Omaha daily bee., 1885-04-15
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A CHASTITY Mystery Brought to Light
at The Southern Hotel.
The Dead Body of a Man Found in
a Trunk
In One of the Rooms of the South
ern Hotel.
The Body Has Been Dead Ten or
Twelve Days.
The Parties Who Occupied the
Room Have Disappeared.
The Detectives Left TO Solve the Mys-
terry Whether it Is q Joke
or a Murder.
THE ST. LOUIS MYSTERY.

ST. Louis, April IA sensation was
caused at the Southern hotel this morning by
finding in q room q trunk containing the
headless body of a man with q note within
the trunk saying, $50 perish all traitors to
the great cause" The room was assigned
March 30 to Walter III. Lennox Maxwell, M.
D., London, Eng,
Maxwell Is described as q very girlish look
ing blonde young man, wearing q dark woody
cut.away suit of English stuff, face clean
shaver, and wore his hair banged, notparting
it at all, was frequently seen with q dark look
ing gentleman about five feet ten inches tall.
The latter wore a dark moustache and had
dark hair. This gentleman registered as &C
assigned room 1874. Fonr days after Maxwell
had registered, q telegram received from
Preller asking whether Maxwell was a guest
of the house was answered in the affirmative
and he soon came on and was assigned to the
room given. Both men occnpied room 1874 in
COMMON a considerable part of the time.
Each called for the key and the clerk gave it
to each in~discriminately as they seemed to be
good friends N intimate acquaintances.
The men were much remarked about the
hotel for their dudish appearance and dandy
fed airs. M ,xwell left the hotel q week ago
Sunday night but had paid a full weeks
board promptly and 1t was supposed he would
return any day. No suspicion was attached
to his absence until a horrible smell called
attention to the room and led to the opening
of the trunk. When the trunk containing the
body was opened, it was found to contain the
body of a middle-aged man, face and breast
up and the body so doubled about the
hips and knees that it filled the
receptacle. One side of the trunk, over
the head of the corpse was
printed in large letters the words,
tGGo ,ar,sh o11t.osto~s 81 @ho-.oL $780,. :, TT
trunk and CHASTITY contents were Immediately
hurried to the four courts. The body as it
appearedin the trunk presented a horIible as.
pect. This face and parts of the body bellg
uncovered, the only garment being a pair of
drawers reaching just to the knee, which were
entirely black and showed advanced decom-
position.
Prefers trunks are of much better quality
than Maxwells, being made of fine leather.
The personal effects in them indicate that the
owner was o gentleman of means and culture.
The trunks have on them labels of the Cunard
steamship company, and Continental. hotel,
Philadelphia, where he occupied room 1S6,
March 26. He had also been at the Rossin
house, Toronto. The following Is a descrip-
ton of Maxwell, given by the person who
saw and conversed with him daily while he
was at the Southern hotel: "He was about
5 feet 81 inches in Insight. weighed about lao
pounds, well proportIoned, and of rather
good figure. HIS face vas of the
English type and cleanly shaven; eyes light
blue 1 think, or at least they vera not dark
in color; hair of light sandy color; wore it cut
very short behind and rather busny in front,
without any part, and banged like q girls;
generally dressed in o brown tweed suit of
English cut and Newmarket overcoat and
high derby hat. In his manners he was
effemInate and he even carried this 80 far asto
walk with q short, mincing step, Ikea woman.
W. d. - - ~. - l. Lal--
on a slab for further identification, With the
following description given by Superintendent
Ryan: Deceased was about s feet 9 inches i'll
height, weighing about ITO pounds; black
hair, Dyes Of brown color; wore white
knit drawers; no other clothing cam
with the body; was about %
or % years old. This body was very much
days, the tongue p%rotruding and large blisters
on both legs. A CROSS is cut into the flesh on
the breast.
The following telegram, found among the
papers Of Preller is the best clew to the rela-
tions of Preller and Maxwell:
Boston, Mass, March 10, 1885, Caprello
at Belvidere hotel, corner Fourth avenue and
land from here. Win write Philadelphia
tomorrow. [Signedl w. H. LENNON,
From a letter from the steamship Company
it is inferred that Preller sailed from England
to this country on the Cephalonia January
2lst, 1885, on a commercial tour of this coun.
try and Australia. The telegram given above
would indicate that Maxwell agreed to accom-
pauy him to Australia. Among the letters
found In Preller's trunk was the following:
No. Q CLINTON PLACE, New YORK Cry, |
March 27, 1885. (
/ have great pleasure in introducing to you
by this note our dear brother, g. A. Preller,
of London, England, kno wn to us by several
visits he has paid to New York. Hoping
you may be mutually proited by his friend
ship during his stay 10 your city, / remain
yours, RICHARD W. OWENS.
To DR.. James II. Brooke, 3l3 N. Fifty.firs
street, st. Louis; Mrs. Grierson, $50 New
Montgomery street, San Francisco; Ed Moyse,
evangelist, care w. Lees, New Zealand; John
Magill, care A. Campbell Napier, New Zea'
land. This friendship was awakened by my
bringing him to q tea meeting of young men,
at which dear III G. Granneri spoke
from "WhereW ithal shall a young
man cleanse his way!" DORIS
Alison, 842 Valencia street, San Francisco,
well known to brother Moyss. Among many
other thingt in Maxwell's trunk were found
some prescription blanks from fernon's drug
store, corner Fifth and Market streets, this
city. On being gu ,stioned Fernon said this
afternoon that he knew Maxwell, and thai
the latter had bsen in his store OTTER
That he saw him last on Easter Sunday, wher
he called abont / o'clock and got four ounces
i IL Al