Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-09-13
STILL A MYSTERY
Doctors Disagree as to Sex Of Laurel
Body.
DROWN'S CONNECTION Is CLOSE
He Was Undoubtedly Near by the
Scene.
NJ U RIDER OR SUICIDE?

|
The second week of the investiga ton by
| newspaper reporters of the mystery sur
| rounding the finding in Kelloggs woods
| near Laurel Md, CT the decomposed re-
| mains of a human being, began today.
+, Some who have been following the case
more or less thoughtfully have reached
| the conclusion that the body was that of a
| man, and that in life he known as
| Mark A G. Cliff. q Norfolk drug clerk.
| who has been missing since August 1.
| Medical experts from Baltimore have Wis
| tied Laurel, and examined the remains
| after they have been lying for 4 week in n
! tightly closed town hall. 1t should be
] borne in mind that prior to removal TO the
! hall the body had been exposed to the ele-
| ments and buzZards for a month in :he
woods had then been buried and next dis
i inferred. These medical men, after an ex-
animation of the disjointad skeleton, to
which is attached some putrid flesh, state
| that, in their opinion, ;hc deceased may
nave been a man. Half a dozen we'll
known physicians of Laurel, who exam
ined the body a week ago, declared posi-
| lively that it is the body of woman.
| They still hold to that statement. The af-
| fair seems to be an instance of doctors dis
agreeing.
| Inc WlIe Oh 1Ill soAie SioAh-
| iLg, discovered about three-Quarters IF
| mile from the resting place OF the remains
| in Kellogg's woods, as belonging to her
husband. The parents of Gift have been
shown chart of the teeth CT the skeleton
| and they say that the teeth of the skull
| found in the woods decayed in man
rer similar to the teeth of their son, as
! they remember them.
No one has been found who saw Gift in
| the vicinity of Laurel. There is no evi-
dence of his having been IN the locality ex-
! cept the finding of an old coat in which
was drug book containing some bills and
| the name, Mark a. G. Gift" The young
man, who was twenty-seven years of age,
was not seen approaching or departing
| from Laurel.
In view of all the circumstances until
Drown is produced and he produces his
wife, those who have been studiously in
Nestigatng every feature of the mystery
since the finding of the body must decline
| to accept beyond dispute the declaration
that the body was that of man and that
the man committed suicide
The Chain Links.
William Drown and his wife were seen in
Laurel Friday, August 6. They were quar-
| reling. Drown and his wife were seen in
Kelleggs woods August Z. The man was
| heard to speak harshly to the woman and
shove her back in the grass, by no means
gently, as she attempted to rise on the ap-
proach of resident of Laurel. The fol-
lowing day Drown, man forty-five or fif-
years of age, was seen alone at the same
spot The next day, Monday, Drown, very
much agitated, visited Il neighhoring house
and asked for a drink Of water. Tuesday
morning he appeared the road near
Beltsville, about six miles from Laurel. He
stopped a farmer named Stansfield and
asked for a ride to Washington. His re-
guest was granted. He had with him a
black dog. When Drown and his wife
passed through Laurel August 6, two dogs.
a black dog ana yellow dog, accompanied
them. About that time the yellow dog Ce-
serted the couple and made it's way home
with colored man living a short distance
from Kelloggs woods.
Wide publicity has been given to all The
details in connection with the finding of
the body. Descriptions of the supposed
murderer and the supposed victim have
appeared in a majority of the newspapers
his wife have been traced from Wheler's
farm near Savage, Nd, whore they were
employd picking peas last June, to Baitf-
more and back again to Laurel.
Drown has been traced to this CITY and
through several of the streets to a lodging
house on street. He left the latter es-
tablishment shortly after daylight the
morning of August II, and all KNOWLEDGE
murderer and If the body found in the
woods was not that of his wife, the prob
abilities are that the couple would have
been seen ere this, and that Drown world
had no connection with the alleged crime
AS stated, unless Drown and his wife are
produced, it would be utterly beyond ali
reason TO eliminate them entirely from the
case ana jump at the conclusion that the
body found was that of a suicide. Mark
A. G. Cliff, merely because Cliff has dis
appeared and book with his name written
therein has been found some distance fro,,
TIE spot WHere the body was discovered
They Lived Here.
Some deveIopmep+s ~ -
esting nature. so far as Drown and his
wife are concerned, We're secured this af
ternoon as the result of the investigations
of Star reporter. The latter learned that
Drown and his wife resided in this citv
from December, 1885, to the latter part of
May or early in June, 1891 They were
located at 342 Pennsylvania avenue.
lodging house conducted by Mrs. Moore.
They occupied front room in the attic.
and obtained a livelihood by means nf
umbrella mending. All that Mrs. Moore
knows concerning the couple is that they
answer N every particular the descrip, ions
published of the man and woman seen in
the woods. near Laurel. They paid their
rent promptly and departed for the count
try about June 1.
She Knew Them.
Information Of greater significance. how
ever, was obained from Mrs Mary ]. Ba-
ker. who occupies a room in the attic of
Mrs. Moore's house, adjoining that occu-
pied by Mr.. and Mrs. Drown. Mrs. Ba-
ker was intimately acquainted with the
couple. and she stated to the reporter with
out reserve the opinion that the woman
found at Laurel was unquestionabIy Mrs
Drown. and that she was murdered by her
husband.
Mr.. Drown said to me on one occasion
just before he and his wife departed from
the city that he was going to have me for
his next wife," Mrs. Baker informed the
reporter Il told him that he was looking
too far ahead, for he already had a wife.
To that he answered, Yes. but she'll be
dead before she knows it,
During their stay in this city Drown and
his wife would go out every morning to
pursue their calling of umbrella mending.
The man would do what work there was in
a mechanical way, while the woman looked
after the coverings and any sewing that
might be necessary.
"Mr. Drown was very cross indeed I"
said Mrs. Baker. II really think he was a
little out Of his head most of the time.
The couple were very quiet at first, and
never drank. was in q position to know,
being located right here. next to them
All of q sudden Drown yvenf ON n .rro<,