The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-10-01
THE STATEN ISLAND MYSTERY.

is THE VICTIM OF THE SILVER LAKE HORROR
'sHANG" DRAPER's wIEE?-PorSTs OF Rr-
sEMBLANcE BETWEEN THE LATTER AND THE
MURDERED GrRL-THE HOWARD TRAGEDY
RUMoRs AND THEORIES.
Popular fancy, ever shifting. has sought In
new direction Tor explanation OF the
Staten Island horror, and, leaving the sensa-
tional Ellen Murpnys and Annie Towards
to DO discovered elsewhere. has gone back couple
OF months to a tragedy. which then shocked the
public tor aouton OF tho mystery. IL VIII be re-
membersd that tho fate fGeorge Howard alias Lester
the burglar ana gambler brought TO light.
Que day the body OF man found lying along
side the road Motifs farm, Yon-
ksrs. There blood oozing from q pistol
shot wound In she head, and revolver
lay beside him. Suicide was the popular verdict on
the nrst flush, but the of the medical expert and
the pracliced eye OF tho police agent showed
that tho mans life had not been des-
troyed by his own but by anosher's hand. Detective
King of the Central ONCE Identified the body the
widow Of the deceased came from Philadelphia there
was quiet funeral from Essex street uEdertakers
shop, and with the remains 81 the unfortunate man
interest in his death seemed buried out Of sight
There was hutter among police officials, an ex-
change Of condolences among the backlegs of How
ards coteric ana that all
WHERE DRApER2
Now 1t is called to miId that Howard, who was the
associate OF "Shang" Draper, BIN Irving, Johnny
Porter and Others OF that iIk, disappeared
at time when the wife OF the FIRST
named criminal living with hus-
burg. When descent made upon It
alter and the members oil the
gang arrested all the old demons OF tho place
were among tnsm with ono exception. Mrs. Draper
could not bs found. watch was set for her, out
she never came near the house, and the
cluson was naturally formed that she nad got wind
oil her husbands capture and kept out the way
Tear OF eliminating him. Now u rumor
ostensbly from police sources, but with flavor OF
tho ''Aasn" gossip about 1t which Identities the
prisoned burglars missing VITO with the mulilated
corpse the cowboy uneartned.
MARKS OF SIMILARITY.
There are certain circumstances which suggest such
q supposition and which, doubtless will be duly
weighed 10 fathoming the mystery.
Mrs. Draper was woman with lovely face and a
quoenly form, aristocratc in bearing aud dainty in
feature. Years ago sue was noiod among women OF
Tor those attractions, and it will be
bered that shey all have attributed TO unsghty
and Of extreme length tended IN an especial way
ana every one has heard that the long,
dark locks OF tho dead woman have
been the chief almost the only, Glow her identity.
Medical experts clam that the body at silver Lake
must have been buried about two munths, and that
would carry the limo Of death back TO the
date OF the Howard tragedy. Then the similarity
the mode OF h1ing the is alluded to- seques
tcred spot near the cily-in ono a few leaves,
IN the other layer OF earth-this vas all the
derer employed 10 screen the crime from the light OF
day.
HOWARD AND MRS. DRAPER
Circumstances so peculiar have turned attention
that the relations Of the wounded man with
his ASSOCIATES were such as to make his
death at tnsir hands possible, and II 70
stated that The same source lie probable
causes for Mrs raper's disappearance. II Is SAID
that sho was not seen alter The night her
husband and tho rest were arrested. and, In fact,
Tor time before that from this 1t is inferred
that Howard and sho persisted at the same time and
place. possibly ny the same hand, and their bodies
we're conveyed TO points wide apart disposed Of
SIGNIFICANT FACTS
At present tho pisusibiii.y Of this rumer remains
70 be tested. Mrs. Draper Ia . woman who has much
valuable Information, and II may be serviceabe for
others thatshe should keep out OF the
has not been 80 invisible after all, and has APP
peared In tho flesh 10 various knowing ones
the fact lha. she had a room in TL,ry-sixth
street, from which some mysterious mortal
conveyed conveys. .,s Muns. rs invested WIN .,, some
ton Of Mrs Draper with the Staten island
corpse will doubtless have the OBJECT Of revealing
what has become OF woman whose fasc,natons
made tho evil trainiug she received more
productive OF harm, aud II will turn pub
lie scrutiny upon a dreadful tragedy which
was doubtless committed In The midst Of tho
nifty and which bafllod perhaps did not sufficiently
stimulate the efforts OF tho police.
BUsrLE POLICE HEADQUARTERS.
All day yesterday The officials at Police Head
quarters manifested ~ their mysterious move
| menus tuab SomebuiuB u uuubuAl importance was
claiming their attention 10 all inquiries for
| Information the answer given, "There Is
at all" But this official DENIAL did allay
pioion excited by the unusual hustle 1t was sub
sequenty ascertained that II all about the sup
posed Glow that had boeo found regard
ing tho identity OF the Silver Lake corpse. While
| the Mrs. Draper version OF the story
freely cited, another represented the dead
woman TO be the wife OF George Howard.
l, caimed tnat she had been kept hidden away
from the authorities, as her capIors wcrc fear
ful that sne might mako known tho
husband. II is supposed that finding 1t I'M
possible 10 keep hor niding place secret, these
desperate and INSCRIPTIONS men murdered her to
mako ins mystery OF her husbands death impene-
and thereby their safety. 1t 10 fur
Their alleged that 70 hide all evidence OF tneir
guilt they packed her body away In barrel and
buried II In the place whore IL accidentally dis
covered at Silver Lake This story, however, Is
weakened by the statement OF some people, who say
nat Howard aYa and we'll In anathar