The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-08-21
Coroner Begins an Inquest Into
Cause of Death
In Case of Mrs. Anne BarthOlin
Mother of William.
MUCH DOUBT REMAINS
Regarding Identity of Body
Found in the Weeds.
Doctor Insists it Could Not
Have Been Mitchell Girl.

Chicago. Aug. 21.-The second decisive
step toward unraveling the tangle of
mystery about the Bartholin- Mitchell
murder case was begun today by the
police when the postponed inquest
to determine the cause of the death of
Mrs. Anne BarthOlin and the RESPONSE
bility therefor, was renewed. A eoroner's
jury was sworn in over week ago and
at that time viewed the dead body of
the woman which was found wrapped
in bedclothing and crammed into hoLS
in the cement floor of the death house
at 4310 Calumet avenue.
The police hope for more substantial
results from this inquest than came
from the similar proceedings in the
Minnie Mitchell case. Although the re-
suit of the corOner'S jury verdict yeSter-
day was the holding of three men to
the grand jury for completely in the
murder of the supposed Mitchell girl.
such grave doubts exist over the iden-
tity of the body that was buried as
Miss Mitchell that efforts were renewed
today to have the Mitchell family ex-
hume the body for further inspection.
Doubtful identity will be the burden
of the defense of Oscar Thompson,
John Claffey and Edward Counselman.
who were held yesterday to answer for
the supposed Mitchell crime. The first
already stood accused as principal and
accessory in the murder of Mrs. Bar
tholin. AS yet nothing definite has been
heard of the whereabouts of VIM. ].
Bartholin. Much doubt exists, however,
as to whether Miss Mitchell is dead.
PatrOlman Watson, who found the
body, could not tell its sex because OF
its advanced stage of decomposition
Coroner's Physician Stronger stated that
the body must have lain ten or twelve
weeks before the brain could have been
absorbed, and that had quicklime been
used by the murderer. as conjectured,
maggots would not have entered the
body, as was the case. Even the coron-
er's jury. when it rendered a verdict
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 miss
ing since July 80. and who was last
seen in the company of her sweetheart,
William J. Bartholin. Two witnesses,
Lieutenant Healy and w. NJ. Allen, tes-
titled that Counselman, the intimate
friend of BarthOlin, had told them the
fugitive wanted money with which to
pay for 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-
Lieutenant Healy, of the Kensington
police station. in telling of the circum-
stances leading up to the arrest Of Ed
ward Counselman, the man who is al
| the day of the disappearance of Minnie
Mitchell said that Mrs. Counselman
| told him that Bartholin had informed
7, her husband that his Bartholin's) girl
was in a North side hospital and that
| he needed $50 to care for her; that he
| had got into trouble
! Lieutenant Healy said:
THE woman cane to me and told me
| of the queer contract of her husband.
| She related to me of her receiving and
! opening a letter from Bartholin to Ed.
| The letter came July IL, while her hus-
/ band was at work.
She thought there was something
| queer about and opened it. The letter
was the one in which Bartholin sought
| to secure money on loan. The wo-
| man told me that soon after she open
ed the letter Bartholin came into the
| house.
| had opened his letter to Ed. He SEEM
ed very angry about it and said: You
| are liable to get into trouble opening
| letters that way Will BarthOlin asked
| me where Ed was working He had
| been over to the piano works looking fol-
| him, but had not found him.
&c I told him that Ed was working al
| the Austin Manufacturing company
| Harvey, ILL.,, and he went in that direc,
| ton
! Mrs. Counselman said that Ed came
| home that night continued Lieutenant
Healy. but was very anxious to gel
away AS. soon as he ate his supper he
| hurried away. He said he was going
to see Will BArtholin at his home ir
Calumet avenue. The woman told me
that Counselman got home at 1 O'Clock
in the N orning, very much excited She
said that he started to cry and got down
on his knees beside the bed. She TOLD
me that Ed said he'd have to go tc
Denver because he had got into troubl,
| and would tell her nothing unless she
| promised him not to tell what she knew
This she declined to do. She told m,
how her husband had attempted tt
| choke her several times, in order to ge
the letter away from her, which sh'
refused to give up
The lieutenant said he had repeated
Mrs. Counselman's story, but Counsel
man said he had seen nothing of Bar
tholin since July II. HE admitted
! continued the officer, .'that he had gon,
| Will was in the front room. Bartholin
he claim ed, told him this:
| " I sent for you to tell you that
was in deep trouble and that I needed
500 Counselman claimed that he ask
ed Bartholin why he needed SO mucl
money, and Will replied that the trou
BILE was about a girl who was at a plac
on the North Side, and he needed tn
| money to pay for an opera ton on her.
While the important testimony of thu
wigmaker who identified the switch q
| false hair as one she had made fol
Minnie Mitchell, came to help the theor!
of the police that the body was that O.
Miss Mitchell, DIR. Joseph Springer, tn,
coroner's physician, steadfast1y main
tanned that it was not her body ant
gave the coroner the following state
ment:
"On August I held postmortem ex
animation upon the body of an unknown
woman. (uhidentified) On inspection
found the body in a bad state of decom
position. I found the scalp. shoulder
| and arms totally destroyed by absorp