The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1884-05-30
nellie cooiey,s nodx Found.


We gather the following from the Wilkes
Barre Record of Wednesday
The mystery which has enshrouded the
disappearance of Miss Nellie Cooley from
her home in Wilkes Barre on December
9th last, has at length been cleared away.
Her body was found yesterday morning in
the Susquehanna about three miles below
Nanticoke, and II is therefore certain that
the unfortunate girl left the house Of her
guardian to find the oblivion she sought in
the river.
There seems to be some doubt as to who
was the first to see the body. In the after
noon telegram was received at the Record
Office that James NJ. Fink, track laborer
on the N. & w. b. II, II. was the first to
discover the body, but excellent authority
says that the remains were discovered by
Albert Bloom, brakeman on the Pcnnsyl-
vania road. He first saw the remains
about $40 a. m, when on the trip down
the line
The body was floating about four feet
from the shore portion Of the clothing
having caught on n projecting trunk of a
tree. About II when passing the spot on
the return trip Bloom again saw the body
superintendent of the Poor House. Mr..
Eichelberger sent word to Nanticoke and
from this point shortly after p. M, N.
Rutter was informed by telephone of the
discovery. The message sent to him, how
ever, contained merely the announcement
that the body of woman in badly de-
composed condition had been found in the
river, and it was supposed that it was the
| remains of Miss Cooley. Mr.. Rutter went
down in the afternoon with several others,
and the body was removed from the
water.
1t seemed at first glance impossible that
50 frightful an object could be the lovely
and charming girl that many of those
present had known in life. Decomposition
had rendered all identification by general
appearance an impossibility, but in order
to settle at once the distressing suspense
| under which her friends labored, a minute
examination of her clothing was made.
This soon proved beyond doubt that the
| remains were those of Miss Cooley. AL.
| though the upper garment was torn to
| shreds enough remained to allow it to be
identified as the wrapper in which she had
| left the house. The under garments were
well preserved and on one of them close
examination revealed the initials IN. d.
| c." This removed the last doubt as to the
identity of the remains, and the friends at
| Wilkes Barre were promptly notified by
telephone, and their uncertainty finally
dispelled. A coffin was procured from
the Poor House, the remains placed there
in and removed to that building where
they remained until evening, when the box
was placed on the cars and taken home.
DR.. c. S. Beck identified the remains
from the filings in the teeth
| The circumstances attending Miss
| Cooley's disappearance will be remembered
by most of our readers. She was last seen
alive on the evening of Sunday December
| 10th. She retired as usual on that even.
ing and on the following morning it was
discovered that she had left the house du-
ring the night, leaving note in which she
stated that not wishing to be longer a
trouble to her friends she had gone to
seek rest in oblivion. At first it was
thought that she had taken some jewelry
and money with her and this gave rise to a
| supposition on the part of some that she
| had only sought a home elsewhere. From
the first, however the belief that she had
committed suicide was very generally en-.
| tertained and this was deepened by the
after discovery that she had not taken any
| jewelry or money. The lengthy search for
her body in the river, and for traces of her
on land will be well remembered by
Wilkes Barreans, as also the many false
| reports circulated of her being seen in
various localities, which were in turn in
vestigated and exploded.
The reward of 81 900 which was offered
for her recovery alive or dead shortly after
her disappearance would now seem to
| have been earned, and we understand that
| the discoverer of the body will Immediate
ly put in his claim for that amount.