The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1875-11-04
The Mysterious Woman:

Our Geographic dispatches from
Lcavenworth the other day, gave an
account of the recovery of the body Of
female in the Missouri river at that
place. The evidence collected at tho
coroner's Inquest reveals the fact thai
she formerly lived in Kansas City
Tho appearance of tho body shows
that she was, without doubt, muir
dercd Her trunk, tor which check
was found on her body, was got out Of
the depot. 1t came from Wamego.
We let the Kansas City JomRrl tell
the rest:
This trunk was e9cncd and its con-
tents carefully examined. They con-
sisted Of one linen snit, two calico
dresses, several card photographs. a
quantity Of ladies under wear, gold
leaf ornament neatly engraved with
the name NJ. NJ. Black well, a package
of letters, and pass book, upon the
the corner of which was inscribed
''fiousekocper Leland Hotel" The
only remaining contents were supdry
toilet articles and two books, Jane
Eyre" and "Selcctiens from the Life
of The Apostle Paul"
Upon tho information thus acquired,
Justice Farrell proceeded with his in
quest. Our reporter did not learn that
any telegram was sent TO Chicago or
Kansas City to make inquiry about the
4, NJ "a nj ia In
cedents, and hence 10 additional light
was thrown on the case. The letters
found in the trunk were delivered to
the chief of police, and he refused to
divulge their contents or give the
names of the writers. Our reporter
was informed that some of them were
family letters. and others of charac-
ter that could not be revealed The
case was submitted to the jury on tho
evidence already presented and the
verdict was 10 the effect that the de-
ceased came TO her death ''from blow
on the right temporal bone and eye
feloniously dealt by some person or
persons unknown" and that the body
was subsequently thrown into the
river at point above the place of in
quest on the west side.
Such was the result of the official in
vesiigation, aud the remains were i'm
medialelv removed to the cemetery
and buried. Our reporter, however,
upon returning to Kansas City, at
once repaired to the Leland hotel and
requested to see Mr.. Il. l.. Long. Mr..
Long, lac was informed, left the city
several weeks ago, and is now a resi-
dent of Quincy. The Journal man
then expressed wish to interview
some of the domestics concerning a
lady who was formerly employed in
the hotel as housekeeper, and this re-
quest was granted. The purport of
this interview was briefly as follows
the information being furnished by
one of the girls now employed in the
hotel: Miss Blackwell had filed the
position of housekeeper at the Leland
for some time previous to April last.
She was a young lady of good intel
ligence, amiable disposition and most
prepossossiag face and figure.
f. l.. Long was at that time manag-
er Of the hotel, and the general beha-
vior of both himself and the young
lady justified the suspicion of a strong
mutual attachment. This girl was
loved aud respected by all who knew
her. About the last of April she left
the Leland for the purpose, as She in
formed her friends, of going to Cali
fornia, but subsequently changed her
mind and went to reside with a sister
near Topeka. She returned to Kansas
CITY In July. but our informant was
l. IL 81, nj
how long she remained. "Al.,' the
party TO whom the railroad pass is di-
rected, is a well known conductor on
the Kansas Pacific.road. The railroad
check found OH the person of deceased
was issued at Wamcgo, Kansas, on the
Kansas Pacific road, twenty miles west
of Topeka. These facts conclude our
reporters investigation.
That the girl was foully murdered
there can be no reasonable doubt, and
that the murderer can be hunted down
there is an equally strong presumptlon.
The blow upon the temple could not
have been casually inflicted. 1t was
by some deadly instrument, welded
by a strong arm with vindictive fury.
is out of the question, for there
" UO CNltltUCG anu tHt
Oivw Itself was "a death "a nature"
Ii is attributable to no accident, for
no steamboats, navigate to Leaven-
worth at this time, the levee is not
favoritc promenade, and no person
could fall from train of cars through
the railroad bridge. Maria Blackwel
was murdered. With whom did she
leave Wame.o, and what was her des
tination
We know nothing of the letters dis
covered in her trunk, but if the ofii-
cials consider them of ouflicient i'm
portancc TO sefuse their publication,
they probably furnish vital clue.
There is, at any rate, sufficient materi-
al in the facts already developed, to
establish a train of evidence which
must inevitably immesh the guilty.