The Detroit times., 1909-05-15
HUNT FOR -F|END
WHO SLEW WOMAN
Woman Detective Leads Search for
Mysterious Person Who Killed Late
Gen. Lew. wallace's Cousin.

w IN y EbAOO, ILL., MAY ~ ciitaiG
finger prints, painted in blood on the
lamp chimney. This is all that re-
mains TO guide the officers OF the law
in their task OF finding the fiend who
slew aged Mrs. Margaret Grippen.
Just the red prints or five fingers
but this may be enough.
In all the world there won't be an
other man whose fingerprints are ex-
actly the same as these. In all the
Bertillon records In all cities and all
countries there are not two alike. The
markings of the murderer's fingers
was his alone. and he has left that
mark where the keenest police blood
hounds could see.
His getting away was 80 easy, too.
Dark, rainy night when all who could
remained indoors. Quiet country town
of death except the unsuspecting vic
tim. No one saw the murderer In the
house The dead could ten no tales.
And no one else knew. Hss deadly
deed accomplished. he passed out into
the rain and the night-silent, SWIFT.
like another black ghostly shadow In
night OF shadows.
But as he finished his foul deed, he
seized the lamp TO set fire TO the
house In that he Laid the trial for
his pursuers TO follow-so plain that
they could not fail to see.
Leading the human bloodhounds IN
this chase is woman, Mrs. Mary r.
Holland of Chicago. expert In finger
prints. 1t was singularly fitting that
she should be called in-in this case
where fingerprints play SO large a
part.
Mrs. Holland began her work by go
ing over all the finger marks In the
Chicago Bertillon bureau. She went
through thousands OF them. None tai
lied. The murderer had never been
arrested in Chicago for a serious Of
Tense since the bureau was establish
ed She then sent the prints OF the
finger marks to every Bertillon bureau
in-the- country She hurried teWi
nebago next.
Here Mrs. Holland learned that the
old woman went to bed every night In
fear OF some mysterious person. That
she always barred the doors at night
fall. That every late visitor had TO
call his name through the barred doors
before she would let him In.
II Mrs. Grippen feared an unknown
enemy, this clew was worthless. II
known enemy immensely valuable
Mrs. Holland followed up the latter
theory at once.
II known enemy, who?
Mrs. Holland and the detectives who
helper her resolved on daring course.
They took hngerprints OF every in
habitant In the village. The villag-
ers, who loved the old woman, and
were shocked beyond all measure by
the CHASTITY crime, gladly submitted to
the process.
Now Mrs. Holland Is securing the
OF all people outside Winnebago
whom the dead woman knew. She Is
picking up every scrap OF evidence
about the woman's past, trying to dis
cover some link of luminosity which
might lead on to SO terrible crime.
Somewhere the man who killed
Mrs. Grippen is hiding. He may have
been arrested and Bertilloned some
where in the country. Mrs. Holland
will soon know. Once known, every
police department In America will be
set on the trail Any suspect who
may be implicated by any means will
at once have his hngerpr1nts record
ed. 1t will be found out thus wheth-
er or not he was in Mrs. Grippns little
home that night.
Mrs. Grippen. So. home-loving. wild
ow, q cousin OF the late Gen. Lew Wal
lace. author of Ben Hur." lived alone
in her little home toward the edge or
At 6 O'Clock she left the home or
neighbor with whom she had been
sewing. II was raining and stormy
and dark. She borrowed cloak from
the neighbor. She seemed to have no
that death was few min
utes away. She told the neighbor
goodnight The door closed after her.
II was the last time she was seen
alive.
A few minutes after she reached
home, the detectives believe, a knock
came at her door. She had not had
time to lock II. The murderer met
her in the hall. II there were cries
Of horror they were drowned in the
OF the wind outside.
Neighbcrs put out the fire In the
and found the CHASTITY sight
In the hallway. The old woman was
stabbed 3S times through the head.