The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-04-19

The body of the dead woman found In the Alabama River six miles south or Montgomery yesterday, has been posi- lively identified as that of Nancy Emory. the. old negro woman who disappeared February ?, last.
 Coroner Tice. accompanied by Chief of Police Gerald and Special Officers Payne and Rapport, went to the place where the body was found in the river yesterday morning and brought it to the city, where an inquest was held.
 Miss Annie Bell and Miss Lixsie Carey. whose servant she had been. identified the body as that of Nancy Emory. and aiso identified the clothes she wore
 A careful examination by a physician disclosed the fact that there was not a single mark or indication of violence on the body. The following is his statement to. the coroner:
 ''1 find no marks of violence on the body said to be that of Nancy Emory. and be- Iieve that her death was due to drown ing
 Squire Emory, the husband of the dead woman, was called to testify by the coro- ner, and he said:
 "I have been separated from Nancy ten years. I have not seen her since July. 1901. told her not to be strolling about. She had fits and falls, and when she recovered she would get up and run"
 From the above evidence. a verdict of death by accidental drowning was ren- dered by the coroner.
 It is supposed that after an attack which she suffered at the church on the Sunday night of her disappearance, she ran and in some manner fell into the river or back water. She had a very heavy cape or cloak pinned securely around her neck, and when found there were several pounds of sand in the lin- ing, and this is supposed to have weight cd the body down for so long a time. This sand and mud Is thought to have been carried away by the running water until the body could rise to the surface When it was discovered. only the feet could be seen. the remaining sand and water holding the head downward.
 The body was very much decomposed, all the hair, which she had in abund- ance was gone, and the flesh on the race hands and feet was beginning to tall away.
 The disappearance of this old woman was one of the most mysterious ever known in this city. She was at church oIi Gul'udy tDTudTY z, WHICH Sne suffered an attack of epilepsy and was carried from the building by, friends. She soon recovered and returned to her seat, and there all trace was lost. A reward Of $lOO was offered by Pastor Stokes sup plernented by like amount from the family of the late Alex Bell. where she had been a servant for years. for infor- nation as to her whereabouts. The po- lice department worked on the case for weeks. but not a single clue was found. Old wells were searched and every pos sible place where the body could have been concealed was examined but to no avail. Numerous reports that the body had been found were circulated, and a dead cat in an old well near the ceme- tory caused great excitement among the negroes who thought 1t was the body of the missing woman.
 Squire Emory, her husband, who had been separated from her for a number of years. and who was living with an- other woman, whom he told that his wife was in the asylum, and who had learned that she was still in the city, was ar rested on suspicion of having murdered his wife and held by the police for sev- eral days. but was finally released as suf- ftcient evidence could not be found to hold him.
 The finding of the body clears a mys- tery and takes from the husband the finger of suspicion which pointed to him as her murderer.
 The body WAS buried yesterday after noon by society of the church of which she was a member in good standing at the time of her death.