The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-01-10
THE BARROWCLIFF CASE
Dr.. Variek's Statement This
Morning Her Condition
Improving.

Miss Barrowcllff, the interesting pat'eub III
the City Hospital, who was found insenslble
on a vacant lot in Marion two weeks ago,
recovered sufficiently yesterday to be able
at least to begin the story of her fearful ad-
venture on the night of December 29.
She had been slumbering for some time
one of the two nurses who are continually at
her bedside, she asked:-"Is this Sunday"
''No," replied the attendant, "this IS
Tuesday"
Miss Barrowcliff appeared surprised aud
and then remarked,
"Don't you think Gertie is behaving very
badly in not coming ia see me!'
(Gertie referred to Miss Dexter, the inti-
mate friend of Miss Barrowclif). Then
she closed her eyes and murmured some
thing unintelligible to any body around
her.
A few minutes after she tried to get up,
and her nurses propped her up with pillows
in a sitting position, so that she could look
out of the window facing Montgomery
street.
Repeatedly she called the nurses attention
to vehicles and people going up and down
the street. Late in the afternoon, when
il.
| to tell the occurrences of the Friday night
| when it is supposed the assault took place.
The doctor asked where she went to after
she left Mr.. Smiths house. She remembered
having called at Mr. Smiths, giving, the
music lesson and talking to Mrs. Smith at
| the door, and telling her that she had an en-
gagement to meet Miss Dexter at half-past
| six O'clock.
"Wel,n asked the doctor ''where did you
go after you left the house|
~ went along to where the trains turned
/ got lost--Don't you think my head" and
| other disconnected and vague remarks The
| effort to explain seemed too much for her
| and the physician wisely forbade any further
| questioning.
MERE CONJECTURE.
| The remark about going along the road to
| where the trains turned round puzzled the
police There is only one place where the
| trains are in that vicinity and that is at
| was thought that Miss Barrowclif may have
walked towards the Marion tracks to reach
| the footpath leading to the depot and then
| come south along Tonnele avenue, but her
remark on Monday knocked that theory on
the head. She said then, when the doctor
asked her if she fell:-"You must think
am goose not to remember how L came to
fall" From this the police deduced two
| theories, one is that she really knew who
| assaulted her and was trying to screen MN
the other that she may have fallen over the
rocks.
To gain evidenoe as to the latter view
| Detectives Hottie and Clos and others made
a searching inspection of the ground yester-
| day on which Miss Barrowclitf was found.
| They examined every square foot OF the
| rocks for any proof that she might either
have fallen or been thrown over, bat ''divll
a bit of proof" said one of them after a
| weary search.
| If the detectives didn't find ything in the
| lot, they found piece of evidence which, If
ltrue, establishes the fact that Miss Barrow
| cliff did go up Sip avenue sand not across
| the lot as many hold.
MARGARET MURPHY'S STORY.
| A young girl named Margaret Murphy,
| living on West Side avenue, told the detec-
tives that she saw Miss Barrowcliff leave
| Mrs. Smiths home and walk up Sip
| avenue. Another witness found yesterday
| was D. W. Colbert of No. 140 Beacon avenue,
| who is connected with Grace NJ E. Church
at Marion He says that on Wednesday,
prior to the night of assault, he gave relief
to tramp who was neatly dressed. That
individual wished, he said, to leave town
and received money for that purpose Mr..
Colbert says that the tramp did not leave the
city, but was seen hanging about Marion as
late as Friday afternoon. District Attorney
Winfield, to whom it is said clue was fur
nished, refused to affirm or deny the state
ment.
MISS BARROWCLIFF AT THE WINDOW.
The room in which Miss BarrowcliH is
confined in the City Hospital is situated at
the northeast corner of the new building, OF
women's ward. 1t is lighted by two small
windows high from the ground on the Mont
gomery street side and one large window al
the east side, overlooking Cornelison avenue
Miss Barrowcliff, who is greatly improved
was assisted to the window by one Of the
nurses, about half-past eleven o'clock this
morning. A quilt was thrown about her
shoulders and she was permitted to sit there.
She grew tired of this in about
a quarter of an hour. She then took
some nourishment, and lying down again
went to sleep.
Superintendent Smith gave an audience
to the reporters this morning at ten o'clock
He said there was nothing new in the case.
DR. vARICKS STATEMENT.
DR.. H. H. Varick, in an interview this
afternoon, said that it is his opinion that Miss
Barrowcliff sustained the injuries from which
she is suffering by falling at least a halt
dozen times on the rocks near where she was
found He says that he believes she slipped
and fell once, incurring some slight injury
In attempting to get out of the lots she
fell again and again, and, finally, becoming
unconscious. He explains the finding of hel
glove some distance from where the body
lay, by maintaining that where her glove
was found she fell first, and rising, knew
nothing of her loss.
This morning when DIR. Varick begaI
| questioning Miss Barrowcliff, she asked:
Don't you think there is something the
matter with my brain:'
Nothing further could be learned.
I