Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-11-01
PROBING RICH WIDOWS DEATH.
Suspicious Circumstances Suggest She
Was Victim Of Foul Play.

:
NEW YORK. November 1.-Acting upon
suspicion that Mrs. Margaretta Todd. a
wealthy widow. aged seventy-six years.
was a victim of foul play. Coroner Schoier
of this city and Coroner Dugan of Phiia-
delphia today commenced q searching in
vestigation of the mysterious facts attend
ing her death and the puzzling moves that
preceded and followed It.
The value OF Mrs. Todd's estate is esti-
mated at more than $3.50. 900 and possibly
81 100000. She owned and lived In the Won
Hoffman apartments. in West Goth street,
and owned other real estate in this city.
She wore, when found dead in Philadelphia
last Friday several thousand dollars worth
of Jewels.
On Thursday last, the day before Mrs.
Todd's death. George w. Hastings. a law
yer, who had acted as counsel for Mrs.
Frank Tousey, Mrs. Todd's daughter, was
asked to go to Mrs. Todd's apartments to
draw up q new will for her She said she
had lost a previous one. The drawing Of
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, say
ing she was going to visit friends in
Orange. N. J. Stronge objections to her
going were made by some of the persons
that moment and offered to accompany her.
Objection was then Withdrawn.
Ii has been learned since that Mrs. Todd
was driven In cab to the Baltimore and
Ohio railroad station in this city, where
she was met by an unknown man. Nobody
knows what became of Miss knight, and
she has not since been found by persons
who have inquired for her. Mrs. Todd was
seer on board train on the way to Phila-
delphia and to leave the train at 9 pm. In
that city.
Four hours later she was found dead on
the tracks of the Reading railway several
miles distant from the place where she
had left this train. Her body was man
gled. possibly by passing trains. Her jew
elry was intact.
Mr.. Hastings the lawyer said today that
when Mrs. Todds body was brought 10
New York Mr.. Lockwood, who had pre-
vously acted as attorney for Mrs. Todd.
requested that her body be cremated. bu.
her relatives had countermanded the re-
quest. The body was placed In a vault IN
a cemetery.
Yesterday Mr. Lockwood filed will
executed by Mrs. Todd In 1893, which was
the will Mrs. TODD said she had lost. In
it she beaueathed the greater part Of her
estate to her daughter. Mrs. Frank Tousey.
wife of the publisher. The will also gave
$500 to Mr.. Lockwood.
Mr. Hastings said today that this will
was practically nullified IL a trust deed
which Mr. Lockwood declares he holds of
Mrs T0dd's estate is properly drawn. This
trust deed Mr.. lockwood said covered the
entire estate except about $1,000
A further complication yesterday was the
filing by an unknown person of deed by
which Mrs Todd transferred to Mrs Tou-
sey the Won Hoffman apartment.
The authorities are unable to discover
how Mrs. Todd reached the point where
she was killed. or whether she was vic
tim of crime. The fact that Coroner
Scholer and Coroner Dugan have taken the
case up makes 1t evident that murder is
suspected.
1t appears that they are confronted by a
battling and mysterious case. A suspicion
that poison has been used Is evidently en-
tertained by Coroner Scholer. who promised
stomach analysed.