The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-06-24


thon.
At any rate, he did not approach the
robe-covered form in the carriage. The
idea darted through his mind that per
haps this was the end of a carousal. 1t
would be a thankless task at best to
lift the robe, and perhaps disturb a
person who might be both disagreeable
and belligerent.
AT that time" continued Mr.. Wade,
there was no story of a murder, and
did not dream that there was anybody
in the swamp.
Although I was partly satisfied at
the time that the condition of the per-
son in the team was the result Of liz
uor, 1 could not quite see how a per-
son Intoxicated enough to slumber by
the wayside, could successfully drive
a horse into that place over such diff
f1cult ground, and then have sense
enough before he fell asleep to get out
and hitch the animal to a tree.
Il thought the matter over as l rode
on toward my destination. and the
more I thought of it the more myster-
ious it seemed.
When l met my fellow-worllmen,
the matter still occupied my mind to
such a degree that l relieved my mind
by relating the occurrence to Henry
Rogers, who agreed with me that the
affair was curious. I told all the
other members of the section gang IS
well as Rogers.
Il forgot the matter until I read in
The Spy Of the discovery of a woman ;
body in the Sterling swamp. Instantly
my experience on this morning came
back to me like a flash. 1t struck me-
all in a heap that the person I saw
in the carriage. covered with the robe,
might not have been a person at all,
but a body
L remembered how near the place
is to the swamp, where the body vas
found
Il am satisfied in my own mind that
this matter should be investigated. L
travel that road every morning. gen
orally later but occasionally earlier,
and I have never noticed before or
since a team hitched in that particular
spot"
Mr.. Wade is a man of good address
and tells the story through the col
umns of The Spy to do what he can 10
aid the authorities in their yet fruit
less search for a solution of the mys-
terry.
He is apparently not seeking notori-
ETY., but tells the story in manner that
clearly shows he believes there is some
thing in it, Mr.. Wade went to the
junction of the two roads last night
with the intention of making sure where
he saw the team in the latter part of
April, OF the early part of May
He called on Crossing Tender Osgood
and spoke to him about the matter. He
wanted to know particularly where
abouts in the swamp the body was
found. He was surprised to learn that
Mr.. Osgood had seen the team.
Mr.. Osgood repeated his story today.
He saw the team as late as 6 o'clock.
He saw the carriage from the road, but
did not go into the grove. as Mrs. Os-
good thought he did, when she told the
incident to a Spy man, yesterday. He
was on his way to work. On his way
back some time later he looked for the
team again. It was gone. He did not see
any person in the neighborhood Of the
team
Mr. Wade told The Spy man just
where he saw the horse and carriage.
A visit to tbs spot disclosed evidence
that a horse had been tied there. The
place is not absolutely impossible, but
it would take better driving than a
drunkard's to drive horse and car
riage to where this animal stood, es-
pecially at night or early in the morn
ing.
There was a quantity of straw on the
ground beneath the tree, as if the horse
might have been eating it. 1t was coarse
straw and undoubtedly had been placed
in the carriage for purpose.
And what this purpose was, is, of
course, a matter of conjecture, but it is
would not fill the bottom of a carriage
with coarse straw. if he did not have
a long journey to accomplish or some
special reason.
1t has been said that this team might
have belonged to a band of gypsies, who
We're encamped about this time on the
lower road. But this theory is weakened
by the fact that the vehicle would have
had no more than a mile to go to the
gypsy camp. There was no reason there
fore, that can be perceived, why a
gypsy should establish a camp on the
cramped seat Of a carriage.
The condition Of the swamp in which
the body was found, makes it highly
probable that the person or persons who
deposited the body Of this girl on the
shores of the brook, took ample time
TO pick out place where they could
leave the body without much fear of
detection on their part. Between the
hours of and O'Clock in the morning
the lower Sterling road is a lonesome
place, and well suited for the purpose
the keepers of the dead woman had in
hand.
1t is generally conceded by the police
from State Detective P. F. Murray
down that the biggest mystery in years
is now before the officers to solve
Last night Detective Murray in con-
vsrsatiOn with 2 SPY man stated that
il was not possible to tell the age Of the
woman. She might be 20 and she might
be 50" said the detective, "and the only
thing that 1 take any notice of is the
dress she wore. l should judge by that