Eagle River Democrat. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1893-1896, 1896-03-30
LANGDEN Is HELD.
Many Suspicious Circum stances in
tho Philadelphia Murder
Case.

is little doubt today that Annie Me-
Grath, the girl who was found dead at
1926 Girard avenue on Monday night,
was either killed as the result of a plan
for double suicide with Samuel T. Lang
den, the wealthy coal operator whose
mistress she was, Or she alone committed
suicide. The evidence thus far adduced
points almost conclusiyely to the theory
that Langden took her life and then
attempted to commit suicide, but forsoOk
this purpose and fed from the house.
He is still prisoner in the cellroom of
the city hall, where he will probably be
kept until the chemical analysis of the
girls stomach is completed. The wet
towel which lay over the girls face when
the body was found is in possession of
the detective department, but its condi-
ton is kept profound secret. The
most discriminating fact, however, is that
the girls lips and almost the entire in
terror Of the mouth were burned and dis
colored as if by acid poison, while Lang
denis tongue from tip to palate is series
OF ulcers and mucous patches which, &C
cording to his own statement, were not
there before Monday. This condition is
almost exactly similar to that existing IN
the girls mouth, except that in the lat
ter it is more aggravated.
The Servant Girls Story.
The statements made by Bertha Stew
art, the colored servant employed by the
couple, clearly show important facts. She
was the last person, with the exception
of Langden who saw the girl alive. This
was about half-past 3 o'clock Sunday aft
ernoon. Mrs. Langden, as she was
known down stairs, told the servant to
prepare dinner. She then returned to
the bedroom, where her supposed husband
had been with her all day There was
no further sign from the upper part OF
h01 c4 O.S0 hnr
the girl heard a piercing scream.
She hurried up stairs and knocked at
the door. Langden, clad only in a night
shirt. opened the door slightly and told
her that her mistress was suffering from
one of the bilious attacks to which she
was subject Through the aperture the
servant saw her mistress lying on the bed
with the towel on her face. She was mo-
tionles sand may have been dead at that
time. Langden had evidently been lying
on the floor.
At 5 o'clock Langden came down alone
to dinner and told the girl not to disturb
her mistress, who was not well. lie gave
her the keys of the house and left, say.
ing he was going to New York. mat
night the body was discovered
The girls relatives deny that she was
ever subject to bilious attacks. Tuesday
morning the Stewart girl received post.
al card from Langden. 1t had been
mailed after he left the house the night
before and instructed her, if her mis-
tress was no better by Tuesday to no
tify her father, Henry McGrath.
Langdan's Arrest.
When arrested yesterday Langden
. complained of being ill and shortly after.
wards he vomited copiously. be told
Police Surgeon Andrews that his tongue
and throat were liberated from excess
sive smoking, but that he had not before
IL H. nh oSf0 0fi Nh0
surgeon found the throat in good condl-
ton and says smoking does not produce
such an liberation as in this case. The
mouth looked as if it had been burned
by an irritant such as ether or chlorO-
form. The condition might have been
produced by mineral acid in small
quantity. 1t was, clearly recent.
The authorities refuse to state whether
or not the towel shows any spots, but
they admit that there was no odor of
drugs in the room. This may be eX-
planned by the fact that both ether and
chlOrOfOrm evapOrate rapidly, and, after
the lapse of sone hours, would leave no
odor.
One of the first results OF ether, said
the doctor, is stimulation. A person just
put under it's influence might become
excited and scream loudly. 1t is almost
certain that the commonwealth holds
this theory of the case.
Detective Frank p. Geyer, who unrav-
eled the Holmes murders, is on the case,
md when asked for his opinion he said:
People don't scream unless put in a
perilous position; only one theory can be
held. The girl is dead and the man is
alive and locked up"
Servant Could Not arouse Langden.
Bertha Stewart made the further
statement today that on Monday morn
ing she went up to waken Langden but
Ord
breathing loudly, almost snoring. She
made another attempt later in the day
with similar result.
Special Murder Investigator Barlow Of
the district attorneys Office was clOseted
with the detectives for q time today.
The father of the dead girl told Coroner
Ashbrdge today that his daughter lad
deceived him. Her excuse for absences
of three or four days at time was that
she had been visiting friends and this
was accepted without question.
No time has been set for the inquest.
The girls body has been removed to her
fathers home and will be quietly buried
in day or two.
Detective Geyer positively contradicts
the statement that Langden IS divorced
from his wife.
Miss McGrath was the daughter of
Henry McGrath. superintendent of the
presses in the Philadelphia Times build
ing. She assumed at times the vocation
of typewriter and ladies' maid, but she is
believed to have never worked honestly.
On January Is, 1895, her brother, William
McGrath, while suffering from melancho-
liza. shot and killed his 8-year-old daugh-
ter Lille, and then fired the revolver in
his own mouth and died within an hour.
The police say that Langden's time
was mainly taken up by trips to New
York, where he had an Office at Broad
way.
Mrs. K.angden's Whereabouts.
Pittsburg, Pa, March 25:-1t was
learned this afternoon that Mrs. Lang
den, the wife of Samuel 3. Langden,
who is held by the police authorities
pending the investigation into the cause
IF Annie McGrath's death, has been liv-
IL with her parents at Springdale, Allie
oeny county, ever since Langden ap-
lied for a divorce. The petition was
led in the Blair county court last July
and was for an absolute divorce on the
ground Of cruel and barbarous treat"
ment
The divorce case is still pending.