The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1905-11-01

WILL BE
SEARCHING

New York, Nov. 1.-Acting upon a sus-
picion that Mrs. Margaret A. Todd. a
wealthy widow. aged rs years. was a VIC
tim of foul play, Coroner scholer OF this
city and Coroner Dugan OF Philadelphia,
today commenced a searching investi-
cation of the mysterious facts attending
her death, n the puZzling moves that
preceded and followed It. The value or
Mrs. Todd's estate is at more
than Sl5O, 900 and possibly 100000.
She owned and lived I'm the Won Hon-
man apartments in West Twenty-siXth
street, and owned other real estate In
this city. She wore when found dead In
Philadelphia, last Friday, several thous-
and dollars worth OF Jewels. On Thurs
day last, the day before Mrs. Todds
death George j. Hastings, a lawyer, who
had acted as counsel for Mrs. Frank
Tousey, Mrs. Todd's daughter, was asked
TO go TO Mrs. Todd's apartments 10 draw
up n new will for her. She said she had
lost a previous one. The drawing up or
the new will was postponed until the fol-
lowing Monday after Mrs. Todd had told
the lawyer what she wanted.
on the following day. Mrs. Todd started
to leave the Won Hoffman apartments.
saying that she was going TO visit friends
I'm Orange, n. j. Strong objections TO her
going was made by some the persons
about her, but a Miss knight appeared at
that moment and offered 10 accompany
her. Objection was then Withdrawn. IL
has been learned since that Mrs. Todd
was driven I'm a cab TO the Baltimore ana
Ohio railroad station I'm this city, where
she was met by an unknown man. NO
body knows what became OF Mrs. Knight,
and she has not since been found by per-
sons who have inquired for her. Mrs. Todd
was seen on board a train on the way 10
Philadelphia, and TO cave the train AT
8 ID. m. In that city. FOUR hours later,
she was found dead on the tracks OF the
Reading railroad several miles distance
from the place where she had left this
train.
Her body was mangled, possibly by
passing trains.
Her jewelry vas intact.
Mr.. Hastings. the lawyer, sal dtoday,
that when Mrs. Todd's body was brought
10 New York, Ingersoll Lockwood, who
had previously acted as attorney for Mrs
Todd, requested that her body be cremat-
ed, but her relatives had countermanded
the request. The body was placed In q
vault in a cemetery.
Yesterday Ingersoll lockwood filed a
will executed by Mrs. Todd in 1908, which
was the will Mrs. Todd said she had
lost. In IL she bequeathed the greater
part OF her estate TO her daughter, Mrs.
Frank Tousey, wife of the publisher. The
will also gave $500 to Mr.. Ingersoll. Mr..
Hastings said thai this Will was prac-
tically nullified IL a trust deed which Mr.
Ingersoll declares he holds OF Mrs. Todds
estate is properly drawn. This trust deed.
Mr.. Lockwood said. covered the entire
estate except about $4,000. A further com
plication yesterday was the fling by an
unknown person OF a deed by which Mrs.
Todd transferred to Mrs. Tousey the Won
Hoffman apartment.
The authorities are unable to discover
how Mrs. Todd reached the point where
she was killed and whether she was a
victim OF a crime.
The fact that Coroner Scholer and
Coroner Dugan have taken the case up
makes Il evident that murder Is sus-
peoted. 1t appears that they are CON
fronted by n battling and mysterious
case. a suspicion that poison has beer
used is evidently entertained by Coroner
Scholer. who promised today to have the
contents OF Mrs. Toddis stomach ana
lyzed.