The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-08-02
ALICE BARRETT'S DEATH
BOSTON'S GREAT MYSTERY BE-
LIEvED TO HAVE BEEN SOLVED.
Suicide Theory Now Supported by
Many PeopIe-The Girls Strange Ca
reer-Story of the Tragedy.

BOSTON, Mass. Aug 1.-The mystery of
the death of Alice NJ. Barrett is nearing
solution. Astonishing discoveries We're
made observation-disclosures which shock
| the community, the members of the Barrett
family and the friends of the dead girl.
Even the mother yesterday admitted that
her daughter had been Systematically de-
ceiving her for months. The theory OF
long contemplated suicide, FASTENED by
sudden fright on that wild and stormy
Saturday afternoon a week ago, has at
last come to be the generally accepted ex-
PLANTATION of her sad end The theory Of
possible murder, while not entirely dis
proved, is still less probable than that of
suicide.
Miss Barrett had been foolish magma
tive. extravagant, not entirely honest, reck-
less concerning appearances, and some of
her relations with male friends, and finally
lied and DETAINED others to cover her lesser
faults. Men of prominent business and So
cial position introduced her to certain lux
urles of living, of which her position in
life did not warrant the continuance at her
own expense. 1t is easy to see why she
became dissatisfied.
At last the mystery Of the $500 loan which
Miss Barrett is said to have made at
dead loss has been cleared up. For days
1t has been thought that this was the key
TO the entire mystery. The person to whom
Miss Barrett said that she loaned the
money is Captain John Goldman, the marine
authority and author and brother of Will
nam Z. Goldman. The captain denies the
whole matter 1t was his name that Alice
Barrett gave to her mother.
captain Codman'S name was given to
Fire Marshal Whitcomb and the latter
went TO New York and interviewed him.
captain Goldman said that he had known
MISS Barrett for two or three years She
did the greater part of his typewriting for
hlm MISS Barrett perSiStently refused TO
receive any money for the work and it
was for this reason he says that he fire.
quently took her to dinner at the Parker
House. The explanation of the disappear
was spent for her personal adornment.
Miss BarrettS missing bunch of KEYS was
given to the marshal yesterday. Attached
10 the Key ring was a strip of silk tape,
and on the end of the tape was a STAN
S which the marshal said was blood. The
Keys were found in a bag with the BODY
He thought that the blood stain would tend
10 prove a murder theory, because the
blood could not be on the tape before the
IN the bag after she was shot, then it was
by some one else for she could not have
done 1t: He is still investigating this fea-
lure OF the case.
TOLD MANY FALSEHOODS.
Marshal Whitcomb said to-day: why
not tell, but they are pure falsehoods we
can now state beyond the possibility of a
doubt. We have traced the number of these
articles of jewelry and clothing which she
says were presented to her by Miss Wheel
wright and we have not only Miss Wheel
wrights word that the girls statements
are untrue, but positive evidence in support
of the fact from the storekeepers them
selves. They recollect Miss Barrett In
every case she was alone when she made
these purchases, and in every case she PAID
caSh Tor them. These purchases include
the most elaborate dresses and ieWelry
Sl5O diamond being one of the last things
she bought All of this she did on sal
airy Of So
Alice Barrett knew the stock market, and
AT one time during her career of specula-
ton was ahead of the game between S30o
and $780, The Watershed broker with
whom she dealt said this morning that it
was evident from her letters that She knew
girl was Alice Barrett. She PLAYED liV-
ing game of solitaire. No other soul shared
the strange secrets of her life of deception
Fernaps she was insane; not dangerously
so, but yet. perhaps, balanced peculiarly
for while she loved the good things of life
there appeared no man in her case She
spent money for her own pleasure No one
seemed to share it with her. She was a
lone seeker for the good things in life She
invented the widest sort of imaginings
ana when she died she left the following
paper:
1t is my keenest regret that the eight
hundred dollars ($800) drawn from the saw
lngs bank is gone beyond REDEMPTION II
was invested at a dead loss and the per
son who had it is out of the United States
Inc only thing received from il was $40
interest July "A. 1t is impossible to recover
anything-an attempt would only involve
greater loss. The party who now holds
the money is known only to myself 1t is
my prayer that in the event of my death
within six months my family do not at
tempt even to find the debtor. 1t is useless
10 be legally rewritten Ia1 rr;tl
personal papers,
STORY OF THE TRAGEDY.
When the Boston firemen broke into the
burning real-estate office of Goldman e.
Goldman, on Kilby street, a week ago. they
found the dead body of a girl and a note
containing the above words The BODY WAS
that of Alice M. Barrett, the cashier and
stenographer of the firm. A storm was
raging, and the play of lightning was in
cessant KILLED by a thunder bolt" said
the fire chief as his men carried the girls
inanimate form downstairs and out of
reach of the spraying water There was
10 no pIood on the Iloor none on the body of
the dead girl. The fire was quenched the
storm passed and the remains of the pretty
stenographer were taken to the Emergency
Hospital in an ambulance.
The doctor IL charge of the ambulance
gave IL as ms opinion that the girl had
Deen Killed by lightning. The hospital doc
without avail. They had noticed a small
hole over her heart, but it was supposed
that the lightning had inflicted it, it is a
strange fact in this case the medical di-
rector" as the Boston coroner is called
was not notified of the death Instead the
girls relatives in Waltham were commu-
nicated with by telephone. From them an
order was received directing that the body
be sent to Watermans undertaking rooms
in RoXbury and embalmed. The body was
turned over to the undertaken 1t was only
In roundabout way that the news of
the girls death came to the notice Of DR.
Stedman, the medical director. That a
young woman should have been struck by
lightning was not strange to DR.. Sted-
man, but he was annoyed that he
should not have been informed of the death
as required by law. He visited Waterman s
undertaking rooms and viewed the remains
of Miss Barrett. His eye lit upon the
small, jagged wound in the left breast
That is not the mark of lightning" said
he. 1T is a pistOl-shot wound"
So it came about that the death of Alice
NJ. Barrett became the talk of Boston The
girl was buried with flowers and music and
tears The flowers have faded on her
grave the music has died away the tears
are all shed, but the wonder OF it all still
remains
THE wound was self-inflicted'' saws DR.
Stedman, the medical examiner. Its posi-
ton and direction make this palpable' -
1T was murder" say Mrs. Barrett and
the dead girls brothers.
We do not know" say the Codmans
I'VE know of no reason why the girl should
have killed herself
A WELL-RESPECTED GIRL.
Alice Barrett was well known and re-