity of Heroin
Testimony was produced & IL a. {
oners inquest held this morning to 49,
quire into the cause of Harry 1yivo2S
ters death which occurred Thureda
about p. m. and which revealed uo9a
OF heroin tablets In quantity and liuuo r
The witnesses before the investisa4tn& &
body testified to the free use Of ho(R
oooze and drugs and the verdict attsfI
utes tho death to that cause. Sylvo
ter was Il years Of age. ,4
According to the testimony takun
the coroner's inquest this mosnin
conducted by Justice H. G. Noelor f4
the absence of Coroner Spilman. ST.
vester, had been drinking the groatG
part of the afternoon In the vicinity Z (
the waterworks and the red house ovS
the race. In addition he had taken slJ1ss
teen heroin tablets. according 10 W9t2
ter Spurlock, q witness, who was WITT
Sylvester, during the afternoon ana RI
the time of his death. One tablet evoS1
two hours would be as much al per-
son could stand, who was not addicte6s
to their use. Spurlock said. 8
spurIoek Testifsss.
spurlock testified that neither he nor
Harry Sylvester had used any .dop&
for the past year. He said that he ha1s
met Sylvester at $3.50 on Green IN
Main streets and that they had eon1e I
to the red house, where they had IN
drinking good part OF the aftern0S
There according to Spurlock, Ffeza
Moore Joined them, and they bega5
dickering for the tablets and then caxa4
up to the water works and sat down i14
front on the curbing.
Il. B. Sylvester, an uncle Of Harry
testified that he had been with thu
boys and that when they began tAlkinl
about buying the dope he had warnk4
Harry against using 1t. He said tka4
Harry gave Spurlock five dollar BIN
and that Spurlock and Moore then Iefl
for while. Spurlock came back an1
handed Harry Sylvester some chan3l1
and drugs Spurlock claimed that 0yI
vester gave him some of the fAblatG
and that after Harry got sick, he toO9
the tablets from him and put them
his pocket E. B. Sylvester after wag
ing his nephew against taking tl4
heroin went to the police station an&1
told Night Captain Jack Smith tha9
Fred Moore was selling dope to HaTrys
and asked that they stop It. OMc6I
Lightner and Kapp were sent down
see what was the trouble and whoS
they arrived there, found Sylvester o.
the curbstone, while Spurlock was sf2
the water works teiephoning for 7 &C.,
tor. s8
Meanwhile George Jordon a6a
brought out BY his testimony. q ~
preached spurlock and Sylvester, Who
were sitting together on the curbing l1%
front of the waterworks, Moore havan49
left, and as he came near to them, ~
saw Sylvester's head drop and DaM8
Spurlock trying to raise hts compar
ion. He said that he then AskoAB
Spurlock what was the matter viii
Sylvester, and that he replied that h1a
thought that he (sylvester) was toe3
full Of whisky. Jordan said that -!
said that he told Spurlock that ~
should do something for Sy1veSt4N
and suggested calling a doctor, an1a
the men went into the waterworks tos
use telephone. DR.. ]. +. Herrlck
was summoned, but before aid cou14S
be given, the man had died.
Oficers Lightner and Kapp, who hAN
been sent from the station, came uIa
at that time and the ambulanc0 49,
called. The body was then taken TN
Daggett's undertaking rooms and MA
er moved to the Moroney m0rgu1
Spurlock and Moore were taken mt13
custody for completely in the mattolz
and lodged In the county jail, MOctG@
for having supposedly sold the tablets
It was said that Spurlock also ha1
thirty-six of the heroin tablets IN hira
possession. MA
coroner's Inquest.
The coroner's inquest was held thlC@
morning at o'clock at Moronsya
undertaking rooms by Justice Noslefs
and with Jury composed OF 8. L. GrAsI
ham, r. S. Thomas, w. 8. Grips. Th1ss
testimony Of Spurlock, Jordan. B. H%
Sylvester, and Frank Trump, an en-
ploye of the waterworks was takerfss
There was a discrepancy between the
stories Of Jordan and Trump, JordaAS
saying that he had found Spurlock anz3
Harry Sylvester together In front 0l$
the waterworks, while Trump testt
fed that Jordan had been with tn
two men for some time After the teGS|
timony Of the men had been hear19
the Jury retired to give their decision
and came to the following conclsiclsS
"That the said Harry Sylvester came
to his death by the use Of liquor anl
dope, used to excess N
Continued On Page 81 e|l