The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-08-31
The BODY IDENTIFIED.
Partial Clearing Up Of the rlystery Of the
Woman Found In Elk creek-A
Former WiImlngtonian

Elkton, Md, Aug, 3O.-The mys!ery
surrounding the woman who was found
dead in Elk creek yesterday afternoon
was cleared up to-day so far as the coro-
number OF PERSONS who believe that the
whole affair has not been explained.
Tho body was identified this morning
as that Of Mrs. Mary X. Roberts, OF ll.1
Chapel street, Philadelphia. Tho idenli-
flcation was made by the husband OF the
woman, Mr.. Joseph Roberts, who heard
OF the finding of tho body and came TO
Elkttn this morning. He said that MS
VITA had leftshomc last Friday afternoon
about 4 o'clock, without saying where she
was going and that he had heard no' hing
more of her until he read Of the finding
OF he body in Elk creek.
A jury of inquest was summoned this
morning by Coroner Dean. A partial hear.
ing was hal, and the jury then adjourned
until tonight to await tho arrival OF the
daughter OF tho dead woman from Phlla.
delphln.
The daughter said that she and her
father left home last Friday morning at
o'clock to go to work IN facory and
did not return until 6 p. III. On tho ar
rival home they found IL message written
by her oaa slate saying that she could
not DO happy and was going away. She
said that her mother had been unwell for
somo time and had often expressed n wish
to go to Perryville, Md, where brother
of her husband resides. Arrangements
had been made for tho family to move to
pcrryville within few weeks. She took
very little. II any, money with her, lcav'
ing purse containing forty-Jhreo dollars
in her trunk.
Iti not known by any of her family
how she came to Eilton. Sho left home
in time to take u train which left Phila'
phia ut 5 p. m. and arrived here an hour
later. If sho took that train nobody saw
her leave tho station, though there arc hI
least two persons who claim to have seen
woman crossing tho bridge over Elk
creek about Sp. III. There was no evidence
to this effect be(ors tho coronpr's jury.
The creek lies on tho side of the town
farthest from the railway station and is
about fifteen minutes walk. AT the lhlll
of Davis L. Vinsinger there is u covered
bridge, and about ono hundred yards be-
low the bridge there is II deep hole. Along
tho bank of The stream runs bhrLeu
wire fence of six strands. Tho fence Is
well made and strong, and looks sit it
would Ec impossible for IL woman with
oua tools to break it down. Tho fence
was broken, however just over tho place
whore the body was found, and IL was
easy for IL person to step ovor it. How
the fence came to be broken no one seems
to know.
A puZZling matter in connection with
the body Is the condition in which IL was
found, Il condition that seems TO almost
preclude the idea of suicide. yet there is
very lit evidence to show that denth re-
suited from violence. A postlnortem cx-
animation was made this morning by DrS,
lamar, Cooper and Clemson. They found
ali Of tho organs in normal condition, but
said that the heart was empty Of blood
and the lungs were FREQ of water. In ad-
dilion to this, there was very little iniu
in the stomach. Tho physicians testified
thnt with very few exceptions where
death 10 utel from drowning tho lungs
were filled with water and more u less
water found its way into tho stomach,
Besides these conditions, the face of the
dead woman was found to have been cut
in several places. The wounds wero clean
cut and were apparently mace with some
sharp Instrument. One of the wounds cH-
tended about / wO inches Oh tho left side
from the cornct of the month. Another
was ever The right eye, and the other two
were beneath tho chin. In one ear was
found an earring, which had been torn
nearly to he bottom of the lobe. The
lobe Of tho other ear was torn entirely
down ana the earring was missing.
No reasonable theory could be offered for
he condition Of tho body. 1t was sug-
gosted that Tho absence of water in tho
lungs and stomach was due to the woman
having had an opiloptic fit after she entered
the waor 1t was shown that she had
been subject to epilepsy. The theory was
advanced that the wounds on the face
might have been made by pieces OF tin in
lhe bod of tho creek or by the face being
caught in the roots of II tree which grows
on the nurgin Of The stream. No reason
could be advanced for the condition OF
the ears.
In view of tho conflicting nature Of the
testimony, the verdict Of suicide is prob
ably tho proper one to have been reached
by the jury, but there arc numbers of per
sons here who believe that tho woman
was murdered. If they ara right in their
belief, no known motive for the crime has
been suggested 7 he woman is not known
to have had u sing'e enemy Her life was
not insured and 10 had no property that
would EcnaGt any QUO by her death. Sho
WAS born at Cherry Hill about three
miles from this place Her mother died
in giving her birth and she was taken by
o neghbpr to raise
Her father, Scott Strick land. died before
she WIS grown, She was married about
nineteen years ago to Joseph Roberts, and
they lived for short time at Providence,
near the place Of her birth, Fourteen
years ago she removed with her family to
wilmington, where lhcY ttslunu untll tWo
months ago, when they went to Phlladel
phia. She leaves two children, daughter
eighteen years old and sou eight years
old The husband and daughter said Mrs
Roberts had comfortable home and never
wanted for anything. Sho had been de-
spoutlent for some time, hut had never
threatened TO take her life
"Eor three years | suffered from Salt
ts, nv hnu In "a
extent that could not wash them. Two
bottles Of I,ur1ock Blood btters cured
me-" LbLie Young, Popes Mills, st.
LaN,caCe Cuunty, n 7.