The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-09-24
Beautiful Woman Found Dead
in New York Apartment House.
CORONER SUSPECTS FOUL PLAY
Miss Marie GrunM Had Threatened 10
Kill Herself, hui She Might Have
Been Strauglsd.

New York, Sept. A.-Mystery surrounds
the death of Marie Gruner. a strikingly
pretty woman. found lifeless, with swol-
len throat and distorted face, in her room
at III West Forty-eighth street yester-
day. Capt. Schmittberger and his detec-
tives are firm in their belief that either
convulsions or poison, self administered.
caused Miss Gruner's death, but Coroner
jackson is suspicious.
To him the dead woman's distorted face
and swollen throat suggest the strang-
ler's work, and he has ordered an au-
topsy.
Suicide seems the most probable ex-
PLANTATION, as IL is known that Miss Cru
ner threatened suicide when last seen by
her friends
Two weeks ago she came to this city
from her home In Salt Lake city TO take
a situation as skirt designer with Mrs
Oatman. a modiste, at 10 West Thirty
ninth street. She was a talented woman.
very skilful in her work, and commanded
a salary OF $50 a week She won instant
favor with her employer.
TOLD OF COMING MARRIAGE.
Miss Gruner wore costly jewelry and
talked freely of her coming marriage with
Frederick T. McGurrin. lawyer of Salt
Lake city.
HE is rich" she explained to Mrs. oat-
man, land, of course. will insist upon my
retiring from business. That will be hard
for me. / love my work, but / love him
better"
Miss Gruner lived In a modest fourth
story room in the Forty-eighth street
house. which is conducted by Mrs. NJ. f.
Snead. She had no callers.
The mail OF Friday morning brought .
letter for Miss Gruner. 1t was only
newspaper clipping inclosed I'm an envel-
ope that bore the stamp OF Walker Bros.
Dry Goods company. Salt Lake city.
The clipping told of the secret marriage
OF McGurrin and Mrs. Estelle L. McCrys-
tai. wealthy widow OF that city. at
Colorado Springs on May s.
Not until few days ago did the truth
leak out when McGurrin took house
and began preparations for the home
coming of his bride.
FAINTs AT THE NEWS.
With white. set face Miss Gruner car
ried the clipping to Mrs. Oatman and
sank unconscious to the floor In vain
Mrs. Oatman tried TO comfort her
mo; am through with life." she sob
bed. MY heart is dead. Why should the
body live on TO sufferg
On Saturday night Miss Grumer's grief
was so intense that Mrs. Oatman kept her
10 dinner and walked home with her late
that evening So far as can be learned
she was never seen alive again.
Sunday passed without a sign from the
tightly closed room on the fourth floor.
Not even when Miss Gruner failed TO APP
pear at the breakfast table yesterday
morning did the landlady grow suspi-
cious. 1t was 10 o'clock when a message
from Mrs Oatman reached the house
asking for news Of her skirt designer
Mrs. Snead found Miss Gruners door
barricaded. She sent for the police. and
Detective Lohmeyer broke open the door.
He found Miss Gruner dead on the bed.
She was fully dressed and her arms were
rigid and raised above her head as If she
had fought for life.
CLIPPING ON TABLE BESIDE HER.
The room was in perfect order, and on
n table at the bedside lay the clipping
that had robbed the silent form on the
bed OF all interest In life. In a heap on
the dressing case they found her diamond
earrings and a score of rings pins and
brooches.
If she was strangled. as Coroner jack
son half suspects. no thievsh hand COM
mitted the murder. The door was locked
on the inside and the key was found in
the lock.