The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-12-29

Harrison. n J., Dec 2S.--The body OF
the handsome woman found Thursday
morning, nude and half-submerged in a
pool on the outskirts of Harrison, was
twice identified to-day.
Detective Sergeant DraybiI, of Orange
and Mrs. Margaret Wright, of Montclair,
say there is not a shadow of doubt that
the body is that of a woman they knew.
Draybnl declares she was Agnes O'Keefe.
maid at different times for several
families in Orange
Mrs. Margaret Wright who runs an
employment agency in Mont Clair. to-
day identified the body of the woman
as that of Mrs. Annie Nevins. house
maid who had applied to her for work
on December Il last
Mrs Wright went TO the morgue in
Harrison to-day and told the police she
was sure that the woman who came 10
her for job was the one whose body
was found
Before looking at the red jacket. the
bedraggled skirt. the white silk shirt
waist. the small seal toque with its two
aigrettes of white feathers. Mrs. Wright
described them accurately and gave a re-
markably accurate description also. of
the dead woman
Applied for Position.
on December l.. she said. a very good
looking woman, who was perhaps thirty
five years old. and ,,s,S ,~9ked as If she
might be an upper servant. went to her
Office in Mont Clair and applied for a Job
as houseSeeper.
The woman said that her home was In
Brooklyn. but that for the time being she
was staying with friends in Newark Her
name. she seid. was Mrs. Annie NeviBs.
but she refused to leave her address. say
ing that she would call again in few
days. She never went back.
Mrs. Wright viewed the body in Under
taker Walshs shop. and declared posi-
lively that It was the body OF the woman
who had called on her She was sure she
could not be mistaken.
Detective Has Theory.
y little later. Detective DraybiI. OF
Orange. went 70 the morgue and made an
identification. which tangled the case still
more. Draybin Das positive the woman
was Agnes O'Keefe. who had worked rs
a housemaid for several families in Or
ange. and for a long time had been en-
ployed in the household OF Thomas
Nevins. the traction promoter ana con
tractor.
Thomas Nevins had a niece named An
ME Nevins. said Draybill, who was an
intimate friend Of Agnes O'Keefe Dray-
bill thought it likely that Agnes O'Keefe
might have used. for reasons Of her own.
the name Of her friend, Annie Nevins.
Another tip the Harrison police thought
might pan out came from Inspector Nc
Cafferty. Of the central Office. here. A
note, signed Anonymous" came to the
inspector this morning. 1t read:
Letter to Police.
"The woman slain in the swamp. I
think you will find. was a Miss Smith.
former phone operator at the Gerard and
Woodward hotels. She lived in Brooklyn
somewhere formerly. and had some trou-
bic, 1 understand, with some man in Jer-
sey"
AT the Gerard, they said to-day that a
Miss Lena B. Smith had worked there as
a telephone operator about two years ago.
and had left to work for the Samson
Brick Company. which had an Office in
the FiatirOn Building. They hadn't heard
anything about her since. Miss Smith
lived in Bensonhurst. they said at the
hotel. The description of Lena B. Smith
Tailed very closely withShat of the dead
woman.
Says She Il Lily CrIst.
After gazing on the face of the woman.
Edward Palmer. a bookmaker, declared
he believed the body to be that of Lily
Crist. who lives at Schermerhorn street.
Brooklyn.
Palmer was not positive in his identi-
hcatiOn. but when he went away, said
he would return with other friends of
Miss Criste He said:
1t certainly looks like Miss Crist She
disappeared from home on Tuesday even
ing, and has not been seen or heard from
since. At the time she went away she
carried small satchel. and was wearing
red military suit. which I know she
bought at Oppenheim, Collins & Co s
store
Looking for Deep-vOiced Man.
The police are seeking a short, thick
set. deep-vOiced man with a ''bushy
beard who is reported to have been
seen with the dead woman on Christmas
night. This clew was given TO the police
by Peter CoOgan a night watchman at
a machine shop near where the body was
found.
John ThUmm, who owns saloon in
Harrison, also is positive he saw the
woman in the red military suit late
Christmas night with a short. heavily
built, deep-voiced man. who wore a large.
bushy beard.
Both Coogan and Thumm say they saw
the pair go toward the river late Christ
mas night. Coogan added a hat with a
white feather or a bow of white ribbon
TO the description of her clothing. About
midnight, Coogan said. the man came
back alone. He must have seen the light
of Coogan's lantern. The watchman heard
him muttering:
Thought Light Was Ghost.
Il thought I saw light. I don't see
il now. guess there's ghosts around
here"
Just then. coogan says, he flashed his
light in the mans face. The man jumped
back.
What's doing down az the river?' said
the watchman. Where's your friend?"
Il didn't have any friend said the
short man hastily
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