Word of Southern Gentleman Not Sufficient, Mrs. King's Death Will Be Investigated, 1917

“Summons Served on Means,” from the Monroe Journal, Sept. 18, 1917

An Investigation Will be Made of the King Death

Concord, Sept. 16—Subpoenas were issued late Saturday evening, it was announced today, for witnesses to appear on Monday, September 24, and give evidence in connection with the mysterious death near this city of Mrs. Maude A. King, which occurred on the night of August 29. The subpoenas were handed by Coroner C.L. Spears to Sheriff Howard W. Caldwell, and some of them were served the same evening. At the Means home service was had on Gaston B. Means and Mrs. Mazie C. Melvin, sister of the dead woman.

The other papers to be served were for Capt. W.S. Bingham, who is still at Richfield, in an adjoining county; Afton Means, now in New York city; and Ernest Eury, the colored chauffeur. These three, with Gason Means, were all the members of the automobile party the night Mrs. King was shot and killed.

Besides those named, Mr. and Mrs. Charles S. Dry, the parties who live near the spring and who have, since the tragedy, given evidence that conflicts at some points with that given at the coroner’s inquest, have been summoned to appear at the reopening of the inquest. Mrs. Melvin, although she was at a moving picture theater in the city when her sister was shot, will also be examined.

No new developments have taken place in Concord during the past 24 hours. Mrs. J.B. Foraker is still in the city, and this afternoon spent several hours at the Means home and automobiling. This afternoon she went out in the machine, in company with Gaston Means, W.R. Patterson, Gaston’s father-in-law, and several other members of the Means family. She returned to the hotel late in the afternoon.

A new arrival at the St. Cloud Hotel yesterday was Miss Anna Dolan of New York city, said to be a Red Cross nurse. She went yesterday to the Means home, saying that she was a close friend of Mrs. Melvin and wished to see her. Later in the day she gave up her room at the hotel and is staying at the house with Mrs. Melvin.

In a long-distance telephone message today, Solicitor Hayden Clement, at Salisbury, prosecuting attorney for this district, stated that he would come to Concord on Tuesday to take up actively the reopening of the case. C.B. Ambrose, the department of justice operative, is still in Salisbury, but he is expected to arrive here within a few days to assist the solicitor in the work.