Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-11-30
Widow, Stepson and Sister
in-LaW Are Arrested After
Verdict of Death by
Poison

at fitzgerald is on his way to Abbe.
vile with warrant charging muir
DER Tor the arrest of Mrs. Annie
CUTS, wife. of Attorney Eldridge
cults. The warrant was sworn out
IN connection with the death of Mr..
Fred d. Shepard, wealthy peach
grower, Of Fort Valley, whose death
was caused from bichloride of mer-
curry poison, according to the verdict
OF coroner's jury at Fort Valley
Saturday night, and for which Mrs.
f. Eugene Elmer. wife of DR.. Elmer
OF Jacksonville, and Mrs. lone Henry
and Ernest Hopson, sister and SON.
respectively of Mrs. Elmer, are held
by authorities on the charge of muir
der.
FORT VALLEY. Ga. Nov as
Following the verdict of a corone,'s
jury here Saturday afternoon decl,.,-
ing that Mr.. Fred D., Shepa"d
wealthy fruit grower of this CITY
came to his death from bichIori:t
poisoning, three persons were plac;;l
under arrest charged with his mu:-
der. They are Mrs. F. E. Elmer. of
Jacksonville, Fla, his former wife.
Mrs. lone Henry, of Perry, Ga, sister
Of Mrs Elmer. and Ernest Honson
son OF Mrs. Elmer by a former hus-
oand. All three arrests were made ar
the instance of Solicitor Genera
Charles H. Garrett, of the Bibb cir
cult Of the superior court. who. for
several weeks has been conducting an
investigation of the circumstances.
surrounding the death of Mr.. Shep-
ard on June 1. after an illness of
four days.
Crandan Poisoned, He Says
Fred r. Crandall, nephew of Mr..
Fred D. Shepard, who filed bail trover
proceedings against Mrs. Elmer Sat-
urday afternoon, has made a state
ment in the presence of other peo-
pie, including Solicitor General Gar
rett and DR.. M. S. Brown, Fort Val
ley physician of the Shepard family.
that he believes he was poisoned by
drink of liquor which he took out
of bottle which was taken from
the automobile in which M. Shepard
was brought to hospital here May
81 last when he was suffering from
his fatal illness.
Crandall says that when he arrived
In Macon, he asked Ernest Hopson
Tor drink, and that Hopson went to
Mr.. Shepard's automobile and
brought back a quart bottle which
was half full of liquor. He says thai
he took drink and soon afterwards
experienced peculiar sensations
which continued until the next day
when he went to bed with dysentery
ana acute abdominal pains. 81 am
CONVINCED that l was poisoned by the
!lquor," Crandau is quoted as say
ing.
Solicitor General Garrett declined
10 discuss the statement. although it
was said at his office that the mat
ter was being investigated.
Mrs. Elmer. who had come from
Jacksonville to attend the coroner's
inquest, was arrested as she was
ABOUT to board a train for Macon,
She had just given bond in the sum
OF 100000 in bail trover proceed
ing taken out by Frederick Crandall,
nephew of the dead man and bene-
flclary under the terms of a will
discovered some time after Mr. Shep-
ards death. 1t was at first thought
that Mr.. Shepard had died instate
and Mrs. Elmer mad taken charge of
his estate
Mrs. Henry and Ernest Hopson
were taken into custody at their
home in Perry. The death of Mr..
shepard occurred at the Henry home.
Mrs. Elmer has been taken to Macon
TOT incarceration in the Bibb county
gall, as the Houston county jail at
Ferry is not equipped to accommo-
date women prisoners. Mrs. Han,,,
was allowed to remain at home unde
guard; while Hopson was taken to
the Bibb county Jail
Mrs. Elmer's Statement
counsel for Mrs. F. E. Elmer, of
Jacksonville, arrested late today at
Fort Valley and charged with the
murder of her former husband Fred
ID. Shepard, wealthy peach grower.
made public on arrival here tonight
a formal statement by Mrs. Elmer.
which she made at Fort Valley short
~ after her arrest. Mrs. Elmer's at
torney preceded her here
81 am heartbroken becot1se OF
this terrible affair."" Mrs. Elmer's
statement said. "Heartbroken be-
cause of the insinuations against me
and the terrible things that they
have done.
''The sad part of it is that my own
family should attempt to sell their
mother and sister for pieces of sill
YER Mothers can understand how
feel The stakes were too high for
them. Thousands of dollars have
been spent to discredit me in the
eyes of my friends.
eff they were allowed to take all
that was rightfully mine In the way
Of wealth, it could never hurt me
like the awful things which they
have said and done. They have
bought the natural love and affection
Of my family; they have gone all
over this country with a great num-
Der of detectives trying to find all
kinds Of things about my life, and
when they could find nothing, they
came back and dug up my dead hus-
band and now I am accused of this
awful crime.
Il sometimes wonder If death
would be any relief from this night
mare
Only Three Witnesses
The coroner's inquest Saturday af-
ternoon came as the climax of a
that have stirred this section to in
tense interest and excitement The
hearing had been postponed one week
to allow experts to make chemical.
pathological and physiological analy-
sis of the viscera. taken from the
body of Mr.. Shepard on the second
elimination of the remains on No
vember II.
Only three witnesses testified at
he hearing. DR.. John Funke. a path
illogical expert of Atlanta; DR.. Edga,
Everhardt. chemist for the state
board of health. but in this case
working in his private capacity, and
DR.. NJ. S. Brown. practising physi-
;ian of this city, who attended Mr..
Shepard in his last illness.
DR.. Funke testified that upon MAX
ing an exhaustive analysis and ex-
animation of the viscera. he found
the tissue Of the alimentary canal
badly inflamed throughout it's entire
ength, although there were no per
soration' of the intenstines or other
evidence of disease. This inflamed
condition, he said, evidently was