The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-06-26

eral successful novels and won consid-
cradle fame as a painter. She was a
friend Of Miss Mary Anderson, the
American actress.
Miss Holland was born in India, the
daughter of a British general She
had an independent income of her own.
She was remarkably handsome, and,
although at the time of her death she
was past middle age, her good looks
We're perfectly preserved.
While travelling on the continent in
1898 she met Dougal He told her that
he was a retired officer of the Royal
Irish Fusiliers. He did not explain
that he left the army to serve a year
in prison for forgery
He is a man of high appearance-big
broadshouldered. with a pointed beard
and an inexhaustible supply of assur-
ance, cheerfulness and good stories.
Within a month of their meeting
Miss Holland and Dougal were quietly
married He had excellent reasons for
keeping the ceremony quiet, as he had
already wife in existence. ImmeGi-
ately after the marriage Dougal set to
work to gain possession of Miss HOl-
lands fortune, visiting her bankers,
familiarizing himself with all her af
fairs and persuading her to authorize
him to represent her in business mat
tiers.
After they were married they set
about looking for a quiet little place
in the country where they could en-
joy life Dougal then discovered the
Moat House in Essex. He bought it
with Miss Hollands money the whole
place costing $40, 900. The house is sur
rounded by a farm of 100 acres.
About two weeks after the couple
went to live at the MOat House a
young and handsome woman came to
81 " IT rod hlr
to Miss Holland as his daughter by his
first wife. She was really his wife.
Soon after this woman's arrival Miss
Holland disappeared. The law courts
have presumed that she was legally
dead on May IS, 1899. but no one can
tell the exact date except Dougal There
were many reasons why Miss Hol-
lands disappearance should not be re-
marked at once. She was accustomed
to wander about the world, and had
only distant relatives. She never in
formed them of her marriage, or even
the existence of Dougal
His first wife may have known what
happened to Miss Holland. This wom-
an has since vanished also, and it is
believed that she fell a victim to her
husband.
In 1902 another Mrs. Dougal came to
enjoy the brief and perilous honor of
being mistress of the Moat House. She
was Miss Alice Scudamore. Dougal
married her chiefly for her good looks,
but she brought him a little dowry of
$4,000. He was still living comfortably
on Miss Hollands fortune. In Octo-
Der, 1902 Miss Scudanore, the latest
wife, disappeared.
On Jan. 2, of this year a handsome
young woman of the neighborhood
named Kate Cranwell brought suit
against him for breach of promise and
he Of Oh ID OI1k afv
judgment against him.
After this DOugal had the audacity
to plan an elopement with Georgiana
Cranwell, a younger sister of the other
girl. He actually ran away with her
to London. A warrant was then issued
for him, and the Scotland yard detec-
tives started to look for him. They
learned of the disappearance of Miss
Holland and Douglas astonishing Sc
ries of adventures with women. At this
moment he had decided to leave Eng
land for France. He told the girl to
go back to Saffron Walden the near
est town to the Moat House, and wait
for him there. He was caught and ar
rested just as he was trying to change
some notes into gold in order to get
away to the continent
The Scotland yard men and the Es-
sex county police set to work together
to ransack the Moat House and it's de-
tendencies. Naturally their first pro-
ceeding was to drain and drag the
mOat. This was completed without any
discovery of Importance
A second sensation awaited the po-
lice. They searched an ancient barn
behind the house and there they found
beneath a pile of straw and other
things a human skull. Dougal has said
that he kept this out of scientific in
terest, which is not impossible, but in
view of his character the possession
of a human skull is at least suspicious
third find was more grewsome still
They found a complete human skeler \
ton in a field across the moat behind
the house, but it had been too long
buried to be that of Miss Holland
In an ancient, weed-grown garden
strewn with the remains of dilapidat-
ed statuary and other ornamentation,
they made a great discovery. Six feet
below the ground they came upon the
body of Miss Holland She had been
buried with all her clothes on, so that
identification was comparatively easy.
There was a bullet hole in her skull.
At nearly the same time that this
discovery was made investigation in
another direction showed how Dougal
had gradually obtained possession of
Miss Hollands fortune, which amount
ed to nearly 100000. 1t was astonish-
ing that a woman could be dead for
four years and that another person
without authority could go on drawing
money all that time from her bankers
and brokers.