The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1883-11-15
THE LOST FOUND.
Mary Churchill, tho Missing Girl,
Traced 10 Her Hiding
Place.
She Was Working a. 4 Laundress in an
Insane Asylum Near In.
dianapolis.

The mystery surrounding the disappear.
anec OF Mary churchill has ut lenp,h been
solved hy the discovery aud complete iientin-
cation OF the missing girl IN indianapolis. Tho
circumstances ei the nirl's disappearance are,
briefly, us follows. On tho evening of AuH,
II last Mr.. and Mrs James q, Churchill re-
| turned from II drive 10 thpir home NJ 2.a,
Morgan street, ST, Louis, 10 discover their
daughter Mary missing. A careful search
revealed tho fact that shc had taken only tho
clothing worn ut tho time, and no money
other than tho few dollars her purse cons
tnncd. Detectives were immediately ems
rloycd, Circulars were sent to NIL police head.
quarters and detective agencies In thu land.
Dramatic agencies we're notified and tho
minutcst search made Tor the missing girl In
every city IN the country. Churchill was u
wealthy merchant and spared no expense to
discover the whel eahouts Ut his child, hut To
no purpose. She was hut III years I'D, hal
been reared IN luxury, aud there was no rea.
son which could suggest itself III the minds
at her friends Why she should have lelt her
home, aud the eraNcst nrrlehensions wcru
entertained tor hrr safety. IL WIS reported
that tho girl hui hcen found murdered In New
McNico, and II detective was dispatched To
the scene vt the tragedy only To lind that tho
victim was not the missing eirt, similar re-.
parts oi tho country. tine day. not lony arr,
Cnl, Churchill received letter from hi&
daughter dated ut Indianapolis, indicating
that she was NJ tho time In that city ami IN
good hands, In, would immediately leave,
and that search iar her would 10 useless, hc.'
,eetivcs were immediately scnt To mdianano.'
lis
Tho attention of Superintendent Fletcher.
of the State Hospital Tor the Insane, was NJ ;
tractcd IL Il description of the missing rlrh
in n city paper, aud HI was struck With tho
remarkable tiasem.ss with which II answered.
the appearance Of domestic ut tho asA lnml
The girl came IL tho asylum about tho LIST or
September and asked Tor employment. ShS
was tad that there was meme 10 b. hal for
her about tho hospital ~ which she hurst
into tears, and evidenced the hittercsi disap1
pointment Superintendent Fletcher was sa
taken with the girls appearance ami actions
that he nude Il place Tor her In the ironing
dep uuncnt Ut the hospital where she has
since lccn employed. When she presented
herself nj the hospital she had With her ~
coy OF tho life OF Marie Antolnette, and rnr~
sued such u course ut reading. prcfer,inn
classical works. hooas OH Grccian mythology
and the like, that tho Superintendent was
convinced from tho first that there was Il
history connected with the girl and has al
lowed her every privilege. She gave her
name n Jennie Lockwood.
When permitted 10 practice NJ tho piano
she played tho most difficult classical music.
and her conduct In every particular was such
rs To strengthen the suspicion Of the super
tendcnt that Jennie Lockwood, tho ironing
girl. was tho nosses~,r Of a superior cdaca-
ton and tho pettea child OF wealthy parents.
The description Ut Mary Churchill falling
under his observation, he ut once noticed tho
similarity. aud, without approaching the girl
ON tho subject, notified tho police. Thomas
j. Gallagcr, Of the -, Louis Glaaa-i@Maer,t,
then called NJ tho asylum aud idcn,iiicd tho
girl fully and with her consent her nlrSntS
were notified.
Col. Churchill went TO Indianapolis and
met his daughter at tho Spencer house, tho
meeting being a most affecting one. strange
To say, the young lady positively refused To
return To her home Tor permanent RESIDENCE,
but left In company with her father 10 pay u
brief visit 10 her mother. Her last words i'm
leaving tho city were IL DIR. Fletcher, whom
she adjurcd tn keep her place Tor her, for she
would return. She assigned no reasons for
her actions, but says she can earn her own
living, aud proposes to do 50.