The times., 1897-09-11

All the evidence collected yesterday
In connection with the Laurel mystery ap-
pear 70 uphold the theory that the skele-
ton found Is that OF Mark A 6. Gift.
This man disappeared from Norfolk Au
gust /. He was Baltinorean, and tue
supposition in Norfolk, when his d!sap-
pcaranoe was noted, " as that he had zone
10 Baltimore. He has not been seen Ia
Baltimore by his family or friends fpr Iiiore
than one year. A reporter for The Times
called on Mrs. Ciifi, The mother, ana AIRS.
Cliff, the wife OF the uIissing HAN at their
homes in Baltimore yesterday. They de-
scrihed the teeth OF Cliff, and tlns described
the teeth In the skull. The wife Identified
tle Clothes found at Laurel THURSDAY 10
the clothes which Gift wore when she last
saw hi:u.
The testimony OF the doctors at Laurel
who stated positively that the skeleton
is that of a woman was shaken last night
by tie testimony er two physioians at
Laurel, who declared that in The present
condition of the skeleton it is imprae.
ticablc t. determine ftssex it was learned
last night that Gift had friends a Laurel
Of the missing man, live at No. 9l9
Williams street Baltimore. Mrs. Gift
did not manifest the faintest indication
of regret or euotion as she discussed the
probability that the Laurel skeleton Is all
that is left of her son. In fact, she
seemed 10 be relieved by the Thought
that her son was dead. She said In part:
Mark was very large tfaU n iie sg&s
very flesby for his height he was Just
d little over five feet tall and weighed $50
or 170 pounds. His flesL was hloated, /
think, by drink. He had a good dispeSi-
ton but he would get drunk. When he
was drunk he was just like q t'aby. He
would only lie down ana 20 TO sleep. He
" as not quarrelsome and never 50 him
morose. I dc not think he ever had the
blues. He was popular with his friends.
! He was twenty-five years old and was
born in this partiof the city.
| He hus no. lived at home for more than
three years He- learned tie drug trade
with John d. Tli9niPson, OF Baltimore.
! de had blue er.cs and very Iong isshes.
| About four yeats ago he married Nellie
| Cheney, much against my wishes.
wouid rather know that he is cad than
| that he is living in tire way he lIRs been
| Ee had q good eGucatiOn ana spoke German
| with Gerisisns. he has five brothers in
Baltimore His fatir-r is bu0kkeeper FOR
| William f. Woodail, Shpbuilder at Baia-
more. Marx weni 10 Norfolk af,uut one
| year ago. He Gsed 10 suffer a great deal
with toOthache ard al to have several OF
lis jaw teeth extracted. His front teeth
were good
The psrrnts Ut young Gift appear to be
IN Comfortable circumstances. Mrs. Gift
the wife, lives in one FlJ,'a over d col,fleF
/ shop at No. S16 South Charles street. She
| is destitute The shop is at the corner OF
/ South Charlas and Church streets. Church
/ street is a miserable narrow and Gro sgtied
/ byway. " isite and colored families are
! hHddIed together.
The ylfe was nervous from fear when
The TiDes ulan explained MS mission. She
finally gave vent to har great grief in
tears, She said in part:
Marx left me at Norfolk on August 1
/ last We We're living with Mrs. A. Dyson,
| at No. SGT East Main street. l was sick
when he deserted me. I did not know
/ which way he wenb, but / felt ssIre that
] be had gone either TO ssllin eton CT Balti
/ mere, az lie often spoke Of leaving Norfolk
3
/ He had no teeth missing In front, but
several Of his jaw teeth were gone. One
OF his upper fr,Rt teeth was deca yed. He
nad light brown hair. blue eyes anda small
sandy moustach. His feet and hands were
I small lie was five feet, two OF three
inches tan. and qsite fat He wore "a dark
biue suit Of clothes, a derby hat, and
cal: shoes W hen l saw him iast.''
The reporter then described the coat
found at Laurel 1t was dark blue
diagonal, with braid binding and needle
| worked buttons IL was OF the Getaway
pattern.
That is his coat" said the woman, her
1 eyes filling with tears. These things
were in the pocket of that coat,r said the
reporter. producing the little leather guide
hook, room reaC receipt, and bills payable
TO Druggist James B. Scott.
Mrs Gift showed touching emotion She
/ tried To suppress her outburst OF feeIia =
! She did not speak for minute and then
threw herself On the little bed in the
cheeriess room and sobbed; ITS too true.
/ too trlIe''
She said. "fie had these things with
hifG when ..e left nA. He always carried
tins iittle hook, and these bills were given
linn by Or. Scott the day before to collect
! They were old bits, and Mark took them
TO collect on commission {"
She ideBtified tie writing on the rly
| leaf OF the little book as her husbands
She stated that he had never talked Of
| suicide, and she did not believe that he
| had KILLED himself She knew that hI
would not hurt anybody, They had Hyet
happily togeai,et- though they had been
| very poor. They were married in RaIti
more four years ago. She said that she
would be able to recognise his teeth even
in the skull.
Mrs. Gift described the tie which wal
/ found, 1t is a blue silk, with a white
stripe running diaeonalIy through II. Sb,
said when he left Norfolk he wore gra,
| yarn socks, with white heel and toe. on,
OF these was found in the old graveyard
| She described the shirt Which was ldcke,
up. She said her husband never used
| a drug. He drank hard at times
Mrs. Cliff said that when she had re
covered she applied to the Masons 70,
| relief, which was granted She also
sold a suit of her husbands clothes to 4
| junk dealer at Norfolk to obtain none,
for railroad fare to baltimore. But tn,
clothes that We're found were the clothe,
he Wore a way Size cid not sell ths sui
till August 10. she vent to Ealtirrtn,
on August 1 8, and had heard nothing from
Mr. CHft Mrs. Cliff is blond about
thirty years old, wao shows traces OF bar,
work and hard living. She is in a dell
cate condition. Before she married Cliff
! she was divorced from her first husband
| who is a practising attorney narned Giles