The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-04-28
Detectives Make search.

When they arrived at the camp no one
but women and children were found. Mary
Mitchell was there, and she began again
telling the story of the killing of the in
FAINT. She called the other women, who
also claimed to have seen it's burial, and
when several of the men arrived they cor
rObOrated the story. She pointed out TO the
coroner and the detectives the place where
she claimed the infant had been buried.
The earth there showed evidences of hav-
ing been recently disturbed, and with an
old shovel the detectives began digging,
while Coroner Brayton wandered in the
woods. gathering wild flowers and eX-
planning to the members of the party and
the gypsies who were unable TO understand
English the technical Latin names, when
ever he got near enough TO the party to
converse with them. After digging 10 the
depth of two feet and finding pieces of
wood which it was thought could not have
been there naturally. roots which had
never been disturbed were found and the
search there was given up. The woman
and members of her camp insisted that the
body had been placed there.
a visit was then made to the camp of
the rivals, about three hundred feet away.
of the alleged dead infant, was found.
Strange TO say, she denied having been the
mother of other than those about her,
three in number, and the youngest two
years of age. She at once in broken Ian
guage charged her sister-in-law. Mary
Mitchell, who had made the affidavit
against her. with the murder of her in
FAINT. She declined, i'm the absence OF her
husband. TO permit Coroner Brayton. as a
physician, 10 ascertain the facts as TO the
birth of a child. one or two men and a
young woman denied having seen a child
such as described, but two young daughters
of Mary Stevens told the detectives they
had seen a babe one night about "a month
ago. that IL had been carried into the
woods. and that they did not know what
had become OF it. They said they heard il
cry. These two girls, claiming 10 have
seen the infant. sleep with the mother.
Estella Stevens, who is so openly charged
with the death of the child OF her step
daughter. was not in the camp. nor was her
husband until very late in the evening
returning from a rOadhouse just in time TO
have warrants of arrest served on them by
a constable from Justice Whites court at
Broad Ripple. John Stevens. the husband
of Mary. was also arrested. The persons
were charged with provoke. assault and
battery and surety of the peace bonds were
asked. All were released on putting up
bonds of 500 each. The money paid was in
gold. and was taken from "A sack which
was said. in runners which quickly spread
about town. 10 contain al least $4,000. The
cases will be tried Monday. Cases in some
of the other courts are set for the same
time. As the suspected persons were in
custody and there was little chance OF
their leaving without their gold, no arrests
We're made by the detectives. and upon re-
quest of Coroner Brayton all members Of
both tribes promised 10 be at police head
quarters at , O'Clock this afternoon. when
the investigation will be carried farther.
Mary Mitchell and members of her fam
lily told SO straight a story that there is an
inclination on the part of the coroner and
the detectives TO believe her. She claims
also To have other witnesses outside the
tribes 10 corroborate her statements as TO
the condition Of the woman Mary Stevens.