The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1873-05-08

THE people Of Placer county,
CAL, have a real mystery which
promises to be forever impeus.
trablc. The papers have printed
a great many surmises about it,
and the people Of the Placer
section are being more and
more excited, and deeper and
deeper in darkness. They give
it up in despair as something sur
passing human understanding.
There are three deaths in the
chapter OF horrors. A young girl
of IL, her old father, and a man
who watched his corpse one night.
q. M. Coates, q s,ckly man Of
50, had q small rancho Of his own,
and sometimes did service for his
neighbors as herdsman. HIS
daughter Of 81 kept house for
him, and he had 10 his household
besides his son aged Is, one aged
10, Elvina, a daughter aged 10
years, and an infant son Of four or
five years. Elvina was a very
pretty, wcll-developed girl for IL
years, with sunbrowhed face, and
sunsbiny hair, and full Of life.
One Of her brothers was engaged
herding sheep for neighbor a
mile or so off, and sho was in the
habit OF visiting him occasionally,
accompanied by her little brother.
1t seems her father had told her
not 10 60 any more, as he feared
some danger. One day he took
a short trip by railroad to receive
$3.50 in cash, the balance ola leg
acy, and returned in the evening
with tho money. ElviDa was not
at home. He was told she bad
gone to visit her shepherd broth
or, and had not taken the boy
with her as was her won't. The
boy had cried to 60, hut she had
hired him with scme triAe to stay
at home, and had bounded of
alone on the trail that led to her
brothers sheep-cote.
Mr. Coates become very angry
at the disobcdience of bis dangh-
ter, cut a good-sizcd switch and
went off after her. The shepherd
boy was found with his sheep, but
had not seen bis sister that day.
The father, alarmed, throw away
his switch and began to call
"ViDa" among the hills, bat re-
ceived only hollow echoes for an
swer. lie went home, but 90 much
troubled that he could not eat any
supper. He started ont alone,
calling for his daughter, and was
never again seen alive. As Meth.
-.r~vina" nor rbe cid man return
ed, the rest of the family became
much alarmed and aroused the
whole neighborhood for miles
around to search. Mr.. Coates
was found dead, lying on his face
with no marks of violence on his
person, and the $3.50 safe in his
pocket. Coroner's inquest no
post-mortem; verdict, death by
heart disease. A Young Italian
volunteered to sit up ono night
with the corpse, and the next day
he died. Cold was assigned to be
the cause.
The search for little Elvina
Coates which continued for 81
days, had been rclinquished. AT.
terward a man passing an old
"prospectipg hole" - feet deep,
six feet in diameter, and filed
with water to within one foot of
the top, saw what appeared to DO
n bundle floating on the surface.
He thought Of the missing girl
and dismounted. 1t was a burlap
sack, such ne is used for grain. He
pulled at 1t and fonnd q human
head in the sack. lie rude rapid
ly away and told what he had
seen, The coroner came, and q
great many people came with
him. The sack was taken from
tho water and contained the
body of Vina Coates. There
were no marks Of violence or
outrage..on the body. The sack
was drawn over the head and
bound tight about the waist with
cord. 1t fitted closely to the
body and shoulders. il was
ma, ked II. ii. S., the initiate Of
Mr.. Ii. II. Smith, a merchant at
Newcastle, three or four miles
of, whose clerks swore that they
had sold many such sacks, but
had never cold one to Coates
Many people in the vicinity had
such sacks, 90 the sack revealed
nothing but little Vioa Coates
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