Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1899-09-05

an influential citizen of Burlington.
After the girl disappeared her friends,
reading newspaper accounts became
convinced of her identity with the
Hastings suicide. Correspondence fol-
lowed and detectives were employed
Coroner Cook had photograph Of the
dead woman taken, which was identi-
fled by the relatives, who reached Hast
ings last Wednesday. On Friday the
remains were exhumed and shipped,
and the remains We're buried yesterday
afternoon at Burlington.
Tho Burlington story.
Burlington, Sept. 5.-There is an aw-
full mystery shrouding the death of the
late Laura Lee French, daughter Of the A
late Capt. Thomas French, many years
county officer, capitalist and steam
boat man in Burlington.
The body of the unfortunate girl was
brought from Hastings, Neb., to this
city and inferred yesterday afternoon
in the family burial lot in Aspen Grove.
Services were held yesterday at 4:3O at
the home of Mrs. Silas A. Hudson, sol
North Fifth street.
The remains We're brought here by
Mr.. Henry Graesser, brother-in-law of
the deceased, and his search for the
girl and the recovery of her dead body
forms a chapter second in interest only
to the yet mysterious one of her death.
Mr.. and Mrs. Henry Graesser live in
Creighton, Neb. Miss French came to
them from her mothers home in Chi
cago, No. 1855 Calumet avenue, in the
latter part of June. She visited with
them the rest of that month. all of July
and left on the 5th of August. During
all these weeks she was in normal
health and spirits and her time was
actively employed in seeing the country
roundabout, often taking long drives
with Mr.. Graesser himself. When she
left her sisters home 1t was her an
nounced intention to go to Omaha for a
two days stay and then come on to
Burlington to visit relatives and old
friends before returning to Chicago.
Burlington relatives had been apprised
of this plan and went several times to
the station to meet her.
Time passed and the relatives in the
three states of Illinois, Iowa and Ne
braska began to grow anxious, since
correspondence showed she had not
followed her intended itinerary. Then
every clue and report of the finding of
an unidentified woman was followed up,
for the relatives began to be apprehen-
sive of foul play.
One of these clues led to Hastings
Neb. Mr.. Graesser went there and his
worst fears We're confirmed. He found
that Miss French had arrived there in
the afternoon of Tuesday. Aug. (the
interval between her departure from
Creighton on the 9TH and her arrival
there being. as yet, unaccounted for).
She applied at the Bostwick hotel for a
room, registering as Mrs. w. j.. Lee, IN
her own hand The room shown her did
not please her and. as it was the only
one available, she asked to be directed
to another hotel. Before leaving she
asked about a train to Cowles, in Web
ster county.
She applied at the Lindell hotel, to
which she had been directed, and the
clerk registered for her the name she
had given at the other hotel. She was
assigned a room there. She told the
clerk to call her in time for the 1880
train for Cowles. The call was given at
the proper time, but Miss French re-
Piled from within her room that she had
been very i'll all night and could not
take the morning train. AS she asked
for no assistance. she was not again
disturbed till afternoon, when the
|chambermaid knocked at the door with
a view of cleaning the room. Receiv-
ing no response, but hearing heavy
breathing, the girl called the clerk, who,
bringing a ladder. mounted it and
looked through the transom and saw
the body of Miss French lying across
the bed. The door was forced and when
the serious nature OF the case was dis
covered a doctor was called, who did
his utmost to revive her, but in spite of
all his efforts she died about 8 O'Clock
Wednesday evening, August 9.
The local authorities made efforts to
discover the identity of the woman
whose strange death had shocked the
community but failed. The prayer
book which Miss French habitually
carried with her did not disclose her
name, neither did any Of her apparel.
She had with her only hand satchel
and her possessions by which her iden-
tity might have been ascertained We're
therefore few. She started from Creigh-
ton with a trunk, but no trace of that
has been found, and no check remains
to give any clue. 1t was evident that the
girl herself or some one with purpose
to serve had removed all traces of her
identity.
The authorities at Hastings, having
exhausted all their efforts. buried the
body on Friday, August II, in the Pot
ter's field, an episcopal minister hav-
ing volunteered, in consequence of the
finding of the church prayer-book, to
conduct the rites of burial.
The coroner's jury returned a verdict
of suicide by poisoning. but there We're
indications that this did not represent
the true state of facts.
An unknown man, well dressed, ap-
peared in Hastings on the day of
burial. He visited the coroner's and
viewed the body of Miss French. He
was seen to shed tears at the sight.
He made inquiry of the hour Of burial,
and said he would have time to make
q short journey on business and be
back in time to attend the funeral. He
lid not como back. and Is was learned