The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-06-30

these banks alone.''
The place where the murdered girls
effects were found is lonely and
almost inaccessible spot on the west
bank Of the river, fully three-quar-
| tiers Of a mile below the mouth of
Minnehaha creek and almost directly
opposite the cabin of Joe Grey. On a
large rock, three feet from the edge
of the water, John Nordstrom, Louis
Granum and H. M. Mortinson, all re-
siding at AIT Second avenue S, found
the stuff at o'clock last Saturday
afternoon. At first they thought they
belonged to some girl who was pick
ing flowers along the bluffs, but after
failing to ma the owner, Young Nord-
strom decided to take charge Of them.
He took them home with him and the
next day took them to the Teachout
home, where he turned them over to
the girls father.
Fresh-PicIzed Clovers.
AS far as Nordstrom can remem-
Der, the purse contained coupon
railroad ticket, three pennies, two
dark pieces Of CLOTH one tax receipt,
two receipts for payments on carpets,
two shine tickets, a st. Louis address,
her own address and two freshly
picked four-leafed clovers. The UNI
brella had a silk cover and a gold
handle, while the handkerchief was
white linen.
When Nordstrom gave the stuff to
Mr.. Teachout, the girls father, he
asked where he had found them. He
explained, and Mr.. Teachout asked if
Nordstrom replied in the affirmative
and the two started for the river
bank. When he saw the place where
the stuff was found, Teachout said:
Ruth never left them there. They
g were put there by son somebody else:
the family stand by this conclusion
that when a Journal reporter called
at the Teachout home yesterday and
told them that a wonan's body had
been taken from the river, they re-
fused to believe it was Ruth's. It was
not until the clothing and the cameo
pin were identified that they would
| believe that the girl was in the river
Ground Shows No Struggle.
Journal reporter was guided
to the lonely spot, where the unfor-
tunate girl met her death, today by
Young Nordstrom. The ground for
yards around was covered with rocks
and this made it impossible to de-
termine whether there was a struggle
between the girl and her assailant.
The water directly off the shore is very
shallow and one could wade out sew
eral yards before it was deep enough
to cover ones head. A short dis
lance below there Is an eddy where
logs and driftwood lodge, but no trace
Of the girls hat could be found.
The fact that Miss Teachout was
| involved in a family tragedy enacted
a year ago Is not thought to be con
nected In any way with her murder
Mrs. Taylor's suicide was uncalled
for, so say her friends, and the girl
was not to blame. Taylor himself is
said to have expressed an opinion that
the girl committed suicide. He is not
thought to have in any way been con
nected with the case, for, while the
girl was being murdered he was at.
tending the Dewey theater in com
pany with a fellow clerk in the county
auditors office. ~,~ss'+r pr -
-, Suicide Theory Rejected. II
While Taylor thinks that the CIR
ended her own life none of her friends
believe this and not a single instance
has been found to bear out the theory
She was happy and cheerful when she
left home and was not Of such a dtspo-
sition that would indicate that she
might take her own life. The condi-
ton Of her body. the absence of all
in the lungs and stomach and the
a way as to lead one to believe thai
it would be impossible for her to tie II
herself, preclude this explanation.
Another thing which goes to prove
that she did not commit suicide il
that she evidently went down the gler
to pick flowers. This is shown by
the two freshly-plucked four-leafed
clovers found in her purse. Women
may do strange things, it Is argued
hl1t &c ho no h hot
would pick four-leafed clovers-em.
blens Of good lu .sz- on her way
to a place Of suicide.
One important feature connected
with the case was discovered by {
Journ g. reporter today, who found
!, a friend Of Miss Teachout to whom
she had confided that she had been i,
the habit Of playing truant. severa
been IN school thru the day, out ha,
spent the time about the city, havin
: good time. Being much older, h
gave her fatherly advice, but sh
| laughed at him and said that she be
, lieved in having good time whil
she could. -
.s..-,s What Autopsy Showed.
Miss Teachout died from stransula
ton caused by the structure Of tn
ribbon found knotted about her neck
was the verdict of Coroner A. W. Mil
: Ter Of Ramsey county and Drs
j. M. Finnell and A. M. Goodrich, VIII
performed the autopsy. A coroner
J jury was impaneled yesterday after
noon and the inquest will be held Sat
urday morning. =
The surgeons conducted the autops
with care, but not single indication
] of death by drowning was found. TIL
lungs were found collapsed with n
water in them; the stomach was en-
tirely empty and the organs Of tn
1 throat showed unmistakab1e signs o
the terrible choking which evidentl,
ended the girls life. In addition t,
this there were the external evidences
which consisted Of the tightly knotte,
ribbon and the abrasions of the ski
of the neck.
"If the girl had died from drown
Ing said DR.. Miller to T Re o r
n a l, there would have been at leas
a small quantity of water in the lungs
and the same condition might b
looked for in the stomach. IF Their
! had been any life in the body when
entered the water the girl would un
doubtedly have sucked water boil
thru the windp1pe and the aesophagus
Here there is no evidence of suc]
being the case, and we cannot do other
! wise than declare that she was dea
when her body was thrown into TIL
river.
"Of course, death from strangula
ton and death from drowning, bot
result from carbonic acid poisoning
and the pathOlOgical changes shout