At 3 o'clock Monday afternoon Dr. Robert Carothers, of Newport, made a
post-mortem examination of the body at White's undertaking
establishment. It was made in the presence of Dr. J. O. Jenkins, Drs. J.
L. and C. T. Phythian, Dr. J. W. Fishback and Coroner W. S. Tingley. The
examination occupied over an hour, and was very thorough. The result was
the finding of a foetus of between four or five months' gestation. The
doctors also came to the conclusion that the woman was not over 20 years
of age, and that she had never before been pregnant. The foetus was
removed and taken to A. F. Goetze's pharmacy, corner of Fifth and York
Streets, where it was placed in alcohol for preservation.
The stomach was taken out and turned over to Dr. W. H. Crane, of the
Medical College of Ohio, in Cincinnati, and he made all the known tests
for the various poisons that might have been administered. This was
done to ascertain, if possible, whether the woman was drugged before
being taken to the place where the crime was committed.
Dr. Carothers, who was at the time a professor at the Ohio Medical
College, had been an interne in the Cincinnati Hospital, and his
experience qualified him to judge accurately of other details than those
pertaining only to professional matters.
"I am satisfied that the girl was not outraged," said he. "The man had a
reason to kill her, and the result of the post mortem shows it. I judge
that it was a premediated and cold-blooded murder. The girl, in my
opinion, was from the country and was comparatively innocent. She was
brought to Cincinnati to submit to a criminal operation. Once here she
was taken to F. Thomas and murdered. Her head was taken away, horrible
as it may seem, merely to prevent the identification of her body."