The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-01-02
STILL A MYSTERY
The Police Have Ne Clue to
the Assailant of May
BarroWcliff,
HER CONDITION IMPROVED
Doctors Believe She Will Be
Able to Tell Her Story To-
day or Tomorrow,
TALKED TO DIR. VARICE.
But in an Ineoherent Manner
Understood and 0beyed His
Orders.
WAS A FRIEND HER ASSAILANT?
Committed the Deed and
the Motive.
TALKED TO DR.. VARICK.
WAS A FRIEND HER ASSAIIANT

Miss May Barrowcliff, the young music
teacher who was found in vacant lot near
Marion on Saturday morning in an uncon-
scious condition the details of which were
fully set forth in THE NEWS Saturday, has
not yet been able to give any Information
which may lead to the arrest of the brute
or brutes who SO horribly assaulted her. She
lies in private room in the City Hospital,
and is never left alone, even for second
The physicians in the institution, from their
standpoint, look upon their patient with ex-
trene interest They marvel that young
woman. bruised and bleeding, could lie on
the wet ground for fourteen hours during
storm of sleet and rain and still be alive; nay,
even giving signs that she will ultimately
recover
The police await her recovery to conscious
ness with an interest amounting to impa-
tience, for she only can give them clue to
lead them out of the labyrinth into which
they appear to have fallen. Although
theories innumerable have been suggested,
hints given and acted upon, probable clues
worked up the police are just as far off
solution to the mystery of the assault as
they were on the morning when pretty May
Barrowcliff was found lying on the ground
soaked with the rain and her face covered
with the blood which oozed from hideo1s
cash in her forehead.
ssWho did it? Was it friend or
stranger? Were more than one concerned in
the AFFAIR."" are some of the main problems
the police are doing their best to solve.
Out of the chaas and confusion there are,
however, certain facts appearing which,
grouped together, lead those who are watch
ing the case to suppose that it was a friend
OF Miss Barrowciiff's who committed the
triple deed.
Others pooh pooh that theory and main
tain that it was tramp.
Friend or tramp, or whoever 1t was,
nearly everybody hes agreed that the as
sault took place on the lot where she was
found There is one. however, who doesn't
agree with this, and as he is a person whose
opinion has some weight, his view OF the
matter Ia this particular IS interesting.
DR.. wATSoN'S OPINION.
It is DR.. Watson's who says that it is inn
possible that Miss Barrowclif could have
survived fourteen hours of exposure after
such terrible assault, and he therefore
contends that she was carried to some shell
tered and retired place and there assaulted
and robbed afterwards. She was car
ried to the spot where she was
found early in the morning. But this view
of the case is somewhat weakened by the
fact that money was found on the ground
near to where the girl was lying, and, be-
sides, there was that roll of music, both of
which facts, so the opponents of this theory
argue. indicate that the robbery took place
where she was found.
No wonder, then, that Miss Barrowcliffs
recovery to consciousness is SO eagerly looked
for. Her lips will tell who assaulted her,
and when and where the crime took place.
HER CONDITION THIS MORNING.
This morning the injured girl was able to
take a little nourshnlent and gave such
signs of Improvement that DR.. Law declared
that his patient had an excellent chance of
recovery.
Yesterday afternoon the Rev. Joseph A.
Mock late rector of st. Matthews 7. X.
Church visited the hospital and was admit
ted to Miss Barrowcliff's bedside. Gently
touching the girl ON the shoulder he asked
ssDo you know me. MayT'
She opened her eyes, but there was no light
In them After a second or two her lips
moved and nurmured something, which Mr..
Mock construed into yes. Warden Osborne,
however, thought that the same answer
would be given to any question put to Miss
Barrowclif in her present condition.
Before he left Mr. Mock prayed for her
reaovery.
Only once did she open her eyes during the
minister's visit, and then but for second.
ANNIE coPPINGER's STORY.
During the day nearly two hundred per-
sons called at the hospital to enquire after
her condition. One of these visitors was
little girl named Annie Coppinger, and she
lives with her mother in house on Corbin
avenue, not far from the lot where May was
assaulted She says that on Friday night
about seven o'clock she and her sister Mamie
were in the kitchen of their house
and distinctly heard cry
coming from, it seemed, Sip avenue. The
cry was repeated, and sounded like an in
FAINT CRYING. They told their mother what
they heard. Mrs. Coppinger went outside to
investigate. Two dogs tied in the yard were
excited and begging to get loose from their
chains, but she didn't attach any importance
then to the matter. One hundred and fifty
Yards away was the spot where Miss Barrow
cliff was found The next morning these
little girls, who work in fac
tory at Jersey avenue and Tenth
street, crossed the lot entering it for
Corbin avenne and taking the path which
runs diagonally to Sip and Van Wagenen
avenues, They passed few feet from the
spot where Mary was lying. They did not
z see her, they said, because they were in a
hurry and it was a cloudy morning. The
story Of the Coppengers confirm that told by
Mrs Christie, who also heard cry about
that time. This, then, supports the uneory
that the assault took place about seven
O'Clock.
ANOTHER STEP
Now to the second step.
Where did it take plaee'
The police claim that Miss Barrowclif en-
tered the lot at Corbin avenue and was
attacked while crossing it. Others disbe-
lieve this ard maintain that she never tried
to cross the lot, but after leaving Smiths
home she walked along West Side avenue to
Sin avenue and thence towards Van Wag-
enen avenue While going up Sip avenue
she was attacked and dragged into the lot.
1yis view was strengthened yesterday by
Miss Ida CARPENTER who lives on West Side.
avenue On Friday evening when the as
sasllt was committed, Miss Carpenter was
coming home along West Side ayenue about