The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-06-18
DEAD BY A ROADSIDE
MRS. HESTER FRINK FOUND WITH
SINGULAR BRUISES ON HER BODY.
She Was Feeble Minded and Had
Wandered from Home-Indfca-
tions of Outrage.

Hester Frink. aged sixty, a feeble-mnded
woman, disappeared from the home of her
son-in-law, c. f. Hancock. 29S East ST.
Clair street, yesterday morning. shortly
after o'clock. and yesterday afternoon her
dead body was found by little girl in the
middle of the Charlottesville road, near the
Pressly farm, northwest of the city. Her
condition tended to the suspicion OF an out
rage, although the coroner who made only
a casual examination last night, seemed 10
think that post-mortem might not Justiry
such suspicion, although he would not say
that he did not believe such to be the case
He simply viewed the body and attempted
to make an examination last night, but on
account OF the poor light he was compelled
to postpone till this morning. The body
was taken to Charles Whitsett's morgue
The face was black from exposure to the
hot sun, and at the time il was brought TO
the city it seemed to have been lying in the
sun for several hours. The left knee and the
left leg below the. knee, as we'll as both
arms near the elbows. were badly bruised
and skinned. The largest bruise was on the
right arm, where the skin seemed to have
been simply rubbed off. The injury took off
only the epidermis, and did not appear 10
have been caused by contact with any hard
substance, would be the case if she had
been run over by vehicle. 1t seemed as il
the bruises had been y. ade by scuffle with
some one from the fact that the epidermis
only was injured and also that the epider-
mis- was rolled up at the edge of the wounds
as IL done by the grasp of a strong hand
within which her arm twisted in struggle
There are indications in the injuries of a
desperate struggle: but there is little else
to indicate anything of the kind. The body
was found on lonely spot on the road. but
not at such place as one would choose for
committing such crime, for II was within
sight of several houses.
On the other hand, there was nothing
found at the spot TO indicate struggle.
The woman was found an STOPPING or
kneeling posture at the side Of the road.
There nothing on the road which
could have caused the bruises by her fall
ling against il, and the bruises themselves
are of such nature to almost conclu-
sively combat the theory that she was
flesh has somewhat of the appearance of
having been scalded, but this theory is
shown to be untrue from the fact that the
peeled on epiderms is live skin and shows
no such signs.
Coroner Castor was soon on the spot after
being called. He made only a cursory
animation at the time and found when he
reached the morgue that IL was too dark to
undertake a post norton. He said his first
suspicion was that the. woman had been
outraged, but that his further examination
did rot fully justify this belief, although
he would not place himself in the position of
saying that such was not the case. A post
norton will be held this morning.
Mrs. Frink was the mother of Mrs. G.. f.
Hancock, of 29S East st. Clair street. She
was missed early yesterday morning and
search of the neghborhood made for
her, but without avail. She was feeble
minded and several times before had wand
cred off in the neighborhood. but was al
ways found in short time. About o'clock
her absence was reported to the police but
nothing was heard from her until her bodH
was brought in last night.