The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-10-18
BATH HOUSE HORROR
Young Lady and Her Affi-
anCed Husband Found
Dead and Cold.
MURDER, THEN SUICIDE
The Couple Had Been Missing
Several Days-Motive a
Mystery.

SEA CLIFF. III, Oct 18, 1S94-dhe
dead bodies of Miss Mary Duff and of
her betrothed husband, Elliott L. Titus,
OF Brooklyn, were found late last night
in bath house belonging to Peter Duff,
the young lady's father. Late on Tues
day evening the members of Mr.. Duff's
FAMILY We're in the village looking for
Alr. Titus. who, they said, had called
at his house in the evening, and went
out early, saying he would return in
few minutes, but up to a late hour he
had not returned. He did not put in
an appearance on Wednesday, and in
quirtes were made for him in the neigh
borhood but nothing could be learned
OF the missing man. Last evening the
Duff family, becoming seriously alarm
ed by the long absence of Titus, dis
closed fact that had been hitherto
kept secret, namely, that when Mr.. Titus
left the house Tuesday evening his be-
| trothed, Miss Duff. was with him, and
that both Titus and Miss Duff were
missing.
CHASTITY DISCOVERY.
The local police began a thorough
| search for the couple. Titus and Miss
Duff had left the Duff residence be-
tween eight and nine O'Clock, saying
they were going for a short walk
Late yesterday afternoon the police
and E. P. Floyd-Jones, Miss Duffs
brother-in-law, decided to go through
| all the lighthouses on the beach. They
| sent to Mr.. Duff's house to procure the
keys, but could not find them. Then
| they went down to the beach and broke
| open the bath-house doors, one after
! another. In the third bath-house en-
tered a horrible sight was disclosed.
Lying on her back on the floor, her
| hands. carefully folded on her breast,
her dress neatly and tidily arranged,
| lay the body of Miss Duff, her face
bloodstained and ghastly and a bullet
wound in her temple Titus body was
| found in a corner with a bullet in his
! BRAIN The walls and floor of the bath
room were covered with blood.
Coroner Duryea was Immediately sent
| for. He emDanelled a jury and viewed
| the bodies. The dead couple were then
carried to the Duff residence After
| viewing the bodies Coroner Duryea ad-
journed the inquest until Tuesday even
ing.
AN UNEXPLAINED HORROR.
| When where or how the dreadful
luea Wnlcn cUInlnaIeu IN the Tragedy
crept into the dead mans brain will
never be known.
The door of the bath-house in which
the bodies were found was locked, and
| the key removed from the lock. The
neat and tidy way in which everything
| about his victim was arranged, shows
that after shooting the girl the mur-
| derer, before taking his own wretched
life, must have paused long enough to
| compose his victim for her last long
| sleep. So far as is known there was
not even the slightest shadow between
the dead couple, and, had they lived,
they would have been married next
| spring. Miss Duff was about twenty-five
years of age. Mr.. Titus was a South-
erner, whose mother lives in Florida.
He has resided in Clinton street, Brook
| lyn, with an aunt. He has spent a great
deal of time in the family of Mr.. Duff,
and has been betrothed to Miss Mary
| several years.