The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-08-21
DOESN'T KNOW WHETHER MUIR
DERED WOMAN WAS MISS
MITCHELL OR NOT
cORONER'S INVESTIGATION
REACHES A CONCLUSION
Three Men Accused of Completely and
the Apprehension of BarthoIin Is
Recommended by the Jury - Two
Witnesses Give Damaging Testimony
Against the Missing Man.

tigation by the Chicago police extend
ing a fortnight and two-day coroner's
inquest, the authorities are still in
doubt whether the bodysof the MUIR
dered woman found in the field at Sew
entyfourth and State streets, was
really that of Minnie Mitchell. Three
men stand accused of completely in her
death and that of Mrs. Anne Bartholin
and are held in heavy bonds to the
grand jury. Yet Patrolman Watson,
who found the body, could not tell it's
sex because of it's advanced stage of
decomposition. Coroner's Physician
Springer stated that the body must have
lain ten or twelve weeks before the
brain could have been absorbed, and
that had quick lime been used by the
murderer, as conjectured, maggots
would not have entered the body as
was the case. Even the coroner's jury
when it rendered a verdict today that
the girl came to her death by a gun
shot wound inflicted by some person
unknown and recommended that Oscar
Thompson, Edward Counselman and
John Claffey be held to explain the
death and that Bartholin be appre-
hended, 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 the relatives of the girl, who has
been missing since July 80 and who
was last seen in the company of her
sweetheart, William J. Bartholin. Two
witnesses, Lieut.. Healy and w. M. Al
Ian testified no
innate 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 STALL
ed In their search for William Bartho-
lin, whom the coroner's jury recon-
mended to be apprehended
Thompson as Principal.
The verdict Of the coroner's Jury
practically leaves any further investi-
cation as to the supposed death Of
Minnie Mitchell to the September
grand jury. States Attorney Deneen
will return to the city soon and will
take up the charges against THOMPSON.
Claffey and Counselman.
More tangible results are exnected
from the postponed inquest in the case
of Mrs. Anne Bartholin, which will be
resumed tomorrow. For this murder
Oscar Thompson is held as principal. and
Counselman and Claffey as accessories,
although William Bartholin is being
sought on the suspicion of matricide,
as well as for the murder of his fiancee
he
wigmaker, who identified the switch of
false hair as one she had made for
MINNIE Mitchell, came to help the the
DRY of the police that the body was
that of Miss Mitchell. DIR. Joseph
Springer, the coroner's" physician,
steadfastly maintained that it was not
her body and gave the coroner the fol-
lowing statement
ON Aug. l held post mortem ex-
animation upon the body of an I'M
known woman (unidentifed). On in
spect1on found the body in bad state
OF decomposition. I found the scalp.
shoulders and arms totally DESTROYED
by absorption. I found the abdomen
contracted, the skin dried and the It's
sues of the pelvis destroyed by ab
sorption. / found a bullet hole one
fourth of an inch in diameter in the
center of the back of the head, in the
center OF the occipital bone On open
ing the skull I found the brain total
~ destroyed, the skull empty I found
small f1attened bullet lying at the
base, the vertebrae of the back pro-
truding and the tissues destroyed. In
my opinion the said unknown woman
came to her death from a bullet wound
in the head"
DR.. Springer declared it was his opin-
ion that death must have occurred
from nine to twelve weeks preceding
the finding of the body, in order to al
low the disintegration of the body as
it was found. He declared that quick
lime had not been used.