New Britain herald., 1924-11-20
FURNACE TRAGEDY
 VICTIMS LIFE IS ! BEING GONE OVER
Prosecutor Hopes to Prove Definitely Either Murder OF
Suicide Theories
IS YEAR OLD SON SITS
 CALMLY AT THE FUNERAL

Told No One, Acts Strangely While Other Members of Family Arc Bowed With Grief-County Prosecutor Refuses To Believe That. Woman Took Her Own Life Columbus. O., Nov. 20.--In q de- termined effort to piece together all the loose threads in the domestic life of Mrs. Addie Sheatsley, wife of the Rev. c, V. Sheatsey. pastor of one of the leading churches of the fashionable Bexley suburb, whose cremated body was found In the furnace of the Sheatsley home Mon day evening. so that 1t might be as- certained whether the mystery Of her death is finally to be established as suicide or murder, County Prose- cutor John R. King carried his in- vestigation today into the circle of the dead woman's blood relatives.
 To Trace Whole Life
 Accompanied by City Detective Harry Carson, Mfr. King left for Paris, home of Mrs. Sheatsleys mother near Canton, early today to 20 over with the aged mother the life history of the daughter from ir- fancy down through the intervening years to her marriage with MT. Sheatsley and the domestic relations in the Sheatsley home up to the time of the daughters tragic death. The aged mother made her home with her daughter for several years up until about year ago..
 By getting the life history of hrs. sheatsley Prosecutor King hopes to be able to strengthen or completely disprove the theory advanced by many and clung to by County Cor oner Murphy. while expressing the belief Mrs. Sheatslev died by suicide, has not vet made his official finding
 Sure It Was Murder
 Mir. King, notwithstanding the cor oner'e theory of suicide, maintains that Mrs. Sheatsley was victim Of fa,,I play. that it would have been i'm possible for her to enter the fur nace with a bed of live coals in It, and close the door behind her. While at Paris. MT. King also ex- poets to question brothers Of the dead woman 10 ascertain what light they may throw on her life.
 still A Mystery
 The manner in which the body of Mrs, Addie sheatsley, so, was cremated was as much q mystery to" dav as when the charred bones were found in the heating furnace of the family home late Monday afternoon Two days of investigation by Comfy Prosecutor John R. hing' aided by city detectives, has resuIteo in m clews, the prosecutor an- nounced. ,,,,
 The mystery is the most batfling ,n local history. Rev. sheatsley IS rastor of the leading church in the exc,usiye suburb His wife was or . gentle nature and loved DY all his congregation, neighbors testified On the afternoon of the trageoV' lhe minister left home for the city at 1.3o o'clock. He returned at f'fo to find his wifes body amass or ashes in the heating furnace cor oner Murphy, after viewing 'ne tod,, rendered a verdict of suicide. Prosecutor King was unwilling '" accent the verdict and began an lh- vestgation.
 Lean to Murder View
 The theory that the woman might have been murdered and her pooy +browu into the flaming vault was be,nr further investigated today l-rUil,ing to believe 1t possible TOT orv person to climb through the .mar1 door into the flames and sur yive long enough to close the door behind. the prosecutor was emphatlc in his declaration that the woman Uas murdered. If not murdered no c,ines to the theory that her body was cast into the furnace by an other after her suicide.
 Funeral SefNHTS
 Memorial services, brief and s,mnle, were conducted yesterday at Christ Lutheran church, BeXiey' The ediGce was crowded. Capital University, just across the way was closed, All classes had been dis missed.
 Rev. c. V. Sheatsley occupied front new, With him were his sons and daughters. Traces Of grief were written on all their faces all but one.
 Boy Strangely Calm
 Clarence, 16-ycar-old lad who first discovered the ghastly contents of the Pexlcy furnace-surmised that he was gazing upon the funeral pyre Of his mother and then held his tongue, preterring to "let some one else make the fnd"-sat through thee service, face stonily calm.
 Elizabeth and Alice, his sisters, sat at his side. Tears drenched tbelr cheeks and Milton, the older brother, who sat next to them. seemed at times on the verge of col lapse. Clarence appeared not to notice,
 Rev. Charles Pfueger, city mis- sionary, preached the sermon. He urged the congregation to rally more wholeheartedly 10 the side of the pastor. to be present faithfully when he stands In his pulpit, when