The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-10-19
were dead IN A BATHHOUSE
Missing Lovers Are Discovered by an
Anxious Searching Party,
WAS NO REASON FOR CRIME
Mary Duff Expires from the Effects of
Chloroform and Elette Titus
Shoots Hirnself-Theory
OF DR.. Burns.
By the United Press.

by the United Press.
Sea Cliff, Oct. IS.
There is intense excitement here over
the discovery of a double tragedy,
accompanied by elements of morbid
romance, which make 1t resemble the
dual suicide of a rather emotional
Frenchman and a sentimental girl in
Central park, New York, only few
weeks since. The principals in this
affair are Elette Titus, of Brooklyn,
and Mary Duff, the daughter of Peter
Duff, also of Brooklyn, who left Mr..
Duffs summerhouse at Sea Cliff at 3
o'clock on Tuesday evening saying they
were going for a short walk, and who
did not return, We're found dead last
night in Mr.. Duff's bathhouse. The
discovery was made at II o'clock by
the party Of searchers who had been
looking for the young couple ever since
yesterday morning.
The bathhouse was locked from the
inside. Some one of the searchers
suggested that possibly either one Of
the young couple might be inside, and
the door was forced open. Young Titus
and Miss Duff were both inside. They
were dead. Titus was shot through
the head.
Mary Duff died from the effects of
chlorofOrm. When found she lay upon
the floor of the bath house upon her
back. A cloth, which smelled strongly
of chloroform, laid across her face.
Titus was on his knees beside her. 1t
would appear that the girl died from
the effects of chloroform, and Titus,
while standing over her, had shot him
self through the temple and had then
fallen upon his knees in crouching
position near the body. A revolver,
with which he killed himself, was lying
upon the floor of the bath house beside
his body.
The bath house is on the beach Of the
Long. Island Sound, about q quarter of
mile from Mr.. Duff's house Mary Duff
was pretty girl, about 20 years of age.
She was a blonde. Young Titus was
about % years old and Of dark COM
plexion. He has been a summer visitor
at Sea Cliff for past three or four sea-
sons. He has always boarded at Mr..
Dun's house, and there he first met
Mary Duff. 1t was a boy and girl at
tachment at first, but as the young folks
grew up their affections for each other
increased, and an engagement followed.
1t was expected that they would
shortly be married The engagement
was perfectly satisfactory to all con-
cerned. Everything seemed happy and
prosperous, and the outlook for their
future was bright one, so far as any
one knows.
Dr.. Bu MS Theory.
! DR.. Burns, one of the searchers,
/ do OF In HNh hn col
! that Mr.. Titus some time ago gave Mrs.
Duffy, Marys mother, chloroform for
the toothache. Furthermore, he had
| advocated the use of chlorOform for
headaches. The Doctors theory Is now
| that when Titus and Mary Duff went
out for the walk on Tuesday night,
Mary complained of a headache, and
| Titus induced her to enter the bath
house, where he proposed curing her
| headache with chloroform; that Mary
sat down, and Titus saturated his hand
kerchief with chloroform and then
| placed II across her forehead that
Titus unintentionally gave Mary an
overdose, or kept the chloroform cloth
ON too long, and that Mary died; that
| Titus then endeavored to resuscitate
her, and in doing so pulled her body
| down upon the floor of the bath house,
while he tried to restore her to life;
| that when Titus realized that Mary
was dead, and that he had killed her,
| he became frenZied with grief and then
shot himself. DR.. Burns says this will
explain why Mary's body was ofund
lying upon her back on the floor. This
| theory seems to have universal evil
| dence.
Mr.. Titus was son of the late Colo,
mel Henry Titus, founder of Titusville,
Fla. His mother, who is one of the
Hodgkins family, is still living at Titus
Vile At her death young Elett Titus
would have been heir to fortune.