The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1873-10-23
A Headless Skeleton.


The discovery OF Il headless skeleton
sensation in that city The place where
the highway, in clmp small pine trees
The remains were covered with a black
silk dress, partially dccomposed There
was no flesh ON the bones, and the skull
could NOT he found. The skeleton was
quite tail, The bones the feet were con-
tanned in lady's serge shoes-the lppers
nearly docomposcd. In their present con-
dition the shoes DC not seem larger than
MOSS 1t is supposed the body must have
lain in The spot for quite a period. When
discovered the remains We're covered with
small limbs and the cones Of the pines
There was no ileshy matter about the skel-
eton. The boots were laced and the heels
high and but little worn. DR.. Wigsin who
examined the skeleton, expresses the opin-
ion that the woman must have been 10
feet tall. The woman must have been
Well-dressed, as silk lace about two inches
wide was quite profusely used in trimming
the sleeves, around the wrist and extend
mo over the shoulders to back and waist.
Bead trimming seemed also to have been
used. The buttons We're an inch and three
ei%hts in diameter, covered with network
Of silk with an oval center
The news of this discovery at once caused
inquiries to be made as to whether any per-
son had mySteriously disappeared from
that city within the past few years, and had
never been heard from.
Very soon it was remembered that on
the night of June Il, 1870 Mrs. James Nj.
Lowell. 4 woman of about 80 Years of age,
disappeared from Lewiston, since which
none of her friends have ever heard of
her, and they have given her up as dead.
The officers at the time made every effort
lo find some trace OF her. but without sue
cess. | pom hearing of the finding of the
skeleton. the friends of Mrs Lowell imme-
diately expressed their belief that the mys-
terry OF her disappearance had been solved {;
and that she had been brutally murdered
by her husband.
\ reporter for the Lewiston journal
when this fact came to his knowledge. in
terviewcd several of Mrs Lowell's friends.
and published the result Of his invcstiga-
ton, from which il appears that Mr. and
Mrs, Lowell did not live happily together
and that he treated her brutalv. Sunday
afternoon, June T., 1870, they had quar-
rel, arising from the husband discovering
his wife in conversation with 4 circus per-
former. That evening, Lowell took his
wife TO ride. and she was never seen after
wards. Their landlady, the next morning
asked Lowell where his wife was, ard he
repl.ed that he brought her back the night
before. and if she was missing ''she must
have gone off to Portland with that circus
fellow Afterwards certain letters were
thrown into the yard Of Il Mrs Murray, a
friend of the Lowells, purporting to have
been written by Mrs. Lowell, intimating
her intention to commit suicide, but upon
comparing the handwriting with that of
the missing woman they proved to bear
no resemblance.
Mr.. Lowell afterwards married again
bu1 the woman does not live with him, be-
mo now al work in Lewiston. Some time
since he went away, and a few months ago
4 Mrs. Burton received a letter from him
stating that he had letter from Lizzie,
(his wife) and she wanted to come and
live with him again but he adds that he
had written her that She shouldn't come
and he shouldn't think she would expect
him 70 come after he had treated her so.
Several women remembered the cloth
inc Mrs Lowell wore the dav She disap-
pearcd and it seems that their description
corresponds exactly with that found with
the skeleton
This circumstantial evidence at once
caused inquiries to be made as to Lowell's
present whereabouts 1t was finally as
certained that he was at work in Lowell.
Mass. and officer Wiggin proceeded to
that city and arrested him Lowell refused
to leave the State, but City Marshal Rich
ardson at once obtained 4 requisition from
the Governor and the prisoner has been
brought to Lewiston. 4 preliminary ex-
animation will probably be had soon, and
a fair opportunity given the prisoner to ex-
plain the mystery, if he can, and relieve
himself from the grave suspicious resting
upon him, should they prove to be unbound
ed in fact