Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1895-05-16

7 a
capped unnoticed. Ii was thought
that 30 large q girl as wis Matte
Brownson could not have been on
the mountain alive or dead and moi
havebeen found. Subsequentevent
proved that it was an easy matter
for q human body to be concealed
on the mountain. Furthermore, il
must have been passed scores Of
times blythe searchers. But it was
8der they did not find it,
for it was we'll hidden, and it was
only By an accident that it was dis
coyered.
When the close search to which
the mountain-side, and even the
surrounding country was subjected,
revealed nothing, there were many
theories advanced as to the girls
disappearance. The chief one Of
these was that she had met and run
away with some city admirer; who
had made arrangements with her.
There were a number Of these who
at different times had stopped at her
fathers inn, while paying visit to
Fordham on fishing or hunting ex-
cursions. Becky, the colored girl,
was thought to be in the plot and
to have assisted Matte. The lat
ter's character, however, was too
highly. esteemed to admit Of many
holding such theory, and those
secuted the idea.
Another theory advanced was
that the girl had suddenly lost her
mind and was wandering about the
country. IL such was the case,
though, she would certainly be
heard from somewhere, but she was
not. Strange to say, the murder
theory was hardly advanced at all.
The simple country people could
hardly understand why anyone
would want to kill Matte Brown
son. Then such cases had seldom,
or never, appeared to them person.
ally. They doubtless read of such
things, but that anything of the
kind should come home to them, as
~ .,a~<.------ss-- s-s-----sr vss v
question. The affair was
given up as puzzle almost incapa-
BILE of solution. The Brownson
family was n-hearted, the
mother becoming almost insane
from the occurrence. She declared
that if she only knew what had be-
come of Matte she would feel bet
ter. She expressed the wish that
no matter what calamity had be-
fallen her daughter she should have
knowledge of it.
This wish was gratified soon after
and in about 10 days after the girls
mysterious disappearance.
FINDING OF THE BODY.
A hunter, who with his dog and
rifle, was roaming over the noun
tain side, by chance found poor Mat
tie Brownson's body, decapitated
and terribly mutilated. The mans
dog suddenly ran across a ground.
hog, which it pursued SO closely
that it did not have time to find its
hole, but ran into big mass of
moss-covered boulders, closely fol-
lowed by the dog. The place was
almost inaccessible for a man, be-
ing terribly rough and surrounded
by thick laurel bushes. The dog,
after following the grounding, was
silent for few minutes and then
began to whine as if frightened.
Presently it ran back to its master
and then vanished again in the
rocks. Several times it did this,
and by its unusual actions attract
ed its masters attention. The hun
ter, in explaining it afterward, said
he knew the dog and know it too
well to think it would make so much
fuss over a grounding.
So he concluded to follow it, and
with much difficulty, did so. The
animal evidently was much pleased
and ran back and forth whining.
When the man got into the place
the dog ran under an overhanging
ledge of rock and began paving at
something.
| This something proved to be Mat
Il tie Brownson's body, chopped to
pieces in q horrible manner, with
the head missing, one of the arms
cut of and the trunk nearly severed
by deep cuts across the stomach.
The arm was lying underneath the
trunk, and stuffed further under
| the rock was tin bucket.
i Stopping only long enough to