Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1881-08-29
WAS rHEsk rouL pLAYp

Some DARK humorn IN aebHS w tnS
Cause OF the Death OF aAnd shsbafd
Funeral OF tee Giff- 4 = sIsErsh fttn
Ear frisnds
The tragic death ut thasaiiei aSss Ct
the house in Alley 10 Id East wheeling
last Friday, and The inducing causes
thereof, continue to be the subjec;s tt
conjecture smong the quidnuucs and
the police OF this city, uut so far thor
oush sitting Of the matter has failed TO
develop more than this, viz: Maud
Shepard while engaged IN making her
toilet last Thursday night had her Cloth.
ing iguited by the explosion OF lamp,
and from the effects of the injuries re-
ceived she died the succeeding day
Consequent upon her decease came the
very pertinent inquiry: what Gansed
the EXPLOSION OF the lamp" Was It
Knocked from the dressing case by the "o'
man herself accidentally, or was u, as
others suppose, thrown at her by an In
iuriated lover, eurageh on account OF the
neglect oil his mistress, and OF her prefer
ence for another The better theory
has been the one that has been received
With much favor by certain class i"r
MANY reasons, the principal one being
The tendency TO foster a scandal and
thereby create an ephemeral excitement.
In their eagerness to accomplish the last
named. they have been eminently sue
cessful. and il will be perhaps three or
four DAYS before the public at large will
be reasonably certain that an accidental
burning, fatal in effect, has been dis
torted into q sensation OF the first mag
nitude, and elevated to plane OF crimi'
nal Importance it had no right to hoi!.
A REGISTER man has been at work for
a day or two trying to unravei toe mys'
tery surrounding the death OF the de.
ceased nyn,ph d. pare, and gives the FOL.
lowing as the results OF his investiga-
tons:
Maude Shepard, so called, came TO
this city some FIVE or ak weeks ago and
for time was quartered on st. Char les
street, and may be at one other point
prior 10 her entering upon a LIE oil
shame at the brothel OF Viola DeF0rest
on alley l6, some three weeks ago. She
is described as being tall and rather
comely girl about twenty.three years oil
age. She was rather petul4nt and very
Quick tempered, which made her at
times rather disagreeabie, but Tor the
most part she was we'll liked by the in
mates and those calling at the house.
In a casual manner the girl sometimes
alluded to her antecedents but never
sufficiently to give any OF her c0mpan'
ions clue to her past, except that she
had been married to a man named Shep
ard with whom she had lived two years,
| when a separation had resulted. This,
with one or two incidents OF trivial
nature was ali that she divulged and so
| far as the inmates are concern
ed she died with her secret
locked in her breast. Madame DeForest
siys in the most positive terms
that no one was in the room with the
woman at the time that her clothes we've
limited, that she ran down stairs all
ablAza, and in her fright and agony mar
rowly MISSED burning several others IN
the house. "The girl was in the
house on the same terms as my
other boarders, and l am dead certain
never had any favorites Or gentlemen
| friends. No one threw the lamp at her,
and the burning was the result oil an
accident" The housekeeper corrobor
ates this statement, likewise the negro
Franks, who was present at the time OF
the accident. IL is said that some OF the
neighbors saw the lamp being tossed
back and forth by two young men OF this
city, but our most vigorous inquiries
Jailed to turn up said neighbors.
In the dressing case OF the woman
was found a number oil letters which
che had received at various tines from
different persons All Of these letters
the Madame alleges were burned IN the
dressing case, with one exception, and
this letter she read to our reporter. This
letter is from her sists r, and Is merely a
narration OF happenings at the home oil
the writer: Hsnesville, Me'gs county,
Ohio. An allusion is made to VIII III
the letter, rs to his movements, &c., ami
this "Wili," il is supposed, is the hus'
band CT the deceased. The writer also
cautions deceased Ito be a lady at all
times" and stick Ia her trade lit appears
that she had given the writer an idea
that she was learning a trade). This
letter was addressed to Maud Shepard
ll4S Charles street, and vas post mark.
ed Alberta, Ohio, August 5rh, 1881.
There are several highly coloreu sto-
ries sfloat in connection with the death
OF the girl, but they are not worth re
production,
The funeral took place Saturday
afternoon, from Mendel's undertaking
establishment, 18th street. Rev. DR.. S. $
Steele, OF North Street Church. and
Rev. George f. Hite, Of Zane Street
Church, officiatod, the latter making
some very touching remarks and at the
same time taking occasion TO demon
strste the sorrow, shame and death CT
such q lie as the one so horribly termi
mated. Beside the reporters there were
a few curious persons present, and also
madame DeForest and one OF her
women. Upon the coffin some kind
hand had placed some beautiful flowers,
but they were the only indication that
any one had remembered the fallen one
The interment WAS made at the PENN
snla.
While our reporter was at the house
in East Wheeling last night, the tele
graph messenger brought the folio wing
telegram:
PoMERoY, D., August 2S.
To Maudc Shspard:
II you are no better telegraph me i'm.
medlately. Answer quickly.
MARY PIERCE.
The following rtplY was sent by
N ldame De Forest.
WHEELING, August %.
Dead and buried yesterday. Come I'M
medistely. VIOLA DIX FosssT
II is likely that the friends OF the girl
will come to-day.
INEIVlDUAI, ITEMS