Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-06-10
WASHED ASHORE"
All That Is Known of Ella Cor.
dell's Fate.
CAST UP BY THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER.

A Shapeless Mass That Once Was a
Woman-Only Identified by the Clothes
and Jewelry-The Inflated Girls Last
Disappearance as if Swallowed Up by
the Earth-Murder or Suicide?
MACoMB Ills, June 10-The mystery
connected with the disappearance of hand
some Ella Cordell, and her death by muir
der or suicide is not to be left unsolved If
the efforts of her heartbroken relatives
can avail anything Her aged father re-
turned Friday night bearing the sad news
that shapeless mass washed ashore by
the Mississippi at Curtis Point, above
Canton, Mo. was the body of his loved one,
| recognizable only by her clothing and the
jewelry presented by her friends. Until
then few believed that Ella Cordell was
really dead. and the impression prevailed
that she had voluntarily sought hiding
| from the world
The Body To BE Exhumed.
All previous efforts to trace her where
| abouts since her disappearance had been
| conducted on the theory of her conceal
, ment Her death conceded, her neighbors
in Industry are terribly in earnest in their
desire to mete out justice to those who
comprised it, or wronged her to such an
| extent as TO cause her suicide. Her brother
departed early Saturday morning for Can
ton, Mo, to have her body exhumed and a
post mortem examination made, with a
view of finding whether there might
not have have been other causes for her
death, heretofore only spoken of guard
, eddy.
Her sudden Journey.
For eighteen months previous to her
disappearance, Ella Cordell had been
working in the family of DIR. d. NJ. Creel,
a druggist in her native town of Industry.
A blonde of regular and prepossessing
features, plump form, and sweet DISPOSE
| ton, she was of retiring nature and
evinced little liking for social pleasures.
She dressed plainly and saved her wages,
carrying handsome bank balances both in
Industry and Macomb. At noon on May
IL she suddenly announced her intention
of visiting her sister at Bowen, in Han
cock county, and packing up few arti-
| Giles of clothing in a small sachel took the
| daily stage for Macomb She did not
draw any money, and had with her, so far
rs could be learned, only s.. 35-bar ely
enough to pay her railroad fare.
| Took a Revolver with Her.
After her departure arevolver belonging
| to her employers son, T. H. Creel, was
missed. Miss COrdell remained with Ma
| comb relatives the night of the 10th, and
early the next morning left on the Burling-
ton road for Golden Station. Arriving
| there, she found that she would have
TO wait several hours for the Wabash train
| toward Bowen. Then she went out in
| town and purchased ten envelopes, sheets
| of paper, and postage stamps, and wrote
| as many letters, but instead of mailing
| them, put them in her valise AS she did
| so. revolver she carried was discharged,
| the ball cutting her dress, and burying
| itself in the floor When questioned by
the station agent, she said the weapon was
discharged by accident.
| Where Are Those Letters?
| These circumstances made it easy to
| trace her thus far Not one of the ten
| letters written by her in the station at
Golden has come 10 light, which is used
| as a strong argument that her death was
not by suicide. It is thought she had
| some presentiment of evil, and the letters
were to relatives, as her friends count just
| ten persons to whom she would write in
| anticipation of an event which might
| cost her life just as the Wabash train
came in she bought ticket for Keokuk,
| instead of her original destination, and
| after she boarded the train all definite
| clues were lost The conductor dimly re-
members her, but says he thinks she did
| not go as far rs keokuk, and the bridge
| tender Is positive she did not cross on
| foot.
beginning of the Search.
Not hearing from Ella for several days,
her father wrote to Bowen, and her sister
| replied that she had not been there.
| Young M. Creel offered $50 reward for
| her recovery and accompanied her father
| in fruitless search along the Wabash
| Nevertheless, not a few of her friends be-
| lieved the girl was at Hamilton, opposite
| Keokuk, receiving medical treatment,
| and this opinion gained strength, because
1 she propi1etors of a ''water-cure" estab-
lis hment there formerly lived in this
| vicinity. There was reason for believing
| ing the girl was at Hamilton several days
after her disappearance.
Description of the Girl.
| Should a post norton reveal either a
motive for her death or a reason for the
| concealment of its real cause, no efforts
| Will NC spdTtu W sthIcH out lne iFutu anu
| punish the guilty. Miss Cordell was "a
| years old, and weighed 40 pounds When
| she left she wore the dark brown dress
which was identified upon the corpse, and
/ carried light red shawl ON her arm The
| theory of suicide has been advanced but
has not gained much ground, and it may
| be said her relatives do not take stock in
the sensational reports sent out regarding
the finding of rified grave on lonely
island in Crooked creek, tributary of the
| Illinois river, and many miles away from
the probable scene of her death.
Bitten by Rabid Child.
PEORIA, Ills, June 10.-Little Willie
Dodds aged years, died horrible death
Sunday night from hydrophobia. To add
| to the horror of the situation, just as the
i *