Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1901-08-31


body was some time ago found in the
Chelmsford woods of Massachusetts
has been positively identified. by
set of false teeth, as Mrs. Margaret
Reilly Blondin, only one little part
of the great murder mystery is solved.
Even-the time of the murder is uncer-
tain; the place where it was done is
unknown. An unbroken chain of facts
point to Joseph Wilfred Blondin, the
victims husband, as the murderer, but
he is at large.
All the tell-tale exhibits in this re-
markable case have now been got to-
gether by the state and city police in
Boston in the hopes of throwing some
new light on the time, place and cir
cumstances of the murder, which may
lead to the solution of the mystery
and the capture of the criminal.
Cbe MoffOe Found.
The motive for the Blondin crime is
still a matter of speculation. 1t may
have been a desire on the part of the
miserly husband to get hold of the
$500 which his wife had saved before
her marriage and then be rid of her.
He had another wife at ST. Polycarpe,
Canada, a much handsomer woman
go back to Canada to get position on
ST. Lawrence river steamboat, which
his father had lately found for him.
He would hardly have dared to take
back a second wife, as he would quick
ly have been prosecuted for bigamy.
BY a strange mischance the discov-
cry that the body found in the Chelms-
ford woods was that of Mrs. Blondin
was not communicated to the Boston
police until after it had been printed
in the morning papers. So Blondin
read of how his secret was out hours
before the same papers came to the
eyes of the police. He at once left
Boston and took a train to New York.
This is evident from the fact that
next day the baggage master at Fall
River received letter from James
Marrou," New York, which read:
Dear Sir: Would you please send
my bicycle and my trunk to New York
station; you find the check in this
letter and send me check to this adj
dress.
New York. JAMES MARROU.
Chief Watts, head of the Boston De-
tective bureau. and Chief Wade of the
State police had already found the
trunk at Fall River to be Blondin's
without a doubt. 1t was sent on to
New York in the hopes of catching the
owner when he should call to claim it.
BY June 13, when the trunk and letter
containing checks should have arrived
in New York, such sensation had
been aroused about the murder that
Blondin. alias Marrou. was too willy to
apply for either letter or trunk
knfOeS Are BEood--yfoined.
This trunk is now in Boston at po-
lice station No. 3. When opened it
was found to contain four butcher
knives, stained with what is apparent
ly human blood though an effort had
been made to wash them clean. The
trunk also contains Blondin's marriage
certificate to Margaret Reilly.
The most careful examination of the
room where the Blondins lived failed
to show any trace of blood on the floor,
walls or on any article in the room.
There was no evidence of any struggle,
such as broken furniture. There 10 a
theory that Blondin may have choked
his wife to death and let her body lie
till the blood had almost ceased to
flow, then cut on the head, put the
body in the trunk and SO disposed of
| 1t in the Chelmsford woods. The grips
IN which Mrs sBlondin's head and