St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-08-23
Fair and Full Of Joy Last
Week, She Now Lies Dead.
VICTIM or A DOUBLE cRiMs
Brief Career on the Stage as
a Leading Chorus Girl.
SEEKS A HOME DURiNe ILLNESS.
Expires Without Telling
Aught Of Her History.
MYSTERY FOR POLICE TO s0LKE.

One more unfortunate has paid the
penalty of death for the love she bore
man, and the wages of sin have been
settled by that last penalty. The
thousands who have seen the pretty
face and figure Of Moilie Bigford for
the past several weeks in the chorus
OF the Wilbur Opera company at the
Metropolitan would scarcely have rec
ognized her in the cold, inanimate and
discolored piece of clay that lay on the
marble slab last night in the undertake
ing establishment of John Wilberschied.
Oh st. Peter street. Full of life, and
one of the handsomest girls in the entire
chorus, she took part in the last matinee
performance at the Metropolitan on last
Saturday afternoon, and ere the sun
went down on Monday evening she
breathed her last at the residence of
Mrs Walker, 515 Wabasha street, VIC
tim to the perfidy and treachery of
man. 1t is sad story, and even those
who only knew Mollie in her la st
eyes of her loving disposition, kind
manners, and spirituelle beauty in her
suffering. Even up to the last expiring
gasp, when death claimed her as his
own, she would not diyulge the name
of her betrayer or the whereabouts
of her parents, and merely said
she did not live at home
because of disagreement with her
stepmother. Where her family lives is
hardly known, as there are two stories
told, one that her father resides at Min
netOnka, and the other that he lives
two miles beyond Fort Smelling.
From those who are intimately ac-
quainted with her, however,it is learned
that it is her sister, and not her father,
that lives at the lake. She is well
known otherwise throughout the city,
and the early history of poor little
Mollie can be told best in the words Of
her friends.
Faithful Worker.
Miss Mollie BigtOrd, aged eighteen
years, was for years an employe of the
West Publishing company in the busi.
popular and valuable to the firm. When
the present financial stringency came it
became necessary for that firm to dis
pense with some of their help, and in
order togive as many employment as pos
slble they decided to have all employees
work OH half time. This necessitated
reduction i'll salary, and Mollie quit
work and joined the chorus of the, Viii
bur Opera company. After she had
left Vests they found that her services
were almost Indispensable, and they
sent to the Metropolitan to ask
her to again enter the employ of
the firm, promising TO restore
her old wages. This was accepted
by the girl, and, as she had been under
considerable expense in relation to
wardrobe, she quietly continued her
engagement with the Wilburs, and,a is
now known, she undoubtedly had
double purpose in view when she was
earning the double salary. and that was
TO provide for the emergency of
the future. She continued her work
at both places OF employment until
last Saturday, the last attempt being
her performance at the matinee in 1.-The
Merry War;" During all this time she
had boarded at the Milford house on
st. Peter street, and everything seemed
to be all right with Molie, and none
of the inmates or the matron had
any suspicion of the true situa-
ton of things. 1t is true that a few
days before this Mollie had complained
of feeling badly, and when questioned
cho
boil. The matron wished to examine
her, but Mollie refused, stating that it
was matter of no consequence. at
the West Publishing company it
had also been noticed that the
young lady was in distress, and
she was given different line of work
that she said she could easily perform.
But Mollie, knowing her true condition
all this time, became frantic with worry,
ana expected that ali the world knew
her shame.
Death in Horrible Form.
Becoming desperate she as a last re-
sort went to Mrs. Walker, whom she
had visited several weeks before this,
for treatment of a private nature. When
she went to Mrs. Walkers she told her
tudG WOuld IlhC W SGdy GuCIC ONCf
Sunday, as she was not able. to follow
the instructions at the Milford house
for the treatment she had received from
her, owing to The number of other girls
who were in the room and to the suspic-
ions of the matron Mrs. Walker, think
ing she was troubled merely with tile
private indisposition she had con-
suited, her about before. readily
consented, and she was given
a vacant room at the number mentioned
She went to the matinee in the after
noon Of Saturday, was taken sick Sun
day and Monday afternoon at 5 o'clock
she expired without saying a word
that would lead to the finding
of her betrayer or the loca-
ton of her parents. Those attending
her in her last moments say she died
without a struggle, but the physicians
say she must have expired in most hor-
rible agony. A look at the body, DIS
colored beyond all recognition, bloated,
black and almost Understandable
as a human being, would lead
the spectator to believe, and in
fact he would know, even though his
knowledge of medlcs and medicines
was limited, that such corpse, twelve
hours after death, and of young girl