Perth Amboy evening news., 1909-12-01
WAS SLAIN IN
The BATHTUB
Girls Body Found in East
Orange HOuss--Mrs.
Snead's Aunt Held.


AIdbl OtdnStg N. D., Octs A. = Ahc
charge Of murder has been preferred
BY Chief Of Police Dell against Miss
Virginia Wardlaw. the elderly spinster
who reported the alleged suicide Of
Mrs. Ocey w. NJ. Snead, her niece, in
a bathtub of the practically empty
house in this town which the two had
occupied for the last ten days. An
autopsy showed that death was caused
by drowning.
The police allege a diabollcal plot
which was directed to causing the
death Of a young and beautiful woman
by studied neglect for the sake Of get
ting her $4,000 life insurance and
$4,000 worth Of real estate, and they
believe that too slow nature was aided
by drowning.
Her Life insured For $4,000.
Investigations by Chief Dell made in
Brooklyn, where Mrs Snead lived,
showed that a $4,000 insurance policy
on the life of Mrs. Snead existed on
which $4,000 had been borrowed for
the benefit of others than the girl her
self and that a will had been drawn
leaving all her property to Miss Ward
law. She owned three pieces Of real
estatc-one in Virginia, one In Ohio
and one in Georgia.
Dead Twenty four Hours When Found.
DR.. Herbert Simmons, the deputy
county physician, who called at the,
house after Mrs. Sneads death was
reported, says that Miss Wardlaw
opened the door for him. Leading
the way to the bathroom on the second
floor, Miss Wardlaw opened the door.
DIR. Simmons said the woman told him
that the girl had entered the bathroom
to bathe and that she suspected moth
ing until she became alarmed over the
girls failure to come out of the bath
soon. On examining the body DR.. Sim
mons exclaimed:
"Why, this woman has beer dead
twenty-four hours~ Then the Ward
law woman admitted, he declares, that
such was probably the case and that 1t
was on Sunday afternoon that she had
built a fire In the kitchen range to
heat the water for the girls bath.
Aunt Says She Was Away.
She said, however, that she had
spent a part Of Monday away from
the house and had had no occasion to
20 TO the bathroom in the twenty -four
hours from the time the girl entered
| it. and her discovery of the body.
Though DIR. Simmons pointed out
that she must have suspected some
thing, as she slept at the house that
night when the girl did not appear at
bedtime, he could get nothing from the
! WardIaw woman of consequence. She
met his questions with evasions,
DIR. Simmons found the house abso-
llutely bare of furniture. There was
but one cot for both women TO sleep
lon. There were two broken chairs
which, the doctor was convinced, had
been left as worthless by the former
tenants, and the entire place spoke q
discomfort .x4.4ss
Refuses to Answer Questions.
when pinned down for reason fol
coming to East Orange to live In 8
cheerless, unfllrnished house, bringing
with her girl who she admitted wai
nj, Miss Wardlaw refused to answer
"Iet me CO." she said, "nnd ! vii
notify the girls relatives and then re
turn to you" But the police had M
idea of taking her at her word, and
she refused to tell where any relatives
Of the dead woman were, so the police
could get in touch with them. She
told them, however, that Mrs. Sneat
had considerable property in Brooklyn
Visitor Came In an Auto.
Gossip OF the neighbors was that thi
young woman since the time she wal
first seen going into the house, twt
weeks ago, had never stirred out O
there They had seen Miss Wardlav
twice ia a cab.
| An automobile was seen at the doc
about week ago, and tall younl
man got out and went into the house
| In few minutes he came out agaii
and hurried the machine away at to-
speed. That was the only visitor th
Fouple had.
This same machine, with four me
in 1t, was also seen in front Of tn
''house Of mystery" in East Forty
eighth street, Brooklyn, where Mrs
snead lived before she was brough