The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-11-18
DETAILS or THE DRESS WORN.
SURMISE AS TO THE POSSIBILITY
OF IT'S BEING A PARTICU-
LAR PERSON
TURNS OUT TO BE ERRONEOUS
Length of. Skirt Shows 1t to Have
Been Bicycle Length or That
of a Girl.


dead body was found near Lambert S
lake, Monday afternoon, is still mys-
terry. That she was not the woman
whom morning paper conJectured she
might possibly have been, was establish
ed last evening by the statement OF a
close female companion, who says posi-
lively that she has received a letter
from her friend within the last week
from Chicago. That the dead WomaEj
however, was murdered seems to be no
longer a question of doubt The de-
velopments in the case yesterday were
few as the hardness of the authori-
ties in beginning an investigation
permits as yet of little more that mere
speculation. The evidence already
| brought to light nevertheless strongly
substantiates the murder theory. This
is the belief of Coroner Nelson, Chief
| Schweitzer, Sheriff Wagner and As
sistant County Attorney Zollman, who
will today set about solving the mys-
terry upon the murder hypothesis.
The authorities will go to work prac-
tically in the dark. There are no re-
ports Of a missing woman which
might furnish a possible clue to
the identity Of the skeleton. That
! there was a"party of campers during
the summer of 1896, near the place
where the body was found, consisting
of both men and women, has been es-
tahlished, however, and the first eff
forts of the authorities will be direct
ed towards ascertaining if all these
people can be accounted for. If all the
members of the party are found alive,
the mystery only deepens. Should it
be found that one of the females has
disappeared then will the police follow
| UP the discovery. Today the resi-
| dents in the vicinity of Lambert's lake
viii. be questioned, and as the campers
are said to have purchased supplies
from the farmers and gardeners there
abouts. some definite information may
be obtained concerning the party.
The most generally accepted theory,
however, is that the dead woman was
| one of the class frequenting some of
| the resorts maintained within a few
miles of where the body was found
AS told in the G o b of yesterday, it
is thought possible that the woman
may have visited one of these places
and been either fatally injured or
hlitNu III q HItCtIlCi anu lllC DOby OOil-
veyed to the spot where it was discoV-
cred, to avoid an investigation. She
| may have died natural death or have
taken her own life, and the same
method of disposing of the body en-
ployed but this is believed not to have
been the case. TThat,the body was car
ried to the Hawks Back seems to be
proved by material facts. The black
stocking found on one foot was I'M
SOilo6 a hnI1t tho hOttnJ1n no hn6Nv
was found with one limb twisted as
though it had been thrown down or
dropped. A low shoe or slipper was
yesterday unearthed where the body
lay, by DR.. Francis, of White Bear
lake, and this would seem to indicate
that the WOman'S feet were properly
clad and perhaps removes the signi-
ficance from the clean condition of the
stocking. Coroner Nelson has not yet
received the shoe, however, and it's
value as a clue in solving the mystery
is not known. Also in support of the
theory that the girl was dead when
her body was deposited on the side Of
the hill, was the discovery yesterday
that quite a hole seems to have been
worn in the otherwise apparently new
skirt, as though the body might have
been dragged over the ground. The
worn place is about six inches square
and in that portion of the skirt COW
ering the left hip. The edges are
SHREDDED, while some strands of the
fabric still hold the sides of the hole
together. In a search of the clothing
yesterday two buttons, such as are
worn in the front of a shirt waist, We're
found. Both we're of similar design
containing what are believed to be imi-
tation opals. One button appears to
be gold, and is set with what may be
a genuine opal, but the other is of
| cheaper material and the stone is not
| genuine. No other articles of jewelry
have been found either about the corpse
or where the body lay on the hill side
| The left hand of the dead woman is
still missing and thorough search
will be made for this member as it is
quite possible that the fingers may
contain rings with some sort of a mark
which Will assist the investigation.
The clothing was removed from the
remains yesterday and will today be
washed out, while the bones of the
skeletcn,, will also be cleansed: When
| the wearing apparel is in a condition
| to be thoroughly examined q name or
laundry mark may be found. A close
examination of the skirt yesterday
gives rise to a new theory. The dress
was only thirty-six inches in length,
which would have been scarcely enough
material to cover the ankles of a school
| girl, and by some the conclusion was
reached that the dead woman was
clad in bicycle costume. The bones,
according to the coroner, show her to
| have been woman of about five feet
! four, or, perhaps, five inches in height.
and such dimensions would quite cor
respond with the regulation bicycle
skirt of a person of this stature. From
| these deductions it is theorized that