The San Francisco call., 1896-02-18
MRS CODY NOT
AT STOCKTON,
Hopes of Her Relatives Are
Again Dashed to the
Ground.
A WOMAN OF MYSTERY.
The Missing Wife's Double Walks
to the City and Applies
for Assistance.
DETAINED BY THE OFFICERS.
Tacoma'S Chief of Police Is Summoned.
Only to Announce Another
Disappointment.

STOCKTON, CALL, Feb. 1.-THE elation
OF the local officials and the Joy of the
relatives of Mrs. Arthur B. Cody, the miss
ing Chicago woman for whom scores of
men, spurred on by magnificent rewards,
have been searching for weeks, ended in
hopeless detection tonight when Chief of
Police Smith of Tacoma failed to identity
woman under espionage here as the un-
fortunate Mrs. Cody. The depressing
news was at once telegrapbed to Mr.. Cody,
and almost the last straw at which the
husband could grasp had disappeared.
A few days ago woman applied at the
kitchen door Of a California-street resi-
dence for food. She was in a fainting con-
dition. and her sad plight 30 excited the
sympathy Of the lady of the house that she
was taken in and cared for. The woman
stated that she had walked from Auburn
and expected to continue to Los Angeles
the next day, at which place she claimed
to have relatives.
The matter was reported to the authori-
ties, but it was passed as a case of a female
tramp, AMI nothing more was thought of
it. The woman did not leave town, how
ever, and shortly afterward Chief Kings
bury received description OF Mrs. Grace
Goodrich Cody, the woman who disap-
peared so mysteriously from Tacoma on
Decem ber 81.
The striking resem blance the woma n
bore to the picture OF the missing Mrs
Cody excited the attention of the officers
and Detective Marshall instituted search
for the woman. She was not found then.
however, but yesterday the officers were
surprised to see the woman they had been
looking for enter the Office of the registrar
of Associated Charities. To Registrar Eek
strom she repeated the story of her long
walk from Auburn and asked aid in order
that she might be sent to Los Angeles,
saying she was too weak to continue her
journey.
Reporters Immediately began question
ing her, but she refused to give the names
of the friends with whom she claims to
have stopped while in Auburn. She said
her name was Curtiss and told very dis
con Iected stories concerning her life. One
very weird narrative was concerning a
shipwreck in which she claimed that her
entire family was lost.
The woman had veil drawn across her
face, but removed it during the conversa-
ton, revealing features which bore every
evidence of refinement and good breeding.
She was well dressed, but her clothes were
travel-stained. Her description answered
in many particulars the one sent out by
the Tacoma authorities, except as to her
age. She claimed to be 60 years old, but
was apparently not over 35, and had the
appearance of one who had under rgone
some sickness or who was Iaboring under
mental arrangement. Her story regard
lott r A I
with the fact that Mrs. Cody's children are
at present visiting their grandfather, Judge
Cody Of Pasadena, and it was believed the
mother had started to join them after the
sudden arrangement of her reason at
Tacoma.
Chief of Police Smith of Tacoma arrived
in this city this evening in response to the
telegram from Chief of Police Kingsbury,
and was taken to the hotel where the sup
posed Mrs. Cody was being detained.
Chief Smith was surprised at her striking
resem blance to Mrs. Cody, but could not
satisfy himself that she was the woman
wanted. The woman told very ram mbling
story, but all questions asked with the in
tention of connecting her with the Chicago
lawyers wife proved unsuccessful Chief
Smith concluded that he would not take
her back, and wired to Mr.. Cody at Chi
cago that the hopes that he had enter
tanned that the missing wife had been
found were. in all proba bllity, doomed to
disappointment.
This does not clear up the mystery, how
ever, as to whom the woman actually is,
and the police are inclined to believe that
there is something about her that she has
not divulged in the course of her conversa-
tions.