Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1897-09-02


Other sharp ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS That
the Stranger Was Murdered and Thrown
Into tho Stream.
Elkton, Md, Aug. 29 The body of
we'll dressed white woman, aged be-
tween 20 and 80 years, was found in
Big Elk Creek. near Vinsinger's Mill
Cecil county, at 6 O'clock this evening
by Alfred II. Marcus, who was fishing.
The right side of her face was badly
mutilated, and, Notwithstanding several
hundred people viewed the corpse, it
was impossible TO identify her. DIR.
John II. lamar made an examination
of the body, and the marks on the face
lead TO the suppositiou that the woman
was murdered and her body thrown
into the water. There IL cut across
the throat and several deep gashes on
her left cheek. Fish have also helped
TO mutilate her face, but DIR. lamar,
after close examination Of tho wounds,
thinks there is but little doubt but
that the marks are those of knife or
some othor snarp instrument and that
fish could not have caused the wounds,
as the examination shows them to he
clear cut. just how long the remains
had been in the water is another mys.
terry, but it was possibly not more than
AS hours.
The woman was about five feet in
height, with auburn hair, and was
dressed in black skirt, with blue and
white shirt waist and black belt. Sine
wore a black hat and new elastic top
shoes, with patent-leather tips. Her
upper teeth were missing, and she evi.
dently had false ones.
The corpse was found 10 hole of
four feet OF water, the deepest in the
creek in these parts. The body came
TO the surface of the water while young
Marcus was fishing. He gave an alarm,
which soon brought a large crowd OF
curious people to the scene.
Elkton. Md. Aug. 30. The mystery
surrounding tbs woman who was found
dead 10 Elk Creek yesterday afternoon
was cleared up to-day so far as tho
coroner's jury Is CONCERNED, but there
arc number OF persons who believe
that the whole affair has not been ex-
claimed.
The body was Unidentified this morn
ing as that Of Mrs Mary r. Roberts OF
No. 1927 Chapel street, Philadelphia.
no WAS ny
husband Of the woman, .Joseph Roberts,
who heard of the finding OF the body
and came to Elkton this morning. lIe
said that his wife had lefG home last
! Friday afternoon about o'clock, with
out saying whore she was going, and
that he had heard nothing more of her
until he read Of the finding of the body
in Elk Creek.
A jury of inquest was summoned this
morning by Coroner Dean. A partial
| hearing was had, and the jury then ai-
journed until tonight to await the ar
rival OF the daughter of the dead
woman from Philadelphia.
Tho daughter said that she anil her
father left home last Friday morning it
6 o'clock to 60 to work in factory ami
did not return until 6 p. IN. On their
arrival home they found message
written by her on slate saying she
could not he happy and was going
away. She said that her mother had
bean ill for some tina and had
often expressed a wish to go TO Perry.
vile, Md. where brother of her hus.
band resides. Arrangements had heen
made for the family to move to Perry
vile within few weeks. She took
very little, il any, money with her.
leaving purse containing s43 in her
trunk.
1T is not known by any of her family
how she came to Elkton. She left
home in time to take train which left
Philadelphia at p. m. and arrived
here an hour later. III she took that
| train no person saw her leave the sta
| tion, though there are at least two per-
CONS who claim to have seen a woman
crossing the bridge over Elk Greek
about s p. m. There wae no evidence
to this effect before the coroner'a jury.
The creek lies on the side of the
town farthest from tine railway station
and is about 10 minutes walk. At the
mill of Davis & Vinsinger there is
covered bridge, and about 100 yards bo-
low the bridge there is deep hole.
Along the bank Of the stream runs a
barbed wire fence of six strands The
fence ia well made and strong, and looks
aB IL it would be impossible for a
woman without tUols to break it down.
| The fence was broken, however, Just
over the place where the body was
found, and it was easy for person to
step over 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 it
was found, condition that seems TO
almost preclude the idea of suicide.
yet there is very little evidence to show
| that death resulted from violencs. A
noatmortem examination was made
this morning by Drs. lamar, Cooper
and Clemson. They found all of the
organs in normal condition, but said
| that the heart was empty of blood and
the lungs were free of water. In addi-
tion to this, there was very little fluid
in the stomach. The physicians testi
| tied that with very few exceptions
where death reulted from drowning the
lungs we're filled with water and more
or less water found its way into the
stomach.
Besides these conditions, the face of
the dead woman was found TO have been
cut in several places. The wounds were
clean cut and were apparently made
with some sharp instrument. One of
the wounds extended about two inches
on the LETT side, from the corner Of tho
mouth. Another was over the right
eye. and the other two were beneath
the chin. 10 one ear was found an ear
ring, which had been torn nearly to the
hottom of the lobe, The lobe of the
other ear was torn entirely down and
! the earring was missing.
| No reasonable theory could be offered
for the conditun OF the body. 1t was
suggested that the absene OF water in
| the lungs and stomach was dus TO the
woman having had an epileptic tit after
ghe entereu tbs water. 1t was shown
! that shs had been subject to epiiepsy.