The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-09-19
HER GRAVE DUG
When Grace Marion Perkins Returned to
Her Home.

HER GRAVE DUG
When Grace Marion Perkins Returned to
Her Home.
Middleboro, Mass, September l7.-Ihe
supposed victim of the Bridgeport, Conn.,
murder, Miss Marian Grace Perkins,
arrived at her home this afternoon in
perfect health, to the great joy of the
family and the unbounded establishment
of the entire community. Her father was
not in town for at the time of his daugh-
ter's arrival, he was on his way back
from bridgeport with the remains which
he had identified as those of Grace, and
| for whose reception the funeral arrange
ments including the digging of the
grave, had already been completed. Miss
Perkins came from Providence, R. L.,
accompanied by her lover Charles
Bourne, and at first it was stated that the
couple had been married. This was after
wards denied by Charles Thompson, the
uncle of young Bourne. So unexpected
was :, the coming of Miss Perkins and
young Bourne that with thu exception of
Mr.. Thompson and one or two friends
who had been previously notified, there
were very few at the railroad station
when the train came in.
| The young lady, however. was imme'
diately recognized by the bystanders at
| the station and the news spread around
the town with incredible rapidity. A
arriage with a messenger bearing the
joyful news that the daughter was alive
was dispatched to the Perkins home and
Mrs. Perkins, the mother, suffered al.
most as grsatly from the shock of the
good news, as she did two days before,
| when the circumstances of her daughters
supposed horrible death were gently
broken to her. The joyful news had also
spread throughout the neighborhood be-
fore Miss Perkins drove up to the house
and there was large crowd at The gate
as the young lady stepped from the car
riage and ran into the house.. Her well
come was most touching. Her mother,
was the first to clasp her in her arms and
for some minutes both were so overcome
by their emotions that they could not
speak. Her greetings with her brothers
and others of the family were not less
affecting and it was some minutes before
they could fully realize that the news was
really true.
| The whole circumstances attending the
| astonishing temperance III the flesh, of
| the supposed victim of the awful tragedy
| were highly sensatioaln, especia lily so
| from the widespread interest in the mys-
| FERROUS discovery in Yellow mill pond and
the positive identification of the parts of
the body by Frank W. Perkins, as being
the remains of his daughter. The whole
affair has SO engrossed the interest OF the
| town and in fact nearly the whole of Ply
mouth county. that the unexpected re-
| turn of the victim seemed almost incred-
ible and few would believe 1T until AS
sured that Miss Perkins was really safe at
her home.
| So positive had MIR. Perkins been that
his daughter was the victim of the foul
crime that he had gone to Bridgeport to
get the remains and had sent from there
| to his family to make every arrangement
for the funeral which was to take place
| tomorrow.
+ Just across the street from the Perkins's
house is little cemetery and only this
morning in response to the request Of the
uncle of Miss Perkins, a grave had been
dug by the sexton in the family lot, and
the new earth thrown up beside 1t could
| be plainly seen from the house.
An hour after Miss Perkins arrived
home, an undertaker's wagon drove to
the house and in it was the coffin which
had been ordered by the family. The
funeral arrangements had even gone SO
far that the family minister had been
notified and had been asked to conduct
i the services.
While during the east two days ever
since Mr.. Perkins had stated that hs had
identified the remains, the entire COM
immunity had been wondering at the
| whereabouts of Charles Bourne, who was
| known to be much attached to Miss Per-
kins, it appeared that his uncle, Mr..
Charles Thompson, was fully informed as
to his nephew's movements and prao-
tically had charge of the return Of the
couple to this town. Mr.. Thompson
refused absolutely to talk about the affair
tonight but It was learned that his
nephew had notified him as to the time
of his departure from Providence with
Miss Perkins and Mr.. Thompson was
therefore fully prepared for the unex-
pected appearance of the much wanted
young woman. OF the Perkins family
was alive except her sister Hattie, and
even she not until late this afternoon.
Mr.. Thompson did this SO that there
would be no crowd at the station and
when the train came in only Mr.. Tholnp-
son and Miss Hattis Perkins were on the
platform.
Carriages were already in waiting and
after messenger had been sent ahead.
Miss Perkins and her sister stepped into a
carriage and were whirled away home. In
| the meantime, Mr.. Thompson had hus-
tied Charles Bourne and his brother
George who had met the couple on their
way from Providence into another car
riage and the two drove rapidly to the
Bourne house, only a short distance
| away. AS lawyer had been engaged a
| CAV or two ago, when the sensation first
started, Mr.. Thompson, upon the ad
vice of that individual, refused to have
| anything to say about the movements of
his nephew. The lawyer said that at
the proper time there might be state
ment made, but under the present condi-
tions he should refuse to permit either of
the Bourne brothers or their uncle to say
anything.
lar reticence on the part of the family I'm
til by frequent urging MIR. John e. Mer-
rick, an uncle of the young woman, gave
out the following statement:
1--WE think that Grace and Charles
Bourne have bean married as they have
been off on frequent trips during the past
two or three months. Grace knew moth
ing of this sensation until yesterday
morning when she read of it in the pa
pers. She sent letter to her mother only
ten days ago. but the latter never re-
ceived it,"
Later in the evening Miss Perkins her.
self, after many opportunities, consented
to speak but all she said was II am glad
to be here, alive, truly alive and 1t is
truly me-"
After the Bournes with their uncle mad
/