The Omaha morning bee., 1924-11-23
Pastors Wife
Strangled to
Death, Belief
Report Indicates That Mrs.
Sheatsley Was Dead Be-
fore Body Was Placed
I'm Firebox.

Columbus, o., Nov. 22.-With the
report of an analytical chemist who
examined the lungs of Mrs. c. V.
Sheatsley, Bexley furnace victim,
pointing toward death by strangula-
ton, Prosecutor King and his assist.
ants today returned to the scene of
the tragedy to start their investiga.
ton anew.
c. f. Long. the chemist, reported
that his examination of Mrs. Sheats-
ley's lungs disclosed no trace of car
bon monoxide, which, it is claimed,
would have been evident had the min.
isters wife breathed after entering
the furnace in which she was Gre
mated last Monday afternoon.
Strangled or Suffocafed.
The theory was advanced by the
chemist that Mrs. Sheatsley died
either by strangulation or suffocation
and that her body must have been
thrust into the furnace after she died.
Long preferred to accept strangua-
ton az the cause of the woman's
death. he said.
DIR. Fl. NJ. Brundage was making
pathological examinations of the or
gans today at the instance of Long.
He probably will not be ready to re-
port before Monday, 1t was said.
Three ounces of Mrs. Sheatsley's
blood were examined by the chemist.
lie said five tests failed to reveal
carbon monoxide. Also he said there
was no evidence of carbolic acid, SCOT
CT ashes in the organs.
Suicide Theory Exploded.
Longs report. with its inferenees
of murder. came at time when au
thorities probing the tragedy had
about concluded death was due to
suicide. that Mrs. Sheatsley crawled
into the furnace after suddenly be.
coming insane.
Rev. MIR. Sheatsley was first to
come forward with the theory that
his wife ended her own life He told
the prosecutor Wednesday that, after
due deliberation, he was convinced
Mrs. Sheatsley crawled into the fur
mace.
uusDdnu Stlli III Idr1S.
Had Mrs. Sheatsley breathed after
she entered the furnace her lungs
Immediately would have become filled
with the carbon-monoxide gas which
would have been absorbed at once
by the blood, DIR. Long declared.
The Rev. C. V. Sheatsley. husband
of the victim, according to Prosecu-
tor King, stated he believed that she
committed suicide. During his ex-
animation previously. he told au-
thorities he believed his wife had
been murdered.
The Rev Mr.. Sheatsley and his
four children are with relatives at
Paris, O.. where funeral services
were held yesterday. They expect to
return to Columbus the first of the
week.
No Poison i'm Stomach.
Prosecutor King, who returned
from Canton late today, refused to
discuss the findings. other than to
say that it bears out his previous
belief that Mrs. Sheatsley did not
cast herself into the furnace. De
tective Harry Carson of Columbus
and the prosecutor examined a num-
Der of relatives OF the victim while
in Canton.
Vital organs of the victim were
turned over to DIR. ii. M. Brundage
of Columbus for pathological ex
animation late today.
Further search for bottle of
poison which has turned up missing
from the Sheatsley home will be
abandoned. as result of the chem
lists report, King said. Long said
that his examination of a section of
the aesophagus and a small bit of
the stomach wall failed to disclose
any poison.