Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1888-08-15
a Woman in the Case.


Just as in every other case OF public note
there was woman in the grotesquey hor.
rible story of crime to which the hanging of
Maxwell at ST. Louis has put a 6nal period,
and her name was Lillian Hoyie. The Curl
Gus episode in which she figured has never
before been brought to light, but it ia by no
means the least interesting chapter of this
strange and celebrated case. After the
murder, when Maxwell thrust / he corpse of
his friend into trunk and fled, he did not
stop or pause until he reached the city Of
San Francisco, but there he stopped tTo
days before he set sail for Australia. What
was he doing? He was in the company of.
Lillian Hoyie, a beautiful and abandoned
woman, whom he met by chance upon the
streets and with whom be tarried in this
perilou5 time of flight, when pursuit might,
be at any instant close at hts heels. The
little, half demented choroformer forgot.
everything in presence of this woman, She
was of the Spanish type black hair, bril-
liant eyes, creamy skin and voluptuous
FORM Moreover, she was gifted with
singular fascination OF manner That Greally;
covered the cool, keen, calculating instincts
of q woman of the world in the worst &C.
ceptance ofthe term. She was half surprised.
half amused at his protestations, and carefully
sounded him to see how much money he had.
At this the murderer suddenly revealed him.
self, and in passionate outburst told her
what he had done, going into the minutest
details and urging her to join his flight, and
go with him to the southern part of the
State. which he fondiy believed was a thinly
settled wilderness where they might; secure.
IL hide themselves. The woman thought
he was crazy-either that or drunken
breggart, and made haste 10 show him the
door. A few hours afterward, upon the
impulse of the moment and without vestige
of plan, he bought ticket for Auckland,
NJ
This was the story learned by the detec-
tives, and it is scarcely necessary to add
that on the lists of the prosecution Lillian
Hoyle figured as most essential witness
But she WAS never called. The District AT
torney who prosecuted Maxwell at st.
Louis was Ashley 81. Glover, g young man
not only of great determination but Of con-
siderable wealth; and out Of his OVID pocket
he paid many of the extraordinary expenses
of the case. Thus among other things he de.
posted several hundred dollars to pay theex-
penses of the Hoyle woman from San Fran.
ClSCO, uuu ~ MOS uuuclclOOb tu6U CuO WOuiu
put in an appearance attne proper time. But
when the case was called she had disappear
ed, and it was finally learned that she had
sailed for Hong Hong the week before with
the first officer of Pacific Mail steamer.
1t is fact not generally known, but Chi
ma is regarded as Mecca by the upper STRAIT
um of thescarlet women of the Pacific coast.
In nearly ali the great cities of the Celestial
Kingdom are to be found circles of wealthy
and dissolute Europeans and at Canton
and Hong Kong their club rooms are fitted
up with princely luxuriance and barbaric,
splendor. These establishments are out Of.
the pale Of law, and are unhampered by the
canons of civilization. The inmates,
therefore, are restrained by nothing
save the hounds of their caprice,
and live perpetua! orgie. hideous in its
realism. 1t was to this life that Lillian
Hoyle was directed. She had with her
New York woman known as Pearl Ardine,
and fate. bad in reserve a curious career and
tragic end for both of these women.
Conrad Hoff, an agent Of the German
government located at Singapore, wrote to
8 friend in Pi,tsburg, Pa, a letter giving the
conclusion of their career, which was re.
ceiyed Sunday. He states that the Hoyle
woman became recognized leader ct the
demi monde at Hong Kong; and, clad in
native dress of extraordinary richness, she
finally grew to be such conspicuous figure
upon the streets that the authorities forbade
her appearing on them in daylight. On the
night of June she was in company with
party of friends, including Pearl Aldine and
young American named John Ledger, at a
native tea garden which was q large en-.
closed place thickly planted with shrubs.
Toward midnight these two women and
Ledger were missed, and after q search their
bodies were found in dark corner Of the
garden. All three were dead and covered
with knife wounds. The head of the Hoyle
woman was, in addition, entirely severed
from her body. Who did the bloody work
could not even be conjectured, but it was
charged that jealousy was at the bottom OF
it. No arrests had been made up to the
time the letter was written. This has, of
course, but little to do with the case of Max
well, for the evidence Of the woman, thus
tragically placed beyond the reach OF sub
pena, was, after all, not needed 10 convict.
But it seems strange turn of destiny that
the California siren into whose ears Max
well poured the story Of his crime was
doomed to die in midnight revel on the
other side of the world, where she had re-
fused to go with the murderer