Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1924-12-04
Furnace Mystery Case
Battles Investigators
HUSBAND BELIEVES THE. SUICIDE
THEoRY-PoLlCE BELIEVE 1T
TO BE MURDER
BY Robert Fuller

y,
so years, wife of the pastor of Christ
Lutheran, Church, Bexley, suburb of
Columbus, Ohio, and mother of four
children. was found partially cremat-
ed in the furnace of their home on the
afternoon of November IT. Many thee
ries have been given for the mystery,
which has baffled the police.
Prosecutor King found blood on one
of the pipes leading from the furnace
and on the door He is having it exam
med. Dr. H. M. Brundage, a pathologi
cal expert, has been conducting tests
on guinea pigs, which were expected
to show that Mrs. Sheatsley was put
in the furnace after she was dead
This bursts the theory OF her husband
who is not the only one in the fashion
able suburb to hold to suicide An ar
rest is expected soon. Prosecutor
King says that he has struck a hot
lead" but will not divulge what it is.
The Rev. Sheatsley, husband of the
dead woman, established an alibi
which has been checked up by the
prosecutor and found to be apparently
holeproof.
Has Good Aib
He claims to have left his wife alive
at their home at 1880 on the fatal
day, and returned home at 4:45. His
actions during the intervening time
have been checked and found to be
true He went to a bank; bought a
hat; visited a hospital to pray with
young girl student from Capital Col
lege, who was confined there; and
made several calls.
Clarence, the youngest son, 16 years
tells one of the most Wierd stories
ever conceived by human. He claims
to have been attracted to the furnace
by an unusual odor. He saw hisJ
mothers body there on the blazing
Goals He says he closed the door and
returned to the upper part of the
house lay down, took a nap, then left
the house to practice football at the
Capital College field 1t was not until
five hours had passed that he told of
seeing his mother in the furnace.
When he answered the Prosecutors
questions his eyes were averted and
he looked no one full in the face. Ills
father was the first one he told what
he had seen.
Sisters Say Mother Wept
Milton, twenty years, the Oldest son
said that he came home and smelled
something burning, but it was not I'M
til his sisters came home and urged it.
did he investigate. He said that when
he opened the furnace door rush of
flames and acrid smoke made him
slam it. Il thought there was rabbit |
pelt mixed in with the garbage thae
had been thrown into the furnace" he
said in answer to questions.
The two sisters, Elizabeth, la years
and Alice 10 years told Prosecutor
King that their mother had come into
their room early on the morning Of
THE fatal day and that she was crying.
According to the police they claim
that she asked my poor children,
will your mother be forgiven for her
sins?" The father said that he had
heard part of the conversation, but
did not hear the reference to "sins."
The Rev. Sheatsley first told the
police that he believed that his wife |
had been murdered. Several hours |
afterwards he got in touch with Pro-
secutor King and told him that he had
charged his mind and now believed
that she had committed suicide in a
fit of religious hysteria or mania.
He said that she had been much
impressed on the previous Sunday
morning when he had preached on the
tcpic, @Man Driven Out of the Garden
OF Eden" and that she had told him
that it was the best sermon he had
ever done. .She also said that she
would like to be in the place preach |
ed about he testified.
He based his change of mind on
this statement of hers and claims that
it was possible for her to have gone
into the furnace feet first and to have
then to have turned herself enough |
to have closed the door before she
died.
Nn,,Id Not HraAul Ia