Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-10-01
A PUZZLER.
,ov pn ALOE wIMOFT GIT OVER TEE
RIVER?
A Why Was She Unconscious for Twenty
g,us?-Ths Girl Again Able to Talk, Bui
Claims to Know Nothing Of What
Happened.

Yesterday HAOA -----of o-N"S -HSAO ~ .
teriOus.
Yesterday the matter was leading
tonic Of conversation about the city,
and many were the theories and sur
misses on the part Of individuals, in at
tempts to account for the presence Of
the girl on the Ohio side of the river,
and the condition in which she was
found.
None Of these attempts at a solution
OF the problem were satisfactory, and
,ast night the problem was apparently
no nearer a solution than twenty-four
hours before.
The girl, who is still at Mr.. Snyder's,
was unconscious all through Tuesday
night, but about daylight began TO
show signs Of regaining her senses,
and during the morning became able 10
talk in comparatively rational man
rer. As the day passed she continued
90 improve, and last evening she was
able 10 sit up and walk about her room,
but was very weak, nOticeably enact
ated, and bore all outward aspects OF
one who had passed through severe
sickness.
To her attending physicians, Drs.
Harvey and BlackfOrd, TO the members
OF the Snyder family, and to Mr.. z. b.
D0ObinS and a physician from this city,
as we'll as to police officers and repre-
sentative of this paper, the girl insisted
that she had not the slightest idea or
how She cot across the river, or even
ont of the house. She says she went
20 bed and 10 sleep, Monday night,
8t Mr.. DObbinS', aud knew moth
ing more until she came TO herself yes
terday morning. She seemed surprised
when she was told that she must have
eaten something and drank the milk,
from the sidebOard, I'm the dining room,
before going out, but had no explanation
To- make. The umbrella she had with
her. described in the REGISTER yeSter-
fgv. and which, il was hoped would
afford q clue 10 the method by which
She crossed the river, was Identified by
Mr.. Dobbins as an old one kept in the
rack az his residence, and the girl must
have taken 10 just before she left the
house. A coal miner was found yester-
day who said he saw the girl, about
seven o'clock Tuesday morning going
along the road at the foot Of the hill
where Mr.. Snyder lives. He describes
the girl as walking as though she was
under the influence OF liquor or some
drug. and said she went into a little
level place in the hill side
where teams turn, walked around
10. came out, went back,
and finally started slowly up the hill,
I'm the direction of the place where she
was found This corresponds with
statement made by a son OF Mr.. Sny-
der's. who said the girl was not on the
road lust before seven o'clock, but was
lying there about nine. Both describe
her clothing as being wet and muddy,
from the effects of the rain which fell
from about four until about six o'clock
that morning. The girl seems 10 have
lain IN the road for two or three hours,
before being taken 10 the house, as
those who saw her supposed she was
drunk, and aid not care 20 bother with
her. As soon as her true condition was
asccrtained, however, sine was taken
into the house and physicians sent for.
80 odOr OF liquor or of any drug was
noticed by either the physicians
or those who saw her first,
and while unconscious her eyes
were open, staring and CLASSY. |
Asa test, finger tips and the smooth
end OF q match were passed over her /
eye-ball, without causing the slightest /
motion, which would have been invO.- |
untary mad there been anything like |
shamming. The whole matter is mex /
p.icabie.
On regaining consciousness It was |
some time before the girl could talk CO. /
Lerentiy, but she gradually grew better |
ia this respect. and yesterday afternoon, /
while still looking queer about the eyes, |
and evidently far from herself, she /
talked nationally and intelligently. To /
the members of the Snyder family she |
said her name was Alice WilmOtt, that |
her home was i'm Buffalo, and went over /
exactly the story the had told the au- |
thOrities I'm this city, adding that she /
wished she was back at her home in /
Buffalo. Time and again she reiterated |
her absolute ignorance Of anything /
transpiring after she went TO bed Mon I
day night, and ali who saw and heard /
her were convinced, even in the face of /
a strong prediction TO the contrary, |
that she was telling the truth.
The REGISTER Yesterday REFER ed TO |
the fact that a young girl accompanied |
by man had crossed the Union rail- /
road bridge about 3 o'clock Tuesday |
morning. From inquiries made yes
terdaY, II seems likely that this was
not Alice Wimott as the meager de- |
scriptOns ran in the direction of girl |
with q light dress and black, curly /
hair, whereas Alice has brown hair and /
had on a blue dress. A hack with the
curtains drawn, passed over the SuS-
pension bridge early on the morning Of
the girls disappearance, and 10 is posi-
bic that the girl was In 10, but OF course, |
this is but SurmiSe. il Is certain, how
ever. that she must have passed over
one OF these TWO bridges, and IL seems
strange that the presence OF young
girl passing either toll house, at such
an hour In the morning, especially il it
was raining, was not noticed and re-
membered. II she crossed the Union
bridge, she had 70 pass toll house az
either end. and IL she passed over the
Suspension bridge, she had to pass a
toll house on this side OF the river, and
another either ~ Bridgeport or on the
new EsnGville bridge. That she
crossed the river, probably between
$3.50 and 3 o'clock, IS certain; how she
crossed. and over which bridge she
travelled. are matters which are very
uncertain.
d wvh ~