Year: 1877

PICKET POsT, ARIZONA, December 26.

 EDITOR CITIzEN:-As you have not yet published a full account of the death of James Lewis, I presume a few facts relating to it, will be of ln- terest to your readers. His companion ReaYis, was the only witness of i'm portance and it appears by his testi- mOny that he (Reavis) had purchased a one gallon water keg in Florence. At the time of buying, the keg con- tained, what was thought by the clerk to be dirt, water, dark red liquid re- sembling port wine, which was poured out at the store. The two then started on cattle driving expedition, camp Ing that evening at the residence ot Mir. Stiles on the GIla. Here the keg was filled with water, and before start ing in the morning across the twenty ty-two mile desert to Hewitt's Station was emptied of its contents, the parties carrying enough water in canteens to meet their wants. Arriving at Hewitt's they took a drink and concluded to go on about four miles to Bear Tanks where they could picket their horses. At Bear Tanks, Lewis took the empty keg to fill it while Reavis proceeded to build fire and cook supper. Lewis arriving with the keg partly filled, Reavis made tea from it while Lewis went to gather more wood, and being detained some time dId not return until Reavis had eaten supper and drank of the tea. Lewis then partook heartily of the tea and soon after both were taken sick with vomiting and purging. Reavis partly recovered and seeing that his cOmrade was in bad state returned in the morning to Hew- its to get conveyance for him to a settlement, but failing in this, returned to camp and found Lewis lying dead in the fire. Word was then sent to Picket Post requesting the attendance of physician, and party of citizens went down in a wagon with Dr. Bluett, intending to get the corpse, but not be- ing satisfied with the surroundings de- clined to move it until a jury could be summoned to investigate. Judge Blake ly, acting Coroner, was notified and the next day jury was impanneled and proceed to the spo:. The body was found 10 be simply roasted and not blistered as would naturally be supposed had the man fell upon the fire before dying

 The keg was opened showing a dense white precipItate which was supposed to be white lead, after taking notes on the position of the corpse, etc, it was taken to Picket Post, where at the re- quest of the Coroner, Professor De Groot made an analysis of the sediment in the keg and pronounced it arsenic. Dr. Bluett was then requested 10 make q post mortem and remove the stom- ach which was done and put under seal in a glass jar. When the jury met again their verdict was that deceased came to death 5y poison, but by whom administered they could not determine.

 The case is still shrOuded in mystery as by the testimony of Professor De Groot, and the opinion of other experts who supported his views; the arsenic must have been introduced into the keg after it was purchased in Florence, moreover the evidence is very strong that the body did not char until after death. A careful analysis of the stom- ach should be made to determine posi- lively whether the man died from the fleets of arsenic or not, and if so, searching investigation to discover the perpetratar of the deed. WILLOW.