Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-11-30

chloride to produce death, DR.. Funkt
| replied that person might live 2
week after SWALLOWING this deadly
corrosive poison. Mr.. Shepard was
taken sick on May 27 and died on
| June /.
d.. Everhardt. the second witness.
declared that he had made two sep
arate and distinct chemical analyses
weeks ago. when the body was ex-
humed for the first time at the in
stance of Solicitor General Garrett.
The first analysis. said Dr. Ever
hardt, showed the presence of me:-
curry in the vital organs. but as 4
would have a certain amount of mer-
curry in his system. this first eX-
| animation did not furnish absolute
proof of the presence of a corrosive
poison.
The second chemical examination,
| made after the second elimination
of the body on November II, showed
positive e idence that bichloride of
mercury was present in the viscera,
declared DR.. Everhardt. Further
the poison had been administered
through the mouth, since white
spots, caused by the action of the
strong corrosive, were found along
the inner lining of the esophagus,
stomach and, in fact, the entire
Inc
fact that Mr.. Shepard had been Civ
en- considerable quantities of calomel
made it necessary to take more time
| in the chemical analysis than would
otherwise have been necessary, said
DR.. Everhardt.
DR.. Brown Testifies
The third witness was DR.. Brown,
the physician who attended Mr..
Shepard during his fatal illness. He
testified that when he was first
called, the patient showed some
symptoms of dysentery, and the mi
tial treatment was the administra
ton of calomel in an effort to purge
to produce results, said DR.. Brown,
and he decided that Mr. Shepard was
suffering from intestinal obstruc-
ton. An operation performed June
showed that this condition did
not exist, the physician declared, al
| though it was found that the pa
| TENTS intestines were terribly in
famed. There was no evidence of
| disease, he said, but, on the con-
trary, there were symptoms to indi-
cate that Mr.. Shepard was suffering
| from poisoning.
1t was after DR.. Brown had re-
| ported the case to Solicitor General
| Garrett that the investigation was
begun and the first chemical exami-
| nation of the viscera made by DR.
| EVerhardt.
The hearing before the coroner's
! jury was conducted by Solicitor Gen
cral Garrett, while Harris Neal, may
or of Fort Valley. was foreman of
the jury. After celebrating briefly
upon the evidence submitted, the
| jury returned a verdict declaring
| that Mr.. Shepard came to his death
| by poisoning caused by bichloride of
mercury administered by unknown
persons.
Hearing Held in Movie Theater
! The hearing was held in a motion
| picture theater to accommodate the
curious and interested throng that
flocked into Fort Valley to witness
| what they expected to be one of the
most sensational developments of a
| sensational case. The jury had seats
on the cramped little stage, close to
the witness chair and that of the So
licitor general.
Mrs. Elmer, with her attorney,
| Charles Durrance, also of Jackson
Vile, Fla, had arrived here at noon
and had taken rooms at a hotel near
the theater. Bringing a stenographer
with them, Mrs. Elmer and Attorney
Durrance left the hotel unobserved
eluded several photographers, and
gaining admission to the theater by
a rear entrance. located themselves
| in the wings on the stage, where they
remained throughout the hearing.
The stenographer took down eY-
cry scrap of evidence in shorthand
and when the jury had rendered its
verdict, Mrs. Elmer, her attorney and
| the Stenographer made their appear
ance from behind the curtain, Great
| ing mild sensation among the spec
| tators.
AS Mrs Elmer left the theater she
was placed under arrest by Sheriff
Robinson on bail troVer warrant
sworn out by Frederick Crandall,
nephew of Mr.. Shepard. She was
taken at once to the office of Attor-
ney Louis L. Brown, now executor of
the Shepard estate, where she made
| bond in the sum of 100000 and
signed an agreement instructing her
attorney, Eldridge Cults, to turn over
to the executor everything she pos
| sessed that was a part of the Shep-
ard estate. This property, it is un-
derstood included $4,000 worth of
stock in the Nicholls-S Shepard COM
pany, of Battle Creek, Mich; 49,
900 mortgage on property in Georgia;
one Peerless automobile; five notes
| of $500 each of the Nichols Shepard
company; one municipal bond of the
city of Hogansville, Ga, value, $500,
and deeds to $4,000 worth of prop
erty in Portland, Ore.
Shows Effect of Strain
While in the office of Attorney
| Brown, she was aiken into custody
! on a warrant charging murder sworn
| out by Solicitor General Garrett Mrs.
| Elmer had maintained her comDosurt
| throughout the afternoon and haI
| manifested no emotion during the
hearing before the corOner's jury, but
when arrested on the murder war
rant, she became very much excited
and was removed to the Winona
hotel, where she developed hysteria
and showed the effects of the ner-
vous strain under which she haG
been laboring.
She refused to make any statement
whatever, saying that her attorney
Mr.. Durrance, would make whatever
statements were necessary. He de-
clined to say anything regarding the
case. Mrs. Elmer remained at tho
| hotel in the custody Of Sheriff Rob
inson until the arrival of the Ma
con train at midnight
The arrest of Mrs. Henry ana
Ernest Hopson at Perry occurred
within an hour after Mrs. Elmer s
arrest in this city. At first it was
planned to remove Mrs. Henry to the
Bibb county Jail at Macon, but her
husband came to Fort Valley, made
a plea to Judge H. A. Matthews
and secured permission for Mrs
Henry to remain at her home il.
Perry under guard to be furnished b..
the sheriff. This order will remain
| in effect until the preliminary hear
ing the date of which has not been
fixed
Upon the death of MIR. Shepard.
his wife took charge of the estate
as administrators. no will having
been found. She gave bond as re