The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-07-01
LETTER MIGHT
SOLVE MYSTERY

SOLYE MYSTERY
DESTINY OF MISS TEACHoUTs
MISSIVE UNKNOWN.
Girl Visited Business College and
Wrote a Message Before Going to
the Glen, Where She Met Her
Death -- Police Attempt to Trace.
the Note.
To whom did Ruth Teachout, the
murdered girl whose body was taken
night, write letter at the business
she died? What were the contents
of that letter? Why have they not
been made public?
These are questions the answers Of
which will probably go long way
toward solving the mystery which sur
rounds the murder. That she wrote
a letter at the college is certain, for
Miss Cora Halvorsen, a fellow
student, saw her at her typewriter
busy at letter which at the time she
tice. That the letter was mailed is
shown by the fact that three pennies,
evidently the change received when
she bought 2-cent stamp, were found
in her purse.
This letter, the police believe, will
solve the mystery if it can be found.
Ii the girl intended to commit suicide,
they argue, the letter was evidently
a last farewell to some loved one. If
on the other hand, she was murdered
the letter will undoubtedly tell with
whom she went to the lonely spot,
and that person can explain how the
girl died.
With this before them, the officers,
aided by the dead girls relatives, are
doing all in their power to find the
letter. Two sisters, a brother and a
sweetheart, all in Battle Creek, Mich,
have been written to and asked if they
have received a letter from the girl
bearing that date. No replies have yet
been received, but they are daily ex-
pected.
The Jour n a l has been able to
trace the girls movements from the
time she left her home at II o'clock
last Saturday until noon Of the same
day, but since then she seems to have
vanished. At 1880 she dismounted
from Washburn Park car and went
to the business college where she
wrote the letter mentioned above. She
left the college at 1880 and went di-
rectly to the postoffice, where she pur-
chased a stamp, giving a nickel in
payment and receiving three pennies
in change, and mailed the letter. She
| left the pOStOffice and no further trace
| OF her can be found.
| Miss Halvorsen's Story.
Miss Cora Halvorsen, a fellow stu
| dent Of the murdered girl and the last
person who has been found that saw
| Miss Teachout alive, was seen by q
u n reporter today. Her story
Is as follows:
TT was about half-past II, Satur.
day, when Ruth came into the type
writing room. She had her book OF
exercises with her, and sat down al
| her machine and began to write let.
ter. I supposed that she was writing
one Of the practice letters from the
| exercise, but it may have been a letter
to some friend. I had some trouble
with the adjustment Of my machine
i and she came over to my desk an(
showed me how to fix it. She ther
went back and finished her writing
| closed her, machine and took her bool
! back to- the instruction room. Sht
;, went out at about ten minutes to IL
! She seemed to act natural and wa
pleasant and cheerful I did not no
tice anything wrong with her."
Professor Gruman, president Of tn
business college where the murderet
!, girl was a student, said that she hat
been a good student, diligentE an,
, painstaking in her work and apt il
, her studies. He exhibited the registe
Of the institution, which showed tina
she had not missed a single recitation
from the day Of her matriculatiol
until the day of her death. He ex
planned that the truancy referred to i
lxyNr N,,Io 1yteS L.
been in the afternoon since June
when no afternoon sessions were hello
f He knew the girl we'll, and did nc
Y consider her of such disposition a
! would lead one to believe that sh
might commit suicide. altho he sal
she was inclined to be reticent. Thi!
he thought, was due more to bashful
: ness than to anything else.
l Friends Of the dead girl, especial
e those sufficiently well acquainted wit
d her to know her personal character
It istics, still scout the idea that sh
: might have committed suicide. At til
same time they say that they cannc
account for her wandering down tn
glen alone. Why she should go wit
: her sister is authority for. the state
- ment that she was engaged to
young man at Battle Creek Mich
. and for that reason refused male con
e pany here. s.
t Ruth did not have great passio
L. for flowers" said her sister, Miss ES
d Teachout today, but for years hay
\ been in the habit Of hunting foul
leafed clovers. and lately she joine
lie me in searching for them. I don
II think, however, that she would wal
g der to that lonely place picking flow
d ers."
Was Going to Washington.
"She was very anxious to compile
her course in shorthand" continue
the sister, land the night before 81
or left She told mama that she cou
hardly wait until she was thru so TIL
:, she could go to Washington, whel
? she had a position awaiting her. ST
:. remarked that life seemed bright ar
- that she was happy. These thin,
- make ME believe that she did n
So commit suicide
- With a view to ascertaining wheth
. the girl could possibly have commi
- ted suicide, several physicians We
- interviewed by T ] urn a
and all agreed that it would be impo
sible for the girl to. have tied Il
z ribbon about her neck SO tightly tn
= the lungs and stomach would not ha'
!, filled with water had she Jumps
IN into the river. Tier final struggles
said DR.. E. j. Clark "undoubted
j. would have been SO severe that 81
or would have drawn water into tt
a lungs at least, no matter how tight
MS she had tied the ribbon" Sever