Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1883-11-01
AN AWFUL SECRET.
The Mystery Of Fora Burns Ear-
der Still Despsns,
AND THE MOST SKILLED ARE BAFfLep.
The Life Story Which Began in Girsh limo.
cence and Ended in Shame, Mr.
der and the Disgrace
of Many.

LINCOLN, Ill, October 3l.-The mystery
Of Missouri Buns promises to remain q
mystery. There are many circumstances
connected with ber murder which render
the tragedy one OF the most remarkable
ever perpetra.ed in the West. The mys.
terious disappearance Of the girl thirty.six
hours before her dead but not yet cold
body was discovered, the
Wonderful Success of Her Murderer
in covering his tracks, and the Questiona-
bic relations now shown to have existed be-
tween the young woman and the most
prominent citizen Of this place invest the
case with an interest which has absorbed
the minds Of people for hundreds oil miles
around.
Missouri Burns was twenty-five years OF
age and the daughter OF William H. Barns,
wagon maker, Of st. Elmo, Ill. 4 year
or more ago the girl came 10 this city in
search Of work, and finally secured Il posi-
ton as q servant in the family OF .. A. Car
penter, grain merchant and the wealthiesi
man here.
The Girls PTepUSsessing Appearance
made her quite favorite with the young
men OF the town, but she is not known to
have received much attention from any
one except Thomas Dukes Sometime
lsst June she left Carpenters employ, say
ing she was 10 be married 10 Dukes in the
full and she wanted 10 20 home 10 prepare
for that event. she returned 10 ST. Emo
and devoted the summer 10 dreSsmaking
and visiting among her young friends in
the neIghborhoUd. The day for the we'd.
ding, which had been set for October Is,
wGs postponed To suit DuEess convenience
VI Ill the Both Up to that time
There was no Suspicion
that the young woman was not all that an
honest girl should be.
TN IIe I'm ui lhis nIOnIh she tod her
fatGer that she was going TO Lincoln TO see
Ca'ren,er rs be owed her some money
The old gentleman advised her 10 let the
matter rest, but she was determined to go,
and accordingly set out on her journey
She v're, much sgainst her parents
wishes. her wedding dress, aud carried in
her hand small satchel and a goSsamer
She arrived in Lincoln Saturday forenoon,
anG registered at q hotel. Lister in the day
he called at the Office OF Mr.. Carpenter
and had conversation with him,
So His Cashier Ssys.
Of thirty minutes duration, and then went
ont. From hat hour to this no one has
been found who saw the girl alive. Where
she went and what she did is unknown.
On Monday morning, October 10, at about
O'Clock, her dead body was found in a
grass.grown lane, abOut mile and "a hal!
from the centre Of the city. There was a
severe confusion on her forehead, aud her
throat was cut from ear 10 ear. Her hat,
satchCl and gosssmer were gone. She lay
with her face downward, bat her clothing,
all new and neat, and showing
No Signs Of Struggle.
was not dIsarrangci. There Was little
blood where she was found, and, though
her body WAS still warm, il was evident
hat sLr had not received her death wounds
there In the lane were buggy tracks re
Gently made, going and cominH but be
yond this nothing. The body was ten
derly carried to the city, and all the
officials Of this county, as we'll as many
from neigh hboriAg towns and from Chicago,
~ "rCe began an iuvrsIlga ion o. the case.
The post inuItem examination developed
the facts that
The Girl was Pregnant
and that she had had nothing 10 eat for at
least9i hours before death. The hotel
kceper swure that shn left his house on
Saturday. the day Of her arrival in town
taking her things with her, sld that he
had not seen b.r since. carpenter testified
that she had been 10 his office for is~
inmates, making snne inquiries about her
married sister, who had recently moved 10
Dakots, sid he also hsd not seen ner
since. Cne or two people living near the
place where the body was iuuDd thought
they remembered hearing acG!riagc
Go B, ut n Rapid Pac'
on Sunday evenns. All the carriages le
by livery man on that day were examined
and the point established that none OF
them had figured IN the tragedy. There
was literally no clue. The ground in the
vicinity of the lane was carefully examin.
81. but no race of human footprint was
ound TIE river vas draGg' for she girls
hat, satchel and gOs mer in vain. Every
nouse in the city, and every building
where she could by any possibility have
been c"nceaIed was visited TO no purpose.
suspicion was beginning TO rest on
The Dead Girls LOyer
NuEts, though he WIS known to be in In.
diane, when Mr.. and Mrs. Burns arrived
from 81. Elmo.
Tue testimony OF the physicians as to
lie g,ivs physical condition was 4 severe
shock Of her parents, but it caused them
20 single out q. A Carpenter g. the author
While never aware of their Jv,hlers de
psrtuIe from 'be path OF recti;G!r, certain
movements and actions of hers during toe
weeks Just previous to her death had
i'd 10 fear that she had been msied. Her
mother found that she
Received Unstgued Letters
from Lincoln enclosing money, and thai
she was taking medicine provided by Car
penier. ostensbly for some throat trouble.
The girl had been questioned closely as To
sll of these things. but had succeeded in
disarminp suspicion. Some OF the unsign.
ed letters, al Ct which were short and
most cautiously written, were produced.
and the pennanship was recognized n
that Of Csrpenter. A package Of thirty or
forty other letters received from the SAM
person were. however, missing, and Mr.
snd Mrs Burns were OF the opinion
that the gir! must have had them IN her
sa'chel.
With this
Evidence Of Carpenters Intrizue
with the girl the tide Of popular opinion
turned reluctantly against that individua'
He was recalled. and his family, consisting
uf bis wife and two interesting daughters,
were summoned. The latter testified that
Csrppntpr had ben out unusually late
both Saturday and Sunday nights, bI
th,y thought ne vas in the house before II
o'clock on each night. Carpenter gave a.
an e1cus, for his shsenc- from hone th"
-!l. eed fact that he WAS detained a. hi
ffits on business matters, and one or two
men
CorroboPAted this statement
by swearing that they saw lights in his
office.
seems that esrly On Monday, the day
the girls body was found, Carpenter
hitched up bis team and drove 10 Harts-
Vile a beirhboring town, where his psr'n'r
in The grain business resided. II had been
his custom for some time 10 make this trip
on SUI asy.. but he failed 10 do 80 on this
OCCASION. The ,heorg advanced by the de
;.cIiv+s was that il Carpenter had been IN
s,rpnsn,al in the girls murder this sarlv
Irip b. fore the crime was discovered won
iv. him an opl ortunity 70 regain bis c1n'