The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-10-05
Brought About Discovery
OF Stolen Goods.
PROPERTY WORTH $1,000
Found Secreted Under Stairs In the
Doctors House.
A SENSATIONAL NEWPORT CASE

When Or. Detwiller and his wife ar
rived ia Newport about n year ago they
took possession OF a house In fashion
able Lincoln street. 1t was furnished
handsomely. The couple appeared TO
be persons of wealth and refinement
The people wanted 10 know all abors
DR.. Detwlller and his wife. But daring
whole year they found out absolutely
nothing. The Detwillers would tell
nothing about themselves, and nc one
else knew. II was not even discovered
whence they came. The general i'm
preston was that Dr. Detwiller hailcd
from Boston and that he was man OF
large means who preferred study To
general practice.
Speculation about the Detwillcrs had
almost died out when DR. Detwiller
died last week. Immediately there came
a sensation. While the woman whom
Newport knew as and believed tc bs
DR.. Detwillcr's wife was mourning for
him another woman appeared upon the
scene.
Sne said that she was DR.. Detwiller's
wife: that they had been married long
before he met the woman with whom
never been divorced. The first slrs.
Detwiller was accompanied by her
brother, William porster. OF Betlilo-
hem, Pa.
There Nwere scenes. of course. The
Newport Mrs. Dctwilcr told the neigh
bors that she was being prosecuted.
They knew her and they did not know
the Bethlehem Mrs. Detwi,ler So when
the Newport wife gathered all the bric-
a-brac. jewelry, rugs, pictures a'Hd
china that could be eusly carried OFT
they agreed to take care of them for
her until she could return.
She placed DR.. Detwiller's will aud
papers in the hands OF IL lawyer ard
disappeared, leaving tho Bethlepem
wife and her brother I'm full possession.
rhe will was drawn by DR.. Detwil;er
himself 1t left everything he had 10
the Newport wife. There was no sug-
gestion as to the amount OF Ills estate.
To one paper Mrs. Detwiller No. :.
that is, the Newport VIE, calico thc
lawyers attention particularly: Before
DIR. Detwiller passed away he cnlled the
Newport wife To his side arc HANDED
her a diagram. He told her that sne.
must guard it carefully. and In case ot
his death she was TO follow Ns dircc-
tions implicitly. ~
Detective Denman went To the house
in Lincoln street. where the two wives
were threatening each other. He saw
there several chemical appliances ana
delicate apparatus which seemed tn
him out of place. Denman Immediately
recalled that the laboratory of Prof.
Wolcott Gibbs was robbed on March 9
and that instruments as well as silver
ware were carried away.
Denmnn went to the lawyer AMI
nj. hn IL a
went 10 the house together. They found
creditors stationed there to prevent the
carrying off OF more furnishings.
Nothing was easier than following the
instructions and diagram. They were
led to the inside stairway. The third
step was marked with cross,
The top of the step was pricd open
With a hammer and chisel. The SPACE
beneath was packed full or loot. Tnerc
were packages of pure silver, silvcrwarc
bearing the mark OF Prof. Gibbs. costly
instruments OF delicate workmanship,
coils of platinum wire aud other booty.
the whole of which was valued at about
$4,000. Many OF the articles were iden-
titled by Prof Gibbs as his property.
One or two packages bore his own
handwriting.
The Bethlehem Mrs. Detwiller said
that tho doctor was once rich man.
When he deserted her for the Newport
Mrs. Detwiller he had at least $500 600.
but that the second Mrs. Detwfller had
ruined him She thinks that most OF
the money had gone before the couple
came to Newport to live.
The police had found out that DR..
Detwiller made many quiet visits To
Fall River. Warren. Bristol and this
city They have learned that man
named Rand in Boston bought silver
ware and other articles OF value from
man I'm Newport whose description
tailed with that of Detwiller. and they
think that he may be connected with
many burglaries i'm Newport which
Gould nXnlnin