The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1880-04-15

NAL Engagement.
Detroit, Mich, April 7.--On March 30,
1879, these dispatches chronicled the
fact of finding the body Of Il well dressed
woman bound and gagged and tied up in
a coffee sack under the stern of the
barge Shuckaleena, in the Detroit river,
at the western end Of the city. All at
tempts to identify the remains proved
futile, and they were finally Inferred
The police expressed the belief that The
woman had been brought here from a
distance, murdered and thrown into the
river. Descriptions Of the missing wo-
man were sent from here all over The
country and number OF clues were fol-
lowed mp, but none developed anything
pointing to the identity Of the deceased
or possible murderer. During the search
no less than twenty.f five missing women
were hunted up and found, Finally Su,
perintendent Rogers took the case in
his own hands and succeeded in striking
a lead at last. After many months of
search something encouraging and posi-
tive was discoVered-one Martha Whit.
la, aged twenty eight, whose description
tailed with that of the body found in
the river. The girl was in the employ
Of a family named Tyson, who live on
farm three miles north of Dearborn, in
this county, and was privately reported to
the police to have disappeared. The Ty-
sons, it is alleged, said she had left them,
thrown up her situation, and gone else
where to live. None OF the neighbors
had seen her, and several other stories
about her leaving having, it is said, been
circulated by the Tysons differing from
their first version of her Disappearance,
aroused the suspicious of the officers,
who suspected foul play. The Tysous
began to act suspiCiously, and when in
terrogated about the missing girl re-
turned vague answers. The suspected
Tysons were in the habit of coming to
Detroit regularly, and generally brought
Martha with them. Upon these ocCa-
sions the girl used generally to call at
Mrs. Canton's, on Michigan avenue,
where she formerly lived as a boarder,
and where she still made her headqu8r-
ters, keeping her trunk there.
Some time in January, 1879, they sud
denly stopped visiting at Canton's, and
when being questioned by the latter
about Martha, said she had disappeared
and they thought she had committed
suicide, inasmuch as nothing had been
heard of her.
The police learned that Martha's trunk
was there and at once produced trunk
key found in the pocket book OF the
murdered woman. 1t was found to fit
the lock exactly.
On opening and examing the contents
of the trunk, he found, among other
things, a piece of cloth matching the
sack of the drowned woman; large but.
ton corresponding to those upon the
sack; piece of silk fringe matching that
upon the sack piece of brown twilled
serge corresponding to that upon the
bottom of her underskirt, and last, but
not least, some Combings of hair wrap
ped around piece of silk, both silk and
hair corresponding to those Of the MUIR
dered woman.
These facts in themselves were sufi.
Cient to establish beyond doubt that the
woman found floating was Martha
Whitla.
Martha Pugh was the real name of the
murdered woman. M lrtha Pugh and her
brother were born in Ohio, and the lat
ter still resides there. Both parents died
when she was little girl, and she was
afterward adopted by John Whitla,
farmer and shoemaker. Jesse, one of
the Whita boys, embraced the Presby.
terian ministry, and some years ago was
assigned to charge in Nankin town
ship, in this county. Rev Jesse Whitla
was and is man of family, and is now
preaching in Minnesota.
Some years ago Martha made the &C.
quaintance Of young Tyson, who procur.
ed place for her in his fathers house,
and induced her to go there to work -
Martha had been employed at Tyson's
about year prior to her disappearance
and murder,
The silver thimble found upon her
person, with the initials IN. w." upon
it, was identified. The Crowning link in
the chain of evidence that the drowned
woman was Martha Whitla, was obtain
ed on Monday evening. Sne had four
false front inCisOrs. Diligent inquiry in
this city on Monday resulted in the dis
Covery that D. J. H. Farwell, dentist,
made the plate, and he clearly remem
bers the circumstance.
The last day on which she came to De.
troit was on the 12 of January, 1879, as
far as known the last day she was seen
alive.
The officers having settled beyond
doubt the identity of the woman, next
looked about for the murderers. Suspi-
Cion was at on Ce attached to the Tyson's,
and careful inquiries were began to be
made about the suspected parties, and
what motive they could have in making
away with the girl. Martha Whitla met
one of the boys above referred 10, and
he made love to her, and induced her to
go to work at his fathers house, where
subsequently he asked her to marry
him, and she accepted. When their en-.
gagement became known, old man Ty-
son, 80 the story goes, flew into passion,
and swore he would disown his son if
the latter married Martha, and under
the pressure brought to bear upon him,
the young man agreed to give her up and
tried to break off the engagement. This
proposition the girl refused to entertain.
and manifested disposition to hang to
her lover, There are several theories
about the possible motives that the Ty-
sons might have had for getting Martha
out of the way. Immediate arrest of the
entire Tyson family has been agreed
upon, and officers started into the Coun.
try for them this evening.