Omaha daily bee., 1902-08-21
CONFUSES BARTHOLIN CASE
0OrOnsrs Jury's Verdict Doesn't Identify
Murderer's Victim.
THREE MEN HELD TO GRAND Jury
Thompson, clancy and CounseIman
Detained for September sitting
by -InquisitoriaI Body
sprinEer's Testimony.

CHICAGO. Aug. 2O.-The verdict Of a
coroner's jury today practically leaves any
further investigation as to the supposed
death Of Minnie Mitchell to the September
grand Jury. State Attorney Deneen will re-
turn to the city soon and will take up the
charges against Thompson, Claffey and
Counselman. 90
More tangible results are expected from
the postponed inquest in the case OF Mrs.
Anne Bartholin which will be resumed to-
morrow. For this murder Oscar Thompson
is held as principal and Counselman and
Clafy as accessories, although william
Bartholin is being sought on the suspicion
OF matricide as we'll as for the murder Of
his 1ancee.
While the important testimony of the
wigmaker, who identified the switch Of
false hair as one she had made for Minnie
MITCHELL came TO help the theory OF the
police that the body was that Of Miss Nit
chell, DR.. Joseph Springer, the coroner's
physician, steadfastly maintained that 1t
was not her body and gave the coroner the
following statement: o August s l held
a postmortem examination upon the body
OF an unknown woman unidentified. On
inspection / found the body in a bad state
OF decomposition. / found the scalp,
shoulders and arms totally destroyed by
absorption. Il found the abdomen con-
tracted, the skin dried and the tissues Of
the pelvis destroyed by absorption. I
found a bullet hole one-fourth on an inch
in diameter in the center Of the back Of the
head, in the center of the o~ccipital bone.
On opening the skull / found the brain
totally destroyed, the skull empty. I found
a small lattened bullet lying at the base,
the vertebrae OF the back protruding and
the tissues destroyed. In my opinion the
said unknown woman came to her death
from a bullet wound In the head"
No QuickIime Used.
DIR. Springer declared Il was his opinion
that death must have occurred from nine
to twelve weeks preceding the finding of
the body, in order to allow the disintegra-
tion of the body as it was found. He de-
clared that ~quicklime had not been used.
Thus, after an investigation by the Chi
cage police extending over a fortnight AMI
two days coroner's inquest, the authorities
are still in doubt whether the body Of the
murdered woman found in the field at Sew.
enty-fourth and State streets was really
that Of Minnie. Mitchell. Three men stand
accused Of completely in her death, and
that of Mrs. Anne Bsrtholin and are hell
in heavy bonds to the grand jury, yet even
n SOAOhCl y JuAy NhNh ~ AthhtA GU a 2
dict today recommending that Oscar
Thompson, Edward Counselman and John
Claffey be held to explain the DEATH stated
only that the body. was supposed to be that
Of Minnie Mitchell.
Articles of clothing, found near the dead
body, however. were identified by the
Mitchell family. and a week ago the body
was buried as Minnie Mitchell by relatives
of the girl, who has been missing since
July 80. and who was last seen in company
Of her William J. Bartholin.
Two witnesses, lieutenant Healy and
william Allen, testified that Counselman,
the intimate friend OF Bartholin, had told
them the fugitive wanted money with
which to pay for a surgical operation on
the Mitchell girl at a north side hospital.
With this conflicting testimony to hinder
them, the police are almost stalled in their
search for William Bartholin. Of whom the
coroner's jury recommended the apprehen-
sion.