Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-05-06
THE WERSTER MYSTERY.
THElUNExpLAINED DEATH oFMIss HoYLE
RECALLED.

The Singular Conduct of Her Uncle Andrew
and Hh EIopement With the Dead Girls
Sister-A Mystery Upon Which Light is
Beginning TO Dawn Mt This Late Day.
STAFFORD SPRINGS. May 5.-The mys-
terry of beautiful Lila Hoyle's murder in
Webster. Mass, whose body was found
tucked into corn crib on lonely road In
Oxford, a mile OF so from Webster, has
never been solved. The young girl stepped
out of her boarding house on the evening
of September 1, 1887, and her friends
did not see her again until her remains were
accidentally discovered by hunters in the
crib. The. world knows absolutely nothing
more about the circumstances of her death.
A belated wayfarer dimly saw a carriage
dashing along the Oxford road that evening
and heard woman's faint scream.
Miss Hoyle was a shop girl and had many
admirers, and suspicion connected several
of them with her fate, but not definitely.
Her uncle, Andrew Hoyle, rather pecul-
lar person, was thought to know
something about her death, and some
people fancied that Lilla's younger
sister, Alice, who told many varying sto-
ries about her sister, might have thrown
light upon the tragedy if she had wished to
do so. Local officers of the law and New
York and Boston detectives worked at the
case for months, wrought out ingenious
theories, and finally abandoned it, having
attained no plausible explanation of the
crime.
Now a singular incident recalls public
attention to the tragedy. 1t is the elope-
ment the other day Of the uncle, Andrew
Hoyle and Lilla's sister Alice. Andrew
and Alice have been fast friends for years,
and during the investigation of the muir
der he was the staunch defender and guar
dian of Alice. Soon after the murder of
Lila, Alice went to live in Andrew
Hoyle's home, and the relations between
uncle and niece became 20 openly affection
ate that there we're frequent stormy scenes
between Andrew and his wife. Finally
Alice went to her brothers house in Spen-
Ger, and has resided there during the past
year, but Andrew planned so that he was
frequently with her. His neighbors say
he was constantly moving back and forth
between Webster and Spencer. At length
he removed to another house in Webster,
then quit his wife and 14-year-old
daughter and went to Spencer to live. Later
he rejoined his wife. removed with his
family to Pawtucket, r. l., and summoned
Alice there. Not many davs ago he packed
up his personal property and informed his
wife that he was going to Illinois, but Mrs.
Hoyle refused to accompany him if he took
Alice along too. Thereupon Andrew ship
ped all his household belongings to Worces-
ter and stored them there, and induced his
wife to sign deed of sale of the Webster
home, promising to divide the proceeds with
her, but he did not keep that promise. Sud-
denly he and Alice disappeared, and Mrs.
Hoyle and her daughter were left destitute
in Pawtucket. She returned to Webster and
obtained employment in the mill there, but
was stricken with pneumonia, and now the
town authorities are caring for her. It is
not known whittier Andrew and Alice have
fled. but it is believed they have gone
West.
These later incidents have deepened the
mystery of Lila Hoyle's fate. The actions
of Andrew and Alice have been enigmat-
ical, and it has long been the opinion of
many Webster people that Alice continu-
ally receives money from a mysterious
source and that she has shared it with her
uncle,