Evening star., 1925-02-14
MYSTERY LIFTING
IN T|NSLEY DEATH
Finding OF Poison in Dead
Mans Home Causes Release
of Persons Held.

Discovery of newly opened bottle
of .lysol i'll the home of Roger w
Tinsley, 27-year-old contractor, who
died under mysterious circumstances
Thursday night, injected a new ele-
ment into the case which may result
in the cause of the death being cleared
up today.
Detective Murphy of police head.
quarters, acting under suggestions
of DIR. j. Ramsay hewitt, coroner,
searched the house of Tinsley. at
Takoma Park, Md, thoroughly last
night, and interviewed Mrs. Geneva
Town Tinsley, the widow, who re-
turned yesterday from Massachusetts,,
where she had been visiting relatives.
Mrs. Tinsley told Murphy that al
/. though she could not give motive
for suicide on the part of her hus-
band, there had been no lysol in the
house for three years previous to her
leaving three months ago. At that
time she was i'll and went to a hos
pital.
Upon being apprised of the new de-
velopments, DR.. hewitt announced
that the discovery of the lysol served
to eliminate from consideration in
connection with the death the events
and discoveries made at the home of
Mrs Eva Goodwin, 46 B street south
west, where Tinsley had been at
tackled by Samuel p. Jones, a fellow
worker, early Thursday afternoon.
Suicide Theory Strengthened.
DIR. Neyitt announced. after discov-
ering the amount Of poison remainin 6
In the bottle found at the Tinsley
home, that sufficient liquid had been
taken therefrom to account for the
death This fact, together with the
story of the absence of any lysol from
the Tinsley home told by Mrs. Tinsiey
strengthened theory that this was
the source of the poison.
These developments dovetailed with
chemical tests performed by DR.. T
M. Price. District chemist who an
alyzed the peach brandy which was
found in a bottle from which Tinsle y
had been drinking Thursday and
which Henry Iverson, Tinsley's friend
testified was purchased by Tinsley
and himself at the home of Mrs Eva
Goodwin, at 46 B street. southwest
early Thursday.
Tests further made showed the alb
solute presence of a large quantity
of phenol in Tinsley's stomach. the
chemical tests confirming In detail
the testimony given by DIR. Herbert
E. Martyn deputy coroner, at the
inquest yesterday.
Poison Source Traced.
Dr. Nevitt officially announced at
the inquest today that the source of
the poison had been definitely traced
and therefore all persons held for
que stioning had been exonerated.
The coroners jury yesterday, aft
er hearing testimony from witnesses
to the effect that Jones had struck
Tinsley four times, while at the Good
win home, and taking the report OF
an autopsy performed by DR.. Herbert
E. Martyr into consideration. decided
that the cause of death was phenol
poisoning.
This started police Investigation
into the source Of the poison, and a
bottle of lysol, together with bot
tie containing substance smelling of
carbolic acid, both of which are
phenol derivatives, were found at the
home of Mrs Goodwin. The lysol
bottle contained approximately one
ounce of the drug, but on account of
the tendencies of the testimony anG
an account of the finding of poison at
the home of Tinsley last night, beth
were eliminated from the case by DR..
hewitt.
A special supplemental session of
the coroner's jury, which sat in the
inquest into the death of Tinsley yes
terday was called for this morning.
since the same jury was summoned to
probe circumstances surrounding the
suicide of Iseman B. HartZ at Emer-
gency Hospital yesterday.
At this session Murphy took the
stand and testified a to his discovery
at the home of Tinsley.