The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-08-10
Coroner's Physician of Opinion Mrs.
BarthoIin Was StrangIed and Her
Skull Afterwards Fractured.
HER SON is STILL MISSING
YOUNG MAN WHO is SUPPOSED TO
HAVE KILLED HIS FIANCEE,
Then Made Way with His Mother in
Order to Secure the Equity in
Her Property.

CHICAGO, Aug 9.-With a Jagged wound
in the left temple and physical evidence
that she had been strangled or smothered,
the almost nude body of Mrs. Annie Barth-
olin was found, this evening. buried be-
meath the cellar floor of the house in which
she had lived at 431O Calumet avenue.
Coincident with the finding of the body
the police redoubIed their efforts to find
the missing son, William Bartholin who
is also suspected of the murder of Miss
Minnie Mitchell whose body was found
in a vacant lot at Seventy-fourth and State
streets last Thursday evening. The police
have evidence that Bartholin slept In the
house on Calumet avenue last Tuesday
night three weeks after his mother had
been murdered and six days after he is sup
posed 10 have killed Minnie Mitchell.
The body of Mrs. Bartholin was found by
a party of newspaper men after the police
had searched the house and had concluded
that if the woman had been murdered her
body was concealed somewhere away from
the residence All the rooms of the house
had been ransacked. partitions torn down,
walls sounded and the basement and the
premises searched.
Earlier in the day persons who were
searching in the basement found place
where the cement floor seemed to have
been disturbed. Digging there they found
what at first was supposed to be frag-
ments of a human body. Later they be-
came satisfied that dog had been buried
there crow bar. apparently stained
with blood, and hatchet which bore dark
marks were found in the basement, and
lfrer ha nd
their task even after it seemed that there
was nothing further for them to do.
Finally tonight some one found small
crevice in the cement floor. indicating that
the cement had been disturbed and then
skillfully patched. In a moment the men
were attacking the floor with picks and
spades while a large crowd of neighbors
and other curious ones watched the work
from the stairway or through the basement
windows. The cement was quickly broken
away and then the diggers came on bed
of white sand. Digging through this they
came upon dress skirt. This was dragged
out and other articles of woman's wear were
found When these had been removed the
body of the woman was found. 1t was
wrapped in a blanket and practically was
without clothing. there being only a stock
ing on the left foot and a corset cover
around the chest
LEFT TEMPLE CRUSHED.
From the appearance of the body it was
believed that Mrs. Bartholin was struck
down either while disrobing for the night or
when dressing in the morning. On the
woman's left temple was a deep ragged
cash two inches long, but DR.. E. P. Noel, a
his opinion. it could not have caused death
The wound is superficial but may have
served to render the victim unconscious" ="
DR.. Noel said. After the blow had been
struck the woman was either choked or
smothered." The body was removed to an
undertaking establishment, where the
coroner's inquest will be held Monday.
The police have abandoned the theory
that Bartholin is dead and police inspector
Hunt, in whose district is the home of Mrs.
Bartholin, declared tonight that he was
confident that the man is alive and has not
left Chicago. The clerk OF a real estate
agent. one of whose clients holds a mort
gage on the property of Mrs. Bartholin,
met William Bartholin in front of the
house on the morning of July 81 or August
l, he does not remember which. This fact
caused the police to believe that they will
capture him soon as he has had less than
one weeks start of them.
To-day a man was killed by the cars at
South Chicago. and another committed sui
eide at Washington Heights. Both. in a
general way, answered the description of
Bartholin. but both proved TO be other
men. Neither death had any connection
with the Bartholin case. There is no ap-
parent motive for the killing of Mrs. Bar
tholin or of Minnie Mitchell, but the po-
lice are following every possible theory.
The one that finds most favor a present is
that the young man, beinG in debt, killed
his mother in order that her equity in the
mCrtgaged property might revert TO him.
While this theory Will not cover the muir
der OF the Mitchell girl in any way. the
police believe that BarthOlin had the idea
that she either suspected him Of kflling
task for telling conflicting stories regarding
her disappearance. BarthoHn and his
mother were not on good terms, although
they lived in the same house but beyond
a desire TO inherit her property there is at
present no known motive Tor the murder
DR.. Springer. the coroner's physician.
conducting an autopsy on the body of Mrs
Bartholin tonight, announced that her
death had been caused by strangulation.
tim by first breaking her skull with a
blunt instrument a fracture having been
found beneath the wound on the temple
>
BRUTAL CRIME CONFESSED.