The New York herald., 1922-04-29
Analyses of Contents of Two
StOmachs Not to Be
Ready for a Week.
RELATIVES QUESTIONED
They Can See No Motives, but
Are Sure Elderly Couple Had
No Thought Of Suicide.

The possibility that Mr.. and Mrs.
Fremont Madison Jackson, whose
bodies were found in the bathroom OF
tteir apartment in the Hotel Margaret,
Brooklyn, on Wednesday morning.
were killed by poisoned fruit was
advanced yesterday by DIR. e. M.
Vaughan, medical examiner for the
District Attorney of Kings.
Thus far this solution to the mys-
terry around the death Of the devoted
pair cannot be more than theory.
Just wEat caused death will not be
known officially until the chemists
have returned their report to District
Attorney Ruston in about a week.
The police have abandoned their
first conclusion that Mr.. and Mrs
Jackson died natural deaths or, at the
outside, by poison accidentally taken
They have reduced tEeir theories to
two. Last night they admitted that
either the Jacksons died in a suicide
compact or were poisoned by some one
who sent them tropical fruit loaded
with a drug or chemical composition
that would cause quick paralysis and
ensuing death. OF one thing, Dr.
Vaughn seems quite sure-the jack
sons did not die of ptomaine poisoning
Plum In Husbands stomach.
Among the most important supports
| for the murder theory Is the finding IN
| Mr. Jackson's stomach or large piece
| OF fresh plum. That IL was fresh ano
not preserved plum Is certain. ac-
cordng 10 DIR. Vaughan. He satisfied
himself on this point before making
his statement. That, however, Is only
one OF the circumstances prompting the
police TO change their investigation
tactics. They said that If the chemists
report sustains their theory OF pos
sIble murder, they have on their hands
one of the most elaborate mysteries
New York has seen for years.
There is not thus far anything re-
sembling a motive for murder nor is
there any reason to believe the suicide
theory The Jacksons were in excel
lent health despite their years. Their
compatibility was commented on by
those who knew them. Both had more
than sufficient means to maintain them
in ease for the rest of their years. The
police have found that Mrs. Jackson
had at least $4,000 in cash and prob
ably that much more in securities.
Her husband was worth much more,
including two tenement hoses at 405-
407 West Fifty-third street.
Not the least of the unusual features
| Of this case Is the fact that despite
the evidences of death by poison, no
container that might have held such
death agency was found In the apart
| ments Neither was there any EVIL
dence that either of the victims had
received q package that might have
contained poisoned fruit. There were
no plum pits nor fruit peelings. There
was nothing outside OF the bathroom
to Indicate anything unusual.
Every Hint TO He Followed.
The salient features of the mystery
as Il existed last night were 80 COM
plex that the police declared that all
they could do was TO follow every
line OF reasoning. no matter how Inn
probable, until they arrived at some
definite point.
In the first place no one has been
found who remembers having seen the
Iacksons alive and together after $3.50
Tuesday morning. About $3.50 they en-
tered Joe's Restaurant, 800 Fulton
street. and had breakfast of oatmeal.
coffee and rolls. Warren Pitt. a waiter.
remembers that. They breakfasted at
Joe's frequently. Pitt always served
them. He recalls that they were in
excellent spirits and apparently in fine
health.
The couple returned to the Hotel Mar
garet Mrs. Jackson retired to her
apartment. Mr.. Jackson went 20 Pros
pect Park. where on that part known
as Grandpa's Playground he indulged
| In his daily round at croquet He had
been playing croquet for thirty years
Usually he had Or. George Warden
burg OF 144 St Marks avenue as his
opponent Other times he played alone
as he did on Thursday morning.
Man Last Seen I'm once.
The husband then appeared IN an Of
flee he maintained az 405 West Fifty
| fourth street. and where he spent "a
| couple OF hours every day. An old fash
toned desk and an equally antique safe
are the principal furnishings OF the Of
| flee. The two tenement buildings are
worth about $4,000 each. And there
trace Of the old man fades out. From
| the time he left Mrs. Jackson In the
! Hotel Margaret after breakfast nothing
seems to have been seen of her.
| At $3.50 Tuesday night two potted
plants. purchased In a Brooklyn de-
partment store by Mrs. Jackson on Mon
| day morning we're deliv cred at the
| hotel. A hotel employee took tho plants
| to the apartment He knocked at the
| door three times. There was no an
sw ar lie decided the Jacksons would
be home later so he dropped the plants
In front OF their door. The plants were
still there when Mt 5 o'clock Wednesday
morning a housekeeper entered the
apartment and found the elderly couple
4 dead III the bathroom.
I Neither OF the beds IN the apartment
4 had been slept IN nor even rumplcd
I And yesterday Il developed that no ono
Continued on Page Seven.
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