St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1879-06-20
The Missing Girl.
THE MYSTERY PRoBABLY SOLVED.


THE MYSTERY PROBABLY SOLVED.
Western Vermont has been greatly
excited over the recent disappearance
of Miss Emma Sands from Essex Centre,
last week Monday. The young lady
attended the Essex Classical Institute,
has taught school several terms in the
vicinity of Burlington, was twenty-four
years old, about five feet in height and
weighs ninety-nine pounds blue eyes,
light brown hair, which she wore in
braid. Mary Sands, sister of the miss
ing girl, says that May Doth, she and
Emma left home with their team to sell
laces. Sunday they arrived at Cam
bridge, about twelve miles from home,
and stopped with Joel Putnam, a
farmer. where Emma had worked dur
ing a vacation last summer. During
the day they went with other young
folks in their team to the farm of Eli
Hobart, two miles distant from the
Putnams. Emma remained there with
the intention of spending the night with
her friends, while the others returned
to Putnam's. Later, Emma herself de-
cided to return to Putnam's, finding
that it was incOnvenient to have her at
the Hobarts, and at half-past eight
o'clock in the evening she started to
walk back. A Frenchman by the name
of James La ROch, who worked for Mr..
Hobart, offered to go with her, but she
objected, and said to her friend, the
daughter of the household, "He shan't
90 with me l am afraid of him." La
Roch fingered, and finally started off
1, TO aY f,ia dc
81 will 90 down the railroad track till
/ pass him, then take the road for Put
nam's." The friend went with her to
a trestle work, fifty feet high and 100
feet long, and saw her safely across.
Emma waved her hand all right, and
that is the last seen of Emma, except
by La Roch. The general belief is that
she has been foully dealt with, and is
either murdered or is wandering cTazed
in the woods.
CURIOUS STORY.
The Burlington Free Press of Satur-
day, says: There is a curious story in
connection with the mysterious disap
pearance of Miss Emma Sands at West
ford, Sunday night, which, if corrobOr-
ated by facts yet to be established, will
clear up the tragedy of the mystery
and show it to be merely a wild freak
of an adventurous girl. Early Tuesday
morning, Mr.. Davis, the night watch
man of the Central Vermont railroad
depot in this city, found in passenger
car there, asleep, a person whom a
single glance sufficed to show was a
girl in mans clothes. 1t was sufficient
Iy evident, too, that she had come in
on foot and had gone into the car for
shelter and rest. On being awakened
she asked the hour at which the train
left for Rutland, but would give no eX-
PLANTATION as to how she came there.
Mr.. Davis asked her to go into the
ladies' waiting room and stay there.
Just then Flaherty, Davis relief, came,
and the latter started for home. But
Flaherty and a boy with him so aroused
the girls fears by injudiciOus questions
and remarks, that she, seeing that her
secret was discovered, took the earliest
to escape, and up to the
of writing nothing has been
seen or beard of her. The most curious
part of the story is now to come.
THE GIRL-BOY IDENTIFIED.
Yesterday some gentlemen came
down from WestfOrd, bringing with |
them six photographs of as many young |
ladies, one of Miss Sands among them.
These were shown to Mr.. Davis and he |
at once picked out that of Miss Sands |
and identified it as correct likeness of
the giIl-boy he had seen Tuesday morn
ing; and subsequently Flaherty did the
same thing. This is very strong evil
dence, to say the least. 1t would seem
to be very easy matter to find Il girl
so imperfectly disguised and if Davis
and Flaherty are not egregiously mis-
taken, Miss Sands will be soon discOv
cred and the whole matter cleared up.
BRANDON, IA.
The Burlington clue to the missing
Sands woman is being vigorously push
ed. A woman resembling Emma Sands /
passed through Winooski about five
o'clock Monday morning, and was seen
by N. Austin, going toward Burlington.
He gives a minute description of the
Sands girl. He was attracted toward
her by the fact of her trying to conceal
her face with her shawl. He also iden-
tilted the girls picture and is positive
this woman is the missing one. She
next is traced mt Burlington, where she
buys two calico shirts, a pair of brown
overalls and Il cheap reticule, for which
she paid 1888. The woman also had |
her hair ''bangedn somewhere in Bur-
lington, and procured straw hat. She
is next discovered asleep in a passenger
car in the Burlington depot, by the
night Waterman, dressed in the boys
clothes she had purchased