The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-08-21
IDENTITY IN DOUBT
CHICAGO MURDER MYSTERY
DARKENS AS DAYS PASS.
INQUEST GIVES NO LIGHT.
MURDERED WOMAN NOT KNOWN
TO HAVE BEEN MINNIE MITCHELL.

Three Men Held for Girls Death,
but II Is Not Even Certain She Is
Dead-Body Buried as That of
Minnie MitcheII-william j. BAR
thoIin, Alleged Matricide and Sup
posed Principal in Mitchell MUIR
der, Still at Large-COrOner's Ply
sicinn Makes Statement That Kills
Police Theory.
Chicago, Aug. 20.-After an investi-
cation by the Chicago police extending
over a fortnight, and a two days coro-
ner's inquest, the authorities are still
in doubt whether the body of the muir
dered woman found at the corner of
Seventy-fourth and State streets was
really that of Minnie Mitchell.
Three men stand accused of compile
ity 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
decomposition.
Coroner's Physician Springer stated
that the body must have been exposed
ten or twelve weeks before the brain
could have been absorbed. Even the
coroner's jury, when it rendered a YER
dict to-day, recommended that Oscar
Thompson, Edward Counselman and
John Claffey be held to explain the
death, stated that the body was sup
posed to be that of Minnie Mitchell.
Buried as Girls Body.
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 Mitch
ell by 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.
Allen, testified that Councilman, an
intimate friend of Bartholin. had told
them the fugitive wanted money with
which to pay for a surgical operation
on the Mitchell girl at North Side
hospital.
With this conflicting testimony to
hinder them, the police are almost
stalled in their search for William
Bartholin. whom the coroners Jury
recommended should be apprehended.
! Verdict Leaves Identity In Doubt.
| The verdict of the coroner's jury
practically leaves any further inves-
| tigation as to the supposed death Of
Minnie Mitchell to the September
grand jury. State Attorney Deneen
will return to the city soon, and will
take up the charges against Thompson,
Claffey and Counselman.
More tangible results are expected
T. -
of Mrs. Anne Bartholin, which will be
resumed tomorrow. For this murder
Oscar Thompson is held as principal,
and Counselman and Claffey as access
sories, although William Bartholin is
being sought on the suspicion of ma
tricide as well as for the murder of
his fiancee.
While the testimony of wigmaker,
who identified a 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 Mitch
ell, DR.. Joseph Springer. the coroner's
physician, steadfastly maintained that
1t was not her body and gave the cor
oner the following statement:
Description of Remains.
ION Aug. 8 I held a post-mortcm ex-
animation upon the body of an I'M
known woman (unidentified) On in
spection I found the body in a bad
state of decomposition. I found the
scalp, shoulders and arms totally de-
stroyed by absorption. found tho abb
domen contracted, the skin dried and
the tissues of the pelvis destroyed by
absorption.
II 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 opening the skull
found the brain totally destroyed, the
skull empty. found a small fiattened
bullet lying at the base. the veItebrae
of the back protruding and the tissues
destroyed.
I'm my opinion the said unknown
woman came to her death from a bullet
wound in the head
DIR. Springer declared 1t was his opin-
ion that death must have occurred
from to IL weeks preceding the find
ing of the body in order to allow the
disintegration of the body as It was
found He declared that nlicklirna Ind