National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1884-07-19
A CHASTITY MYSTERY.
The MutiIsted Extremities OF a MISC
ing Woman Found by a Dog-was
She Murdered or ost-stsrtiinR
Hunora.

The MutiIated Extremittes OF q Miss
ing Woman Found by n Dog-was
She Murdered or Lost-stsrtiinR
Rumors.
The residents and summer boarders
about Wilson's station, seven miles out on
the Baltimore and Potomac railroad, are
much excited over q mystery which many
declare surrounds brutal murder. The
family around whose household tho in
terest centers is that Of Mr.. Geo. @. Nichols,
who keeps the Mount Vernon hotel in
this city. He is an old gentleman past 80
but his wife was several years his senior,
having been born in 1895. She has been
for many years weak-minded TO the ex-
tent Of an uncomfortable desire TO roam
about.
sho had also lost all recollection Of
matters happening in the last fifty or
sixty years, and constantly inquired for
people who were alive and In her family
The first time she escaped from tho
family farm at Wilson's was year ago
last New Years, when she loft without
money in her pocket, but managed to
ride to tho city by train and hack, and,
while the rest of tho family were securing
the country for her, presented herself to
her son, who was in charge Of the Mount
Vernon. ...t
Again in last December she escaped,
walking the entire distance, aud being
placed in tho insane asylum by the police
because the only address she could give
was that of son, who thirty years before
had lived In Providence. At the asylum
they managed to get from her the name
of the house kept here by her husband,
and by that means she was restored to hor
family.
On Feb. 81 last she again escaped, and.
In spite Of the most persistent aud thor
ough search, carried on almost daily since
then, no trace of her whereabouts had
been discovered until few days since,
when colored blacksmith named Gross,
living In tho neighborhood, came TO the
Niohollses and asked what kind Of shoes
the old lady had on when last seen. Ho
had been engaged in the hunt from time
to time, and 1t was thought strange that
he should ask such question at this time.
On being pressed to explain his mean.
ing he said his dog had brought some
shoes to the house, one on Saturday the
other on Sunday. A member of the
family at onco proceeded to investigate
and found that the shoes worn by old Mrs.
Nichols were indeed discovered. In one
of them was the stocking, held in place by
a portion of tho foot aud leg. The flesh
Of the calf had been gnawed away through
tho stocking, but the garter was still on
the upper part of 1t. In the other the
stocking had been torn away, but in the
foot was great toe nail which from q
popularity was easily identified by her
daughters.
Gross reiterated his story of how the
shoes had been brought In by his dog. but
| it was generally discredited by the fact
that the texture of the once stout wooden
stocking was rotten and came apart on
the slightest touch, while the garter
dropped off the empty leg on being moved.
1t was felt that had a dog dragged the
shoes through the weeds and briers that
were found adhering to them, the stock
ings and small bones found in them would
certainly have dropped or been torn out.
Human hands were the agency to which
the discovery was attributed by all cog
infant of the facts, and renewed efforts
were instituted to discover the rest of the
remains. A singular circumstance, what
ever may turn out to be the truth of the
matter. Is that the wife Of Gross relates
that on the morning Of the day on which
the first shoe was found she saw the
| figure of Mrs. Nichols standing in the
| house door on opening 1T.
The theory of the friends and neigh
bors Of tho family is that, If no fouler
crime has been committed, some mis-
creant has the body in hiding for large
reward. The family has had standing
offer of '1iberal reward" since last Fob
ruary, but named no sum. There have
been rumors that If enough was offered
the body could be found; others that the
old lady was alive and we'll, and that fol
q large sum would be returned. This las
hope is of course, dissipated by thu
| ghastly discovery of the dog.