The Portland daily press., 1894-01-05

Her Assailant.
New York. January 4.-Miss May Bar
rowcliff, the victim of an attempt at
murder in Jersey City, is not the orphan
she has always believed herself to be.
Her mother is living, and yesterday
spent all the afternoon at her daughters s
bedside in the city hospital. The mys-
uerious case grows denser and more in
volved each day. The Investigations of
the police and the newspapers have
served no purpose, SO far as revealing
who Miss Barrowcliff's assailant was.
Miss Barrowcliff was found dangerously
injured, about the head and unconscious.
ness sufficiently to tell the particulars of
the assault
The only result of the assault so far is
to unite the mother and daughter, for
had it not been for the publicity given
Miss Barrowcliff in consequence of the
terrible assault of which she was the
victim her mother would not have known
that her daughter was living. Mr.. Bar
rowcliff arrived in this country from
London twenty-five years agosand settled
in Jersey City. He had little to say con-
cerning his former life, but his wife,
girl of nineteen, told intimate friends
that her husband belonged to noble
family, but did not himself possess a
title. A child was born few months
after their arrival in this country. The
child was named May Mr.. and Mrs.
BarrowcliH drifted apart, and twenty
one years ago Mr.. Barrowcliff deserted
his wife and took May, then a child of
three years, with him.
They were heard from in England. In
that country Mr.. Barrowcliff obtained q
divorce. Later he sent word to Mrs.
Barrowcliff that the child had died. He
returned to America and Jersey City a
year later The child had not died, and
was with him on his return. He married
again, and May was brought up in the
belief that she was her stepmother's own
daughter and possessed no real relation
ship to her father.
Four years ago Barrowcliff's IS second
wife died, and May mourned for her as
for her own mother. "A year ago Barrow
cliff himself passed away without reveal
ing the secret. One man in Jersey City,
and only one, was In Rarrowcliff's conf
dence, and knew the facts in the case.
This man is r. E. Vernon of 80 Grand
avenue. Saturday last Mr.. Vernon put
the police in possession of the fact that
the girls real mother was still alive He
did not, however, know anything con-
cerning her whereabouts The detectives
at once sought to find a trace of the
woman, but failed. Where they failed
| the newspapers succeeded, for the pub
| lished accounts of the case came under
| the attention of the mother.
| Mrs Barrowcliff has lived most of the
| time since her separation from her hus-
band in Brooklyn. She was interested
| by the sameness of the last name and
| startled to find the young lady's first
name to be May. The age. TOO, tailed
with that of her child Still she had
| lived in the belief that her daughter was
| dead, and could hardly believe otherwise.
| Shortly after noon yesterday Mrs
Barrowcliff called at the hospital and
asked to see Miss Barrowcliff. She was
visibly agitated, SO much so that the at
| tendapt who answered her call at the
| door was impressed by the fact. She was
| Shown into Warden Osborn's office.
| Warden Osborne was Immediately struck
| by the resem blance of his visitor to Miss
| Barrowcliff At the warden's request
Mrs. Osborne conducted the visitor to the
private room where the girl has been
ever since she has been in the hospital.
| One glance at the girls face and the
woman said, ITS my May and broke
| forth into tears. If Mrs. Osborne had
not prevented Mrs. Barrowcliff she would
| have mbraced her daughter. Each hour
| finds Miss Barrowcliff's mental condition
| improved, and it is thought she will
soon be able to tell who her assailant
was