St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-08-16
A Young Girl Relates to Jury a Fright
full Experience With Oarnivo-
rous Plant.
A Mysterious Death Which Was Accounted
For in a Highly Improbable
Manner.
A Maintaining Plant Alleged TO Have
Sucked the Life Blood OF a
Father.
a Chicago Man Spins a Yarn Which
knocks Gus the Southern
Snake story.

Ryan the other day engaged in converse
ton with several st. Paul gentlemen. upon
current topics. and our conversation had
drifted TO a discussion of several recent
murders that had been surrounded with 50
much mystery that the efforts of police and
detectives 10 apprehend the perpetrators
were fruitlesS. Several peculiar cases We're
instanced and their recitation by the differ
ent individuals comprising the knot OF Cos
sipers was sufficiently interesting TO attract
the casual listener, and in a short time some
ten or dozen persons had gathered around
the circle.
among them was Chicago gentleman,
slightly past the prime of life, of grave de-
meanOr and bearing a name which. were
TO announce il, would be recognized by
many readers of the GLOBE. This gentle
man. who is a practical business man, not
given 10 tIiiiing and bearing an unim-
peachable reputation for Sagacity. gave in
the presence of the gathering the following
strange. almost incredible account OF a myS-
FERROUS murder which occurred in Chicago
some time between 1850 and 1855:
II an satisfied. gentlemen, that you will
give no credence TO the story am about 10
narTate unless you have perhaps thoroughly
studied the nature and habits of insectivo-
rous plants, as l have done, and therefore
in a caTnivUrous form.
THE LIE BEGUN.
During the year 1852 or 1853. man
and young woman came 10 Chicago from
the East via the lake, and, purchasing a
small tract of land about 200 feet south of
what is now known as Hubbard court.
erected small frame building in which
they took up their abode. The man, vino
was, / should judge, about IS years of age.
gave his name as Richard BOwSe. and
the girl, who was in her teens.
was said TO be his daughter. Bowse
appeared to have some means,
but the couple lived sparingly, he catching
fish and doing odd jobs about town. and the
girl officiating as his housekeeper. Those
about the market places in proximity to the
Bowse dwelling, and those who were his
companions on the pier catching fish. often
remarked the peculiar demeanor of the
man; his singular reticence and his eXtraor-
binary fOndneSs for his humble home. As
time passed on, his peculiarities seemed to
grow more notable until, through some idle
remark, he was given the sObriquet of
Crazy Dick Fishermen, laborers and
idlers in the neighborhood quickly caught
up the term, and within year after the
advent of Richard Bowse in the community
he was known by no other name than
Crazy Dick
1.-THE girl, too, was strangely reserved. al
though she used to venture an acquaintance
with a neighbor here and there, of whom
she was won't TO borrow books and other
reading matter. She evinced considerable
intelligence and showed a taste for quail
ity of literature above the average grade
perused by girls of her age. Whenever she
cOnversed with any one, which was on rare
occasions, she used good English and talked
fiuently. One morning she made her usual
trip to the market, quickly made her puT-
chaseS and retired in great haste. her face
depicting a singular frightened expression
often before noticed by the market people
with whom she constantly traded. One
half hour latter little Chicago was gOSsiping
over the mysterious murder of Richard
BOwse.
THE INVESTIGATION.
81 was summoned as a member of the
coroner's jury at the inquest of the muir
dered man. 4 police officer testified that
at about the hour of 1890 in the morning.
as he was passing in the street in front of
the dwelling, the girl ran screaming from
the house, and informed him in terrified
tones that her father was dead. The girl
refused absolutely TO return to the dwelling,
and the policeman. leaving her, hurried for
ward. Entering the house he saw nothing
unusual IN the front room, but,
ON opening the door TO rear
apartment, he saw. lying in the center of the
room, the form of a man which he at once
recognized as that of Crazy Dick. Near
the corpse was an axe and scattered i'm pro-
fusion about the room were the remnants of
what appeared to have been monstrous
tropical plant. is juices had saturated the
floor all around the body and nauseating
OdOr arose from the moisture. STOPPING
over the body. he found it quite dead and
there were marks of violence on the neck
and arms. The tongue protruded from the
mouth and the face was covered with red
blOtcheS as if il had received several heavy
blows.
Two doctors were called to the stand
and testified that they had made an exam
ination of the corpse and We're convinced
from the marks on the neck, the protrud-
ing tongue and evidence of internal disor-
der that the deceased came TO his death
from strangUlatiOn. As there was no in
strument within his reach when found
with which he could have strangled him
self, they expressed their opinion as experts
that he could not have committed suicide
THE NEXT WITNESS
called was the daughter or she who claimed
~ tAuNC UGH AAlG hAAl-llAGl VI Allt uGtEd STU.
Her testimony. which was rapidly and
nervOusly given. was interrupted by oc-
casional bursts of tears, and, in the narration
of the most exciting parts of her story, her
face would become flushed. her eyes would
dilate and a sensation of terror would ap-
pear TO overtake her, followed by 4 nervous
chill from which she would not recover for
some moments. This is her story sub
stantially as she gave il:
- L am Josephine Bowse. daughter of
the deceased. l am 10 years of age and
was born on board the sailing vessel OpeTto
OF which my father was captain. Nv
mother died i'm giving me birth, and my
father, who was greatly attached TO her,
never fully recovered from the shock conse-
quent to her loss. During all my life he
has looked upon me as the DESTROYER of his
wife, and have never known this said
very bitterly fathers affection or even
consideration. Shortly after my mothers
death my father gave up the sea and settled
near New York. He established a fish
mart and made money. One of the things
he took from the vessel and which he APP
peaTed to regard as more valuable than my
self, was
a SMALL PLANT
which had been presented TO my mother by
sailor of the coast of Portugal. Because
ii had been my mothers he cared for IL
fondly, and watched its growth. which was
very rapid, with exceeding interest When
i had grown to be 10 or u years of age /
first noticed my fathers peculiar regard
for this plant, and also noticed
that he was spending more and
more of his time in the room where it was
kept. One day stepped suddenly into his
presence and discovered him with a handful