The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-02-16

Marlboro, Feb. 15.-The Marlboro
mystery has had many sensational de-
velopments during the day The city
police were abroad today bright and
early and before noon time it was
learned that the state police had been
called into the city, and that Detective
Berley who is in charge of nearly 20
members of the force, who have been
in Marlboro watching the strike situa-
ton for several weeks, was to take the
case in hand, and work in connection
with with the police force of the city.
District Attorney Weir telephoned from
Cambridge last night to the authorities
at Marlboro that the state force and a
force under City Marshall Pope should
work in conjunction, and use every en-
deavor to solve the mystery,
State Detectives Berley and Ham
mond were summonded to the police
station shortly after 8 o'clock by City
Marshall Pope, and after a conference
it was decided to hold an impromptu
investigation, and the three survivors
of the tragedy, who have been confined
! in the woman's quarters in the police
1 station since Monday night, were
4 brought from their cells. This was done
for the benefit of the state detectives,
to give them an insight into the details
of the puzzling circumstances.
| Robert McMullens, the visitor at the
| Underwood home, who was found on
the sofa in the front room of the squat
| id quarters, was closely questioned. The
| investigation was held behind closed
doors.
''McMullens," Medical Examiner Hoitt
said to a Spy reporter, after the hear
ing, had talked, but" continued the
physician, "he cannot be depended up
on for veracity. Mrs. Underwood, the
mother of the family, who has been in
very bad condition, physically as well
as mentally since Monday night, was
also asked to tell her story She was
unable at that time to give much in
formation, and it was said that Me-
Mullens was either dazed or else was
shamming as he made statements
which those who were present declared
were contradicted by officers
McMullens is said to have acknow-
lodged that he was at the house Satur-
day and Sunday, and that he, when
asked, said he knew Dave Davis alias
Dawson, but he would not say that he.
Dawson, was present. The eight-year-
old boy, Guy, was talked with by the
officers and medical examiner in a con-
cilatory manner but the little Chap was
suffering from poison and was afraid to
tell what he did know. He was awed
by the presence of the officers in full
uniform.
The examination was finished at II
O'Clock and City Marshal Pope Detec-
tives Berley and Hammond, Clerk OF
terson of the city court and Medical
Examiner Hoitt drove to the Under
wood home The officers pulled every
thing to pieces in the two rooms while
a Spy man looked on. Every old bot
tie, tin can, tea and coffee pot, bunch
eS of baking powder and baking soda
and other articles of that nature were
put into a green box and carefully tied
With stout string and placed under
the seat Of Medical Examiner HoitFs
sleigh Which stood at the door These
articles were taken to the home OF DR..
Hoitt where they will be analysed
The officials thought at that time that
the Key TO the mystery could be found
In those miscellaneous articles One
harmless looking bottle. partially filed
with liquid that It was thought was
wood alcohol was handled with the
greatest care. The theory of many, in
Guiding the police, has been from the
start that wood alcohol might have
been drank by the family. Olive Under |
wood, the daughter, worked in j. A. |
Frye's factory, which is located about /
alcohol is used in all shoe shops for /
various purposes. There was quantity |
OF that liquid in j. A. Frye's factory |
and the surmse was that Olive or |
some Of her male friends filled the bot
tie in the factory and took il to the |
home Saturday night and that the I
members of the family drank it to keep
up their spirits, to keep out the cold |
and to make them entirely and thor |
oughly comfortable. 1t was thoug.ht /
that the baby boy, John, was fed the |
alcohol to warm his stomach and ap
pease the pangs OF hunger.
The bottle is, perhaps, the key to the
affair, but there is q possibility that
it may be filled with water, as the Of
fcers said that they could not tell.
for positive fact, that It was wood
alcohol David Dawson worked in the
factory with Olive. 1t is uncertain
whether he carried the alcohol into the
home or not, drinking none from the
bottle himself, but leaving It for Ed
ward Underwood
1t is also thought that there Is
possibility that Navis or Dawson. when
cross examined at che police station
Tuesday night, was afraid to tell the
story fully He cuts quite figure I'm
the case, to the minds Of the investlga-
tors, as valuable witness. He was
recognized by Detective Harmonious
one Of the men who testified at the
murder trial Of Jack O'Nen. He was
In jail at that time, awaiting trial
with a trivial offense. ONell
was brought into the jail and placed In
"a cell next to the one that Davis oc-
cupled Davis overheard O'Neil tell
some Of the circumstances OF the muir
der Of Mrs. McCloud. Davis told his
story to the police and they used him =