Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-01-14
ANOTHER MYSTERY.
HATTIE ALIENS BODY CAST UP
 BY THE SEA. |

It Looks Like Suicide. but Foul Play is Suspected-A Prominent Citizen Con-
 nccted with Her Downfall-A Barber 7 Implicated--The Coroner Investigating.
 NEW HAVEN, Jar. 14-The people of 0uilford are greatly excited over the sad fate of Miss Hattie Ann Allen, a young woman of 23 years, whose body was found on the beach at Grass Island Thursday after noon.
 Miss Allen was well known in Guilford, and had lived in the family of Ralph Stark, well known and prosperous resident of the town, for a number of years. Her mother died some years ago and nobody knows any thing about her father, who is supposed to live in Haddam or in that vicinity. Wednesday, so it was stated, Miss Allen had made con- fession to her employers people, in which she told of her troubles. Thurs lay morning she went away from the Stark residence be- fore daylight, as it is supposed, for none of the family were awake at the time. Where she went of course is matter of conjecture. It Is commonly supposed that the unfortu- nate girl took the main road of the town, which leads to point opposite or nearly op- posite Grass Island, and that, making her way to the new wharf, as the pier at that point is called, she jumped overheard. This must have been as early as six o'clock. and at that time the tide was rising.
 The people of Guilford, who insist that there was foul play, say that had the girl jumped off the wharf the body would have gone to the bottom and have remained there for several days until the gases caused by decomposition had hoated it, and that even then the body would either have floated out to sea or have gone east along the shore, and that in no event would it be likely to turn up on the beach at Grass island. Others who hold to the suicide theory say that the strong current that sets in between the island and the shore would have dragged the body along the shore @ considerable dis tance west, and that when the tide turned counter currents might have rapidly washed it on to the beach, which is of sloping na- ture.
 Coroner Mix was notified. He at once went to Guilford and began an investigation. Frank Abbey, one of the clam diggers who found the body, said that Dennis Benton and Frank Hunt were in the vicinity, and that they examined the body. The face was covered with mud and looked horrible The nose was twisted to one side and the upper dip was twisted up, as if her face had Leen pressed against @ window pane. This posi- tion of the features might have been caused by hand being placed across her mouth and nose to stop the cries for help. Abbey afterward made search for footprints but he found no traces.
 It was learned that Miss Allen had been receiving letters from an unknown source, probably from her betrayer, and was gener- ally Respondent after receiving them. It is thought by some that the suicide was done in a fit of despondency caused by the re- ceipt of . disheartening nlissive.
 Hattie's ruin is charged to Elisha B. How ell, prominent citizen of Guilford. He is a married man, about 35 years of age, and has one child. . He is an usher in the Third Con- gregational church of GUilford, anu is we'll educated, fine looking man. It is said that he paid Stark, the foster father of Hattie, $lS0 to hush up the matter. He agreed to pay 5000, and paid $l30 in cash, and $7O yet remains unpaid. Guilford isin fever heat over the case, and some startling develop ments are expected.
 Charles Hynes, barber in Guilford fol the past few months, is also said to have been improperly intimate with Hattie Allen and it is believed by some that he was the father of her unborn child, although she
 was first betrayed by Howell. Hynes few days ago left Guilfcrd, and sis now some
 where in New York city. He was often seen in company with the girl under what are now considered very suspicious circum
 stances. It is thought he went away be-
 cause he believed that Stark would compe
 him to marry the girl It is now thought
 the girl committed suicide rather than en
 dure the disgrace, as she was seen walking
 very rapidly toward the new wharf whe1
 she left Starks house.