The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-12-16
A MOTHERS AGONY.
Tho identification of tho Hoad OF
tho Bomb Throwor.
THE REMAINS OF NORCROSS
Cnrcsscd by Ills Mothcr...A Heart.
rcnding Scene In tho New York
Morguc...Somo Statements that
Clear Up the Great Mystory...A
Letter Lief, by tho Insane Young
broker.

NEW ! DIRK, Dec. lO.--Sevcr before in
the history OF tho morguo has there
been rs sad a scene MS was witnessed
there ut M curly hour this morning.
At o'clock tho parents OF Henry L.
Norcross, tho Boston note broker, idcn.
titled the bomb thrower's head us that
OF their son.
Coroner MESSENGER had charge OF the
Identification and accepted it us com.
plctc. Previous to tho visit to tho morguo
the coroner took tho sworn state
ments OF tho bomb throwcr's parents,
and they will DO used ut the inquest,
which will begin as soon US an expert
Jury can DO summoned.
Mr.. and Mrs. James L. Norcross ar
rived here from Boston at 8 O'Clock last
night and went to tho Grand Union
Hotel. a reporter accompanied them
from their homo at Somcrville, and he
notified Coroner MESSENGER OF their mr.
rival. Tho coroner went at once to the
hotel and Mrs. Norcross received him
with phenomenal calmncss. She OK
pressed Il wish to visit the morgue us
soon as possible and tho coroncr made
haste 10 take her statement and that OF
her husband. A Mr.. Whiting, m old
friend OF tho family, accompanied the
aged couple, and tho three got into a
carriage viii! tho coroner and arrived
ut the morguc shortly otter | o'clock
this morning.
Warden ORourke and Clerk Rockets
hastily arranged the head so us TO shock
the parents US little rs possible. A
cloth was placed around the neck, and
Mrs. Norcross and the gentlemen were
ushGred into the warden's private office.
Mrs. Norcross was first shown the head.
She identified it in tho presence OF Coro-
ncr MESSENGER, and said positively:
"This is my darling boy. Yes, yes,
yes; poor Henry, poor Henry. My
poor, darling boy; lie never meant to
do any harm. lie surely did not mean
TO do wrong. My own, my poor Hen
ry; yes, these are his teeth. | know
them. remember those under teeth
and how proud he was OF them. And
that tooth there; l remember how it
was separated. Yes, and his cars-how
often | have looked ut them. And | re-
member his hair. That is just the way
he used to part it."
At this point Coroner MESSENGER
asked the mother ii she positively idcn-
titled the head. The Borrowing mother
knelt down on the hard floor OF the hos
pital office and laid her head upon the
forehead OF her dead son. She was
about to kiss tho forehead when Mr..
Whiting gently drew her back. She
turned OH him and said ficrcely: ~
wish had como here alone. | must
kiss my boy" The Filings OF the
teeth were then examined, and were
found to tally exactly with the descrip-
ton furnished by DR.. Wells, the dead
mans dentist.
This identification by Mrs. Norcross
makes it positive that the man who
threw the bomb was lIenryL. Norcross.
With q mothers instinctshc recognized
one who had been the idol OF her heart,
and, losing sightof tho hidcousncss and
responsiveness OF tho head in its present
condition, and seeing onlyin it the out
lines OF ono dearly beloved, she pressed
her lips to the forehead OF the dead
man. None but the mother could have
done that. Mr.. Norcross also closely
examined tile head and fully identified
it as that OF his son. :.
Mrs. Norcross's sworn statement,
made to Coroner Messemerin the Grand
Union hotel, at midnight, is as follows:
"a letter was Sound in the safe in his
office and delivered to mo. l cannot
give the contents OF the letter; it is de-
stroycd. 1t wa written in blackink on
plain, unruled paper, very wide. 1t was
not dated. 1t began: Dear Mother, l
nm going to Now York to-day to. get
.Sl,22O0,00O. Ii successful ! shall return.
II not, | shall kill myself Hc signed
his name i'll full, 'llcnryL. Norcross.'
There was another letter, addressed
IN his own handwriting, to Mrs. James
L. Norcross, personal
The first letter was destroyed be-
cause lie said he wanted no one else to
know its contents. We read it several
times together, l and my husband, and
then put it on the Goals myself. I
ic!t that was the disposition he wanted
madc'o OF it. | was SO shocked | could
not tell how long I would live. The sec
ond lettcrI have here. It reads:
III. L. NoEcRoss, Note Broker, No.
l. Pearl street, Room !, Boston,: 1T
should be s, because he changed his
room.
".DEAE MoruEn-You will find tho
pnp,1 Ia t, ,A,r,. - 49,. - - ~