St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-02-20
TURNED OUT HARMLESS.
A Woman's Way Of Studying the Human
Form.
DIRE SECRETS SUSPECTED,
And Community Considerably Stirred
Up--A Mystery Yet to Be il
Unraveled.

the occupants of a small tWO-StOry frame
dwelling Just off of the avenue. That
there was mystery about the house no
one attempted to deny, but what it was
no one has been willing to say. There
have been rumors of dark practices car
ried on at this little house, and some
persons who had occasion to pass the
place at night went so far as to state
that they had seen human bodies crrried
into the place. As far as any one
knew there were three persons quar-
tered at the house, a middle-aged man.
woman of some thirty years, and
handsome young man of perhaps TWEEN
ty-tive or tWenty-SiX years of age. These
three people made no friends and
seemed averSe to meeting any stranger.
No one was allowed to enter the house,
and those who called Oh OStenSible bust
ness were met at the door and-pOlitely
excused. The neighbOrS at last began
to feel decidedly uncomfortable in re-
gard To the matter, and have paid more
than one private detective to watch the
place. But all efforts to find out who
the three persons were or what their
business was proved unavailing.
The first of last week an inquiring
man with a mission visited the place
disguised as pin and needle peadler.
who had met with an accident some
time before, and was therefore inca
pactated from doing any heavy work.
He was met at the door by the woman,
who was recognized as the daughter OF
well known eX-city official. The ped
dler gained admission to the house by
system of strategic stories calculated to
draw sympathy from the woman. A
long conversation followed, ending in
the peddler being engaged to do light
work around the house at a fixed salary
of S25 month and board. The peddler
had been in the house nearly an hour
when the two men came in. They were
aStOnlShed at seeing any one there. but
the matter was explained to their full
satisfaction. Both then cautioned the
new employe that any indiScretlOn n
his part. snch as fading to outsiders
about what was going on at the house,
would be followed by dismissal. loss of
salary, and perhaps worse. Two days
passed and nothing of any Importance
had come to the notice of the ped
der. The conversation at the dinner
table was mainly in regard to
surgery, and the new servant was
somewhat surprised to see that the
woman was as much, if not more, inter-
eSted in the subject than the men.
Both men were evidently surgeons, and
dler went by, learned inside of four
days that the elder man was we'll
known st. Paul surgeon.
Thursday evening the woman and the
two men left the house about 8 o'clock,
after telling Peter that they would
return at midnight. He WAS cau-
toned not to be alarmed at any
thing that might turn up, and positively
forbidden to admit any one during the
absence. of his masters. He promised
the most implicit obedience, and after
the three had left locked the doors and
bOlted them in the most approved
fashion. Ten minutes later Peter had
undergone wonderful change. ALL
signs of infirmity had disappeared by
some magic means, and once more he
reSembled himself. Placing revolver
| in his coat pocket he started on a tour
through the house. On the ground floor
things were found as they would be in
any dwelling house. The woman's bed
room was on this floor, and
was handsomely furnished. Heavy
rugs covered + the ii, floor. and
numerous StatuetteS occupied brackets.
| Ond floor was next visited, and here was
found the secret Of the house. The
front room was a double bedroom,
evidently occupied by the two men, as
many articles of their wearing apparel
were found there. After making care
full search Of this room Peter arranged
everything as he had found it and made
his way to the back room. AS he neared
the, door his - nOStrilS were greeted
by a slight smell, as ii of de-
caying flesh. Fora moment poor Pete'S
heart failed him, and he felt like going
down stairs again. but bracing up and
taking his revolver in his hand he en-
tered. The stencil that he encountered
was something terrible, and in less than
ten seconds the supper Pete had eaten
had been brought to light again. But
what sight greeted his eye! In the
center of the room was a large table
stained with blood, and big, red stains
! Oh the floor beneath it. In case
to the left of the room,
near the window, reposed large
| number of surgical instruments,
( among them diSSectlng knives and saws,
all of the finest make. An examination
of the room revealed five skeletons in a
closet. all three of them being compar-
atively new. -Four of these grinning
! skeletons had belonged to full-grOwn
persons, and one to child. The bones
III all had been cut and sawed in numer-
| GUS places, showing that many expert
mentS had been made. The closest
search around the room failed to find any
flesh or scraps of any kind, but a
large sheet iron box showed signs of
having had such things carried in it.
In this room Peter remained about an
hour and half, looking everywhere,
under boxes, behind curtains-in all
| places, but found nothing more. De-
Scending to the dining room again,
| Peter resumed his servants dress, and
| for the time being was again the Obedi-
ent servant. About 1850 the two
men and the woman returned to
the house. The two men passed
directly up stairs, carrying between
! them an object in canvas bag. That
it was not the body of full grown man
OF woman was evident, because it was
not large enough. They entered the
room at the back of the building, and a
! second later heavy thump was heard
on the floor. Soon after the men came
| down, and Joining the woman in the
| dining-rOOm, began merry cOnversa-
| ton, which lasted nearly an hour. Peter
| understood from what was said that
| the object carried up stairs was
| the body of child, which had been pur.i
chased in st. Paul. About O'Clock the
| lights were eXtinguished on the lower
floor and the party, with the exception.
! of Peter, passed up stairs, where thew
could be heard in the dissecting room
until almost morning, when all grew
quiet. The next morning Peter disap-,
peared, and the persons for whom he
worked will not see him again until he
appears against them in the police
court some day this week, n
The woman, as before stated, is the
daughter of a we'll known citizen here!
One of the men is st. Paul physician
and the other Minneapolis man. 1t
seems that the young woman de-