Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-08-24

ST. PAUL,
shake their heads and can give no plausible
| explanation, have none at all to offer. It ia q
mystery.
Such are the particulars of Mrs. McMasters'
death, the circumstances attending it, so far as
can be learned, and the suspicious circum-
stances which involve it in the shadow of pro-
found mystery, even to the gloom of violent
| murder.
| CoRRoBoRAT1vE EVIDENCE OF VIOLENCE.
For some. time, two weeks ago, Mrs. McNas-
tiers gave her only servant vacation. She was
alone in the house until about week ago, when
her son Russell took up his residence with her,
his wife being at Clear Lake. Last Friday he
left his mother to go to Clear Lake. She was
again lett alone, though at night she summoned
young colored girl, granddaughter of Mr..
Moffatt, the sexton of Christ Church,
to occupy an adjoining room, for
company's sake. Monday night this girl, Myra
Peters by NAME did not sleep at Mrs. McMas-
| ters for reasons stated hereafter
| The last person who saw Mrs. McMasters
alive was Mrs. Albert Eddy. She was there for
an hour and a half. Mrs. Eddy declares she
was in unusually good spirits, cheerful and
spoke particularly Of her health. She had
been suffering with her throat, she declared,
but for week or ten days past she had felt en-
tlrely relieved. In fact, her health was so
| much better than usual that she had visited
| White Bear lake twice within the last week.
| Mrs. McMasters took her departure in very
| cheerful frame of mind. She went home.
Entered the house by the front door-the KEY
| of that door has never been found; the key of
| the side door leading into the church yard was
| found on the inside-and met her death.
THE MURDER THEORY.
That death came in the physical form of a
miscreant intent robbery. He stealthily fol-
lowed the lone lady up the long and dark walk
leading to the doorway of her house. As she
placed the key into the keyhole he stood at her
elbow. She opened the door and left it open
for light while she sought her lamp and lit it.
Turning, she saw the man before her. Poor
woman she was paralyzed with fright for mo-
ment, and then essayed to scream. The
cowardly wretch reached for her, clasped her
! throat with his murderous fingers, and she
swerved between life and death in his cruel
grasp Her eyes, her face, the tremor OF her
body warned her assailant that he might kill
her. He relaxed his hold and the delicate, frail
woman fell down at his feet dead, bleeding from
the nose and mouth. The murderer stood over his
victim appalled, at the greatness and horror of
his crime. He had not intended murder, but
his rude attack had been too much for the frail
woman.
Then the murderer was seized with the de-
sire to hide the traces of his crime He lifted
his victim from the floor. yet warm with the
fitful flow of lite, carried her to her bed, and in
his anxiety to cover all appearances of his I'M
natural crime, laid her corpse out for burial.
Then the unstained handkerchief fell from
her nerveless hand.
As the murderer laid his victim to her rest.
he discovered the watch grabbed it from her
person. and with this booty only to repay him
for his murder, he extinguished the light, and
in the darkness of night fed. A he passed
through the doorway, be pulled the door to
after him, locked it, took the key with him.
As he left the scene of the horrible deed, the
key burnt his hands as if molten with hot evil
dence against him, and he cast it from him.
Isn't this theory as plausible as that adj
vanced by those who found her dead?
How else account for the absence of the key;
the disappe arance of the watch? The death
itself! .-.
EVIDENCE SECURED BY THE GLOBE DETECTIVE
The evidence is forthcoming as follows:
Mrs. Eddy saw her last. She was then in un-
usually good health. Her throat was clear and
easier than it had been for years. Could she
have had an attack SO shortly afterward?
DR.. Hand and DR.. Davenport speak of finding
| the unstained whire handkerchief.
| They tell of the clots of blood being found.
They report the loss If key and watch.
Mrs. Gillian and her brother, S. Y. McMas-
ters have been unable to find key or watch
| They have superintendent the search; every
article of furniture and every receptacle in the
house has been removed and searched
| Mr.. Moffatt, the sexton of Christ church. re-.
sides next door to the rectory. He has become
familiar by long years of observation with Mrs.
McMasters' habits. He has served about her
house. Her habit has been never to retire be-
fore II to 11:S0 o'clock at night. She would
read in the front room, or sew, and nightly the
gleam of her light has become familiar to the
watchful sexton.
Monday night this accustomed light was not
seen. But il was seen in her bed room about 9
| o'clock, and a few minutes thereafter as out
Moffatt is the grandfather of Myra Peters,
the girl who had been sleeping at Mrs. McMas-
ters' since Friday night, when her son Russell
left for Clear Lake. Monday night Moffatt was
in his back yard about o'clock. He saw the
CLEAN of light from the dead woman's bed room
window, overlooking his garden. He went into
l fhnro -
said:
IF yon are going to sleep at Mrs. McMasters
you'd better shake yourself up and get owe
there, for it's getting late.'
The girl went out Immediately, went TO tn,
front door of the rectory, knocked, got n,
answer, saw no light, and, returning, slept a
home. .--..-..r. ... +.
Moffatt saw the light at 9 o'clock, or abou
that hour. Within ten minutes at the most. hi
grand daughter was at the rectory door, coult
get no answer to loud knock, found the dor
locked, and saw no light.
It was Mrs. Nc Masters habit to read in he,
front room until II o'clock. Previously Myr.
Peters had found Mrs. McMasters awake, anl
she gave her prompt admission.
Monday night, at o'clock. when Myra Peter
knocked at the door. Mrs. McMasters was dead
And in the interval of time, which it had taker
Moffatt to enter his house, and charge Myra to g,
to Mrs. McMasters' and which was consumed
In reaching the door, the murderer had put ou
the light and fed, after locking the front door
Mrs. McMasters wouldn't have put out tn,
light had she only laid herself upon the bed to
recover from fainting spell. gs
Myra Peters, the granddaughter, is bright
clever colored girl of 16 years. She i.
well grown for her age, and in no re