The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-06-20

den was more hopeful. She was five
was small framed. but reasonably
plump In flesh, and she weighed about
125 pounds. Her hair, as he remember
ed 1t, was Of the same peculiar reddish
brown. as the tangled knot Of braided
hair tied with ribbon that was found
beside the skull in the swamp.
This tallies closely with the medical
examiners opinion He said, when he
made his first examination Of the re-
mains. that they were those Of wo-
man of small frame. who would be
about feet 6 inches tall, and who
would weigh about 100 pounds.
But the most striking part Of the
Identification lies in the teeth. The
missing Elizabeth Shedden had teeth in
the upper jaw that were unusually
strong, broad and fat. Teeth were
missing from her lower jaw.
Her lower front teeth were gone The
strangers description was lacking as to
what teeth were gone and what were
present, but the similarity was remark
able. 1t is very unusual for the lower
teeth to go first Usually the upper
teeth decay while the lower teeth are
sound and whole. 1t more frequently
happens, local dentists say, that the
heavy molars and bicuspids which have
large grinding surfaces. are lost before
the front teeth are.
The fact that Mrs. Shedden and the
victim of the swamp had each lost all
the front teeth from the lower jaw,
while retaining several Of the molars.
adds to the probability that the identi-
fication is correct
But Medical Examiner Tobey and
Deputy Sheriff Bartlett are careful
men They know how easy it is to
make a mistake in the Identification OF
body, and especially Of a body like
this, in which time and fire have COM
bined to destroy most Of the evidence
upon which identity depends.
Those who read The Spy remember
the mistake that was made in the
Bridgeport ACKNOWLEDGMENT mystedy,
when a Massachusetts man identified
the remains as those Of his daughter,
and had them brought into the state
for burial before it was discovered that
the remains were those of another per-
son.
Both DR.. Tobey and Deputy Bartlett
are reserving their opinions upon the
conclusiveness of the Oakdale mans
Identification. He must add to it be-
lii aeao4oft.r t.ztsz...
is right in-llis idea that the dead worn-
an and Elizabeth Shedden are the
same.
The stranger returned to Oakdale
without his Identity being known to
anybody except the examiner and Dep
uty Sheriff Bartlett. 1t was not I'M
Ill The Spy came to town this morning
that anybody except these two knew
his name, and only few guessed his
errand or were informed of it. Sheldon
has arranged with the authorities to
return today with a lock Of his wifes
hair and with any other facts that will
strengthen the Identification.
He has not yet seen the remnants
in the tomb. But he says there was
a peculiar scar on one of Elizabeth
Shedden's legs which may furnish ad-
ditional evidence. As it strangely hap
pened, the limbs of the victim are bet
ter preserved than the rest Of the body,
and it may be that a closer examina-
ton of them will disclose traces of
such a sore, or the scar where 1t ex-
listed.
But if the body is that of Elizabeth
Shedden, there is no clue to the man
ner Of her death. How the victim, or
her body, came TO the lonesome swamp
and how the body was set on fire. are
things shrouded in gloom as impene-
trable as ever.
But If an Identification is secured
there will be something to start from.
1t should be easy, the police here think,
to ascertain the last residence Of Eliza
beth Sheldon, and to follow her step
by step until the trail takes them to
the Lancaster swamp, If her steps cid
indeed ever trend that way.
This work was begun today. Unless
the authorities have something up their
sleeves. it was fruitless. Sheldon, it is
understood last heard Of his wife In
Leominster. in July. But Chief of Po-
lice Lasalle Of that place knows moth