The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-08-21
Yet the Jurors Were So Doubtful They
stated the Body Was supposed" 20
he that OF the Missing Girl.
TESTIMONY OF WITNESSES
BODY so DECOMPOsED ITS SEX WAS
NOT DETERMINABLE.
What Mrs. CounseIman Told n Police
Omcer-Bartholin Wanted SEQ TO
Care for His Sweetheart.

CHICAGO. Aug. Mater an investiga-
ton by the Chicago police extending over
a fortnight and a two days coroner's in
quest. the authorities are still in doubt
whether the body Of the murdered woman
found in the field at Seve,ty-fourth and
state streets was really that OF Minnie
Mitchell. Three men stand accused OF
completely in her death and thet 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 its 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
quicklime been used by the murderer as
conJectured maggots would not have en-
tered the body as was the case.
Even the coroner's jury, when IL rem
dered a verdict to-day recommending that
Oscar Thompson, Edward Counselman and
John Clany be held to explain the death,
stated only that the body was supposed
70 be that of Minnie Mitchell Articles OF
clothing found near the body however,
were identified by the Mitchell family. and
a week ago the body buried Minnie
Mitchell by relatives of the girl who had
been missing since July 30 and who was
last seen in the company of her sweetheart,
William J. Bartholin. Two witnesses Lieu
tenant Healy and W. NJ. Allen. testified
that Counselman, the intimate friend OF
Barthoiin, had told them the fugitive
wanted money 70 pay for a surgical opera
tion 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 BarthoIin,
whom the coroner's jury recommended to
be apprehended
HEALY'S TESTIMONY.
Lieutenant Healy, Of the Kensington po-
lice station, in telling Of the circumstances
leading up to the arrest of Edward coun-
selman, the who is alleged to have
been with Bartholin on the day OF the dis
appearance Of Minnie Mitchell said that
Mrs. Counselman had told him that Bar
tholin had informed her husband that his
(Bartholin's 50 girl was in a North Side hos
pital and that he needed $50 10 care for her:
that he had got her into trouble. Lieuten-
ant Healy said The woman came 10 me
and told of the queer conduct of her
husband. She related 10 me OF her receiv-
ing and opening letter from Bartholin to
Ed. The letter came July II, while her hus-
band was at work. She said she thought
there was something queer about IL and
Bartholin sought 10 secure money on A
loan. The woman told me soon after she
opened the letter Bartholin came TO the
house. Then she said: j told him / had
opened his letter 10 Ed. He seemed very
angry about IL and told me I ought not 10
do that sort of thing. He said. You are
liable TO get into trouble opening letters
that way" i told him | could open Eds
letters any time / wanted TO. He said IL
was a pretty dangerous thing. anyhow.
/ Will BarthOlin asked me where Ed was
working. He had been over TO the piano
works looking for MIN but had not found
him. / told him Ed was working at the
| Austin Manufacturing Company Harvey
! Ill, and he went in that direction
COUNSELNfAN WAS EXCITED.
Mrs. Counselman said that Ed came
home that night" continued Lieutenant
Healy, but was very anxious to get away.
AS soon as he ate his supper he hurried
away. He said he was going TO see VIII
Bartholin at his home in Calumet avenue.
/ The woman told me that Counselman got
home at / o'clock in the morning very much
excited She said he started 10 cry and
/ got down on his knees beside the bed She
/ told me that Ed said he would have 10
! go 10 Denver, because he had got into
/ trouble, and would tell her nothing unless
\ she promised him not 10 tell what ne
] knew. This she declined 10 do. She told
/ how her husband had attempted 10 choke
\ her several times in order TO get the let
/ ter away from her. which she refused TO
/ give I'D. The lieutenant said he had re-
/ peated Mrs. COunselmans story but Coun-
selman said he had seen nothing OF Barth-
olin since July II. He admitted" continued
/ the officer. that he had gone 20 Bartholln's
house that night; that VIII was In the
/ front room. Bartholn. he claimed, told
him this: i sent for you 10 tell you that
I / was in deep trouble and that / needed
/ he eked
! lin why he needed so much money and VIII
\ replied that the trouble was about a girl
\ who was at a place on the North Side and
! he needed the money 10 pay for an opera
/ tiOn on her
/ Some excitement was created when wig
/ maker positively identified switch Of false
/ hair as one that had been made for Minnie
I Mitchell. This put the police in a guam
/ dairy. The question that seemed TO puzzle
/ the jury most was not how the woman
came TO her death, but whether the body
was that OF Minnie Mitchell.
While the testimony OF the wigmaker
/ came 10 help the theory OF the police that
I the body was that OF Miss Mitchell DR.
\ Joseph Springer. the coroner's physician.
/ steadfasty maintained that II was not
ing statement: 'On Aug held post
I mortem examination upon the body OF an
unknown woman tunidentihed.) On In
/ inspection / found the body in a bad state
/ Of decomposition. I found scalp shoulders
l and arms totally destroyed by absorption.
\ / found the abdomen contracted. the skin
uIltu ana the tissues OF the peNls de-
stroyed by absorption. found a bullet
/ hole one-fOurth OF an inch In diameter In
! the center OF the back OF the head I'M the
center OF the occipital bone on opening
the skull i found the brain totally de-
stroyed. the skull empty. | found a small
/ fattened bullet lying the base the YER
I tebrae OF the back protruding and the tis-
\ sues destroyed. In my opinion the said un-
! known woman came 10 her death from a
Il bullet wound I'm the head" DR.. Springer
! declared that IL was his opinion that death
! must have occurred from nine 10 twelve
weeks preceding the finding OF the body