The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-08-21
POLICE ARE BAFFLED
MURDER OF MINNIE MITCHELL
 STILL UNSoLvED.
Not Known Positively Whether tht Remains Found Were Those of
 the Missing Girl-Coroner's Verdict.

Chicago, Aug. a.-After an investigation by the Chicago police extending over . fortnight and a two days coroners' in- quest, the authorities are stiil in doubt whether the body of the murdered wo. mar found in the field st sixtv-tourth and State Streets was really that of Min nie Mitchell. ,.->-4. Three men stand accused of conhplicity in her death and that Of Mrs. Anne Bar tholin are held in heavy bonds to the grand jury. Yet Patrolman Watson, who found the body could not tell Its sex be- cause of it's advanced stage of decompo- sition. Coroner Physician Springer stat ed that the body must have lain ten or twelve weeks before the brain could have been absorbed, and that had duicklime been used by the murderer as conjec- tured, maggots would not have entered the body, as was the case.
 Even the coroner's jury when it rem dered a verdict today recommending that Oscar Thompson, Edward Counselman and John Claffy be held to explain the death, stated only that the body was sup posed to 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 was buried as 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, Lieutenant Healy and William M Allen, testified that Counsel man, the intimate friend of Bartholin, had told them the fugitive wanted money with which to pay for a surgical opera tion on the Mitchell girl at a north side hospital
 With this conflicting testimony to hin- der them, the police are almost stalled in their search for William Bartholin. whom the Coroner's jury recommended to be ap- prehended.
 At the inquest some excitement was created when a wig maker positively iden- tified a switch of false hair as one that he had made for Minnie Mitchell. Lieu tenant Healy of the Kinsington police station telling of the circumstances lead ing up to the arrest of Edward Counsel man, the man who is alleged to have been with Bartholin on the day of the disap- pearance of Minnie Mitchell, said that Mrs Counselman had told him that Bar tholin had informed her husband that his (Bartholinsl girl'' was in north side hospital and that he needed $50 to care for her: that he had got her into trouble. Lieutenant Healy said: The woman came to me and told me of the queer conduct of her husband. She re-
 lated to me of her receiving and opening letter from Barthoin to Counselman July Il. The letter was the one in which Rartholn sought to secure money on a | loan. The woman told me soon after she | opened the letter Bartholin came into the house.
 Then" she said. T told him that I had opened his letter to Ed. He seemed very angry about it and told me I ought not to do that sort of thing, He said: You are liable to get into trouble open ing letters that way Rartholin asked me where Ed. was working. told him that Ed. was at the Austin Manufacture ing Company. Harvey, Ill, and he went in that direction"
 Mrs Counselman said that Counsel man came home that night" continued Lieutenant Healy, but was very anxious to get away. AS soon as he had his sup per he hurried away. He said he was go- ing to See Will Bartholin at his home In Calumet Avenue. The woman told me that Councilman got home at 1 o'clock fin the morning very much excited. She told me that he said he would have to go to Denver because he had got into trouble and would tell her nothing unless she
 
 | This she declined to do. She told me how her husband had attempted to choke her several times in order to get the letter away from her which she refused to give up"
 The Lieutenant said he had repeated Mrs. Counseiman's story, but Counselman said he had seen nothing of Bartholin since July Il.
 "He admitted" continued the officer,
 that he had gone to Bartholin's house that night; that Will was in the front room. Bartholin, he claimed, told him this: I sent for you to tell you that was in deep trouble and that l needed S6O.' Councilman claimed that he asked
 Bartholin why he needed so much money and Will replied that the trouble was 1 about a girl who was at a place on the north side and he needed the money to pay for an operation on her."