The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-05-03
MURDER HIDDEN FOUR YEARS,
ENGLiNDS MOAT HOUSE NyS.
Terry vow CLEARING yp.
Miss Hollands Body Found with q Bullet
In the SkuiI--Man with Whom she
Lived Had Been Previously Arrest esl
for FoFgtng Her Name In (he<ks.

'Op For8In8 ter Manic 10 Cheeks.
Ispsoai Caas Ds,paich 10 THE SUN
/ LONDON, May 2,-The discovery ths
week Of the des.ompored body OF Camille
Cecile Holland In the grounds az Moat
Farm, In Essex, promises TO clear tip one
Of the most remar kable mysteries Of crime
ever known. For nearly four years the
circumstances surrounding this case never
got beyond the gossip Of a country town
and n secluded village. The chain of in
cldents now seems to be nearly complete.
In December, lsos. Camille Holland.
an unmarried woman. OF about so. who
waa the poese~sor OF f60O0 which was in
vested In stocks. furniture and jewelry,
made the acquaintance In London OF Samuel
Herbert Dougal. also OF middle age. and, ,
although he was already married, Rhc con-
fented to live with him. Miss Holland,
according to her friends, possessed con-
siderable culture ard religious feeling,
and what induced her to defy the moral
and social conditions Is not known. The
puzsse Is increased by the personality Of the
man, who. although intelligent, appears
to lack refinement. He Is O pensioner
from the non -commissioned ranks OF the
army.
The pair took lodgings at Saffron Walden.
in january, 1899. and lived toget her as hus-
band and wife. While there they bought
Moat House. an old farm. seven miles away.
Miss Holland paid the purchase price of
1850, and they took possession of the
place on April 7. 1899. The house was
isolated. 1t was more than mile from
the main road, and mile from any other
dwelling, and was encircled by the dark
waters of the ancient moat.
Miss Holland did not conceal the fact
that the place inspired her with dread.
She resided there only few weeks, and ON
the evening OF May is she left the house
and drove away with Dougal. Their SER
want. Mrs. Blackwell. testifles that Miss
Holland went away without any baggage,
and when she was starting told her that
she would not be gone long. This. 40 far
"a has been ascertained. was the last seen
or heard Of the woman by any one except
Dougal. She disappeared completely, and
nothing was ever heard OF her whereabouts
until the corpse was found this week.
When Dougal returned. the servant
says. he was alone. He told Mrs Black
we'll that he had driven her mistress to a
neighboring railway station and that she
had gone to London. On the following
day Mrs. Blackwell left the farm because
abe objected to remaining there alone with
Dougal. She received her wages from
him regularly.
The disappearance Of Miss Holland was
soon tho topic Of gossip In the ncighborhood,
but there was nothing to suggest the neces-
sity of making a search for her. Her rea-
uves appeared to be unconcerned and had
apparently decided not to recognize her on
account Of her irregular relations with
Dougal. They also knew that the woman
was given to sudden impulses for travel
ling without mentioning where she was
going or when she would return, and that
she was in this and some other respects
rather eccentric.
In the meantime Dougal continued TO
reside at the Moat House, where letters
for Miss Holland we're delivered regularly.
At her bankers Miss Hollands business
was carried on the same as usual, and the
financial mon say it appeared to them to
have been carried on by herself.
So the gossip died out and the woman |
was forgotten by her neighbors until this
spring, when the police began to make
as to her whereabouts.
Their inquiries had proceeded short time
and without any knowledge on the part of |
the public. when suddenly on March 10 |
Dougal was arrested at the Bank Of England. !
while cashing notes, on the charge Of utter |
ing check purporting to have been drawn |
by Miss Holland. Prosecution by the
Government followed, and has occupied |
he Magistr rates at Saffron Walden at inter-
rals ever since. The Public Prosecutor |!
Vas seeking all the time to prove that
Dougal had appropriated the bulk OF Miss !
Hollands property by means of forged /
documents.
In connection with Douglas arrest at the
Bank OF England, the police agents visited
Moat House. and there found Miss Hol- |
and's furniture. books and clothes lust
rs she had them when abe lived there.
This and other facts, induced the Govern
nent to order search of the farm and
premises for traces OF the woman The
noat and a smaller communicating moat
md the ponds on the estate were Drained
he floors Of +he greenhouses and out
buildings were raised. trenches excavated
md the ground probed. But 1t appeared
O be all in vain.
On April u. the anniversary of the dav
hat the pair entered into possession OF
he place. laborer who was exploring
N old ditch which had been planted over
With shrubs by Dodgal nearly four wears
go struck his fork into hard substance.
When withdrawn, II proved to be a woman's
'oot containing the remains OF foot.
,areful digging subsequently revealed the
,ody OF the woman lying face downward,
nth mud and bush roots clinging to it.
no body WAS fully dressed and the outer
arments, although they had rotted were
till wrapped about the remains closely
noush to prevent disintegration.
An examination Of the body after it had
een removed showed that the head had
sen pierced by a bullet, which was still
,ithin the completely preserved skull
An inquest WAS held on the following
Az In q barn adjoining. Dougal was
resent, handclhed to an officer. and was
ormally accused Of murder. He was
gain formally brought before a magistrate
n the forgery charge yesterday. and once
,ore remanded on this charge. The strong
olice force present In the court room with
i6sculty protected him from the angry
rowd which awaited his departure from !
he court
rOORISR SULTAN TO ATTACK.