Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-09-26
A PARALLEL FOR THE CRARLlE
ROSS CASE.
MysterfOus Disappearance OF Mary
Churchill, Of 81. Louis.
ABSOLUTELY NO CLEw TO HER WHEREABOUTS

Mysterious Disappearance OF Mary
Churchill, OF So. Louis.
ABSOLUTELY NO CLEw TO HER WHEREABOUTS
st. Louis telegram to the N. Y. Herald says
The Churchill mystery is still unsOlved, and viii
probably remain 80 until the grave gives up its
dead, or until the girl herself If alive, comes out
of her hiding place and explains away the hid
eouB mystery. This case in some of its features
ranks with the Charlie Ross affair; 1t has bafied
the skill OF the detectives, and the lynx-eyed re-
porters have taken up go many clews one after
another, and followed them only to find them
selves on the wrong track, that they are for the
time bewildered and mystifed. The tracks OF
the runaway, if such she be, or the traces and
whereabouts OF the kidnappers have been COM
pletely covered up from the very start.
THE DISAPPEARANCE.
The facts in the case are simply these:-Sun-
day afternoon. August 10Th, Col. James o.
Churchill, vice president of the Anthracite coal
company, of St Louis, started out with his wife
for an afternoon drive AS they drove away
their daughter Mary stood just inside the gate
and watched them until the carriage turned the
corner at the end of the square. young drug
clerk, PANIED Baese, passed the gate probably
twenty minutes after the hour at which Colonel
and Mrs Churchill started for their drive. and
saw the young lady standing there. That is the
last Seen OF her-absOlutely the last definite
trace. Tier parents returned little before
seven O'Clock i'll the evening and found the
daughter gone. Inquiry was made of the SER
wants but none of them remembered seeing her
that afternoon or evening. The suppOsitOn
was that she had gone out for call, but as the
evening wore on and she did not return her
mother grew nervous and her father instituted
"a search first i'm person calling at the houses of
several neighbOrs where 1t was thought she
might nave been visiting; then he asked the
assistance of few confidential friends, desiring,
II possible. to avoid nOtOriety. After searching
all Sunday night and all day Monday without
result, Col. Churchill called at police head
quarters and stated the case to Chief Campbell.
Detectives were Immediately put OH the Case
but it seemed absolutely impossible to get a
starting point.
DESCRIPTION.
A description of the girl as last seen by her
father and as her friends knew her was the only
thing there was to give the detectives She was
sixteen years and eight months old; five feet
three inches tall; Well developed for her years;
OF erect carriage: quite light brown hair, which
she wore in the prevailing fashion of bangs al
most concealing her forehead. reaching almost
TO the eyebrows: grayish blue eyes; an oval face,
rather too full for beauty, though she was con-
sidered very pretty girl; regular features. with
her proficiency as performer on the pianoforte
being especially notable She had been kept in
school almost constantly and, while not mar
vel of learning. had a considerably better edu-
cation than the average sixteen-year-old girl.
When her mother last saw her she had on
white lawn dress with very small .:pin head"
black dots in it, plain full skirt. tight sleeves;
small plain white collar and a white tie about
her neck. She wore plain gold ring, with
gold dollar bangle
SEARCH.
By Monday evening, the Goth ult., when the
police were given the case. anxiety had COM
pletely Frustrated the mother and she has never
fully recovered. That the matter might appear
to her in the best possible light the theory of
eopement was advanced and impressed upon
her mind, coupled with the hope that the girl
and her husband would return In few DAYS.
But there was nothing. absolutely no circurn-
stance. to sustain that idea. The girl had not
really made her debut in society yet. though she
had attended probably couple Of balls i'm her
mothers company. She had no taste for society;
in fact, was child yet; had no beaus nor lovers
only two young men had ever called on her,
and these she did not receive alone. She did
not like, but. on the contrary. seemed to have
almost an aversion to, cOmpaniOnship Of the
opposite sex. She was an enthusiast concern
Ing music. and the only thing aside from that
and her books that found an abiding place i'm
her thoughts was admiration for the drama aud
even that did not go to such an extent that she
could be called stage struck. She had never
been to the tfeater save with her parents. and
was not known to talk of the stage But since
her disappearance some letters have been found
from some of her schoolmates to her, in which
her admiration for Mary Anderson and her am
DitiOn to become great actress are spoken OF.
The theory OF runaway and stage career was
advanced. and In pursuance of that idea theatre
cal agencies and people in this and other cities
cd VIII hnf OH al
covered.
THEORIES.
Hundreds Of people came forward. each with
theory. One man had seen a hack driven
along a dark street on Sunday night and heard
suppressed screams; another had seen a car
rage the following morning driving along one
OF the most public thOrOughfares containing the
girl and male companion; another had seen a
buggy standing by the pavement near the
Churchill residence In which was a young man,
while woman was standing on the curb talk
ing to him. These are specimens OF rumors and
stories set afoat by the thousand but not one
of them was sustained by single fact. One
after another was run down. and all that was
discovered at the end was that the girl was gone,
taking no baggage nothing in the way Of wear
ing apparel, and leaving no trace.
FOLLOWING CLEws.
Col. Churchill strOve In every way in his
pp"ci W ofOtu ULIcCcSSbIy seHSatlOialiSm. lie
followed every clew and used every endeavor to
solve the dismal mystery; but he offered no re-
ward until the girl had been absent two weeks.
Then 500 was offered for information that
would lead to her recovery This has never
been increased. Some people thought for
time that there was something not told-some-
thing kept back by the parents; that they really
feared to learn, or already knew. or had a pretty
good idea as to the girls fate. This belief
gained strength as time wore on, but in a con-
versation with the old gentleman to-day any
such suspicion that might have found Judgement
in your correspondents mind was dispelled. and
in its place came a conviction that the mystery
was as impenetrable to him as to anybody else
The colonel said Mamie had had no trouble at
home. Her mother may have been little strict
with her. but never harsh. II the subject Of
lovers or marriage ever entered her head no one
knew 1t. for she seldom mentioned it. She had
been impressed by her mother with the idea that
she was still a child, and that when she was
twenty years old it would be early enough to
consider the subject Of matrimony.
WOMAN'S FAvORITE WEAPON.
The Law Cannot Prevent the FREQ
Use OF Her TONGUE.