The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-12-06
Pittsburg Mystery May Prove
to Be Suicide.
If SO, Who Took Diamonds From
Miss Engberg's Ears!
NORTHUMBERLAND
Police Do Not Believe That a
Murder Was Committed.
Family Are Sure the Girl Took
Her Own Life.

Pittsburg Kan, Dec. 6.-Although
many hours have elapsed since Goldie
Engberg was found dying on the front
porch Of her home in this city, an
empty carbolic acid bottle by her side, "A
$3.50 pair of earrings missing from her
ears, the mystery of her death is far
from a solution. A coroner's jury ex-
amined many witnesses, neighbors and
friends Of the girl. When the jurors
came out there were six puzzled faces.
The police cling to the theory that the
girl committed suicide. They say that
it would have been impossible for
man to have entered the home. dragged
the girl out on the porch, forced open
her mouth and then poured carbolic
acid down her throat without the stug-
gle having been heard by the mother or
little sister. or without bruises being
left on the girls body.
The solution of the case, if it was sui
eide. lies in uncovering the secret of
the mysterious diamonds, it is believed.
Who gave the earrings to Miss Eng
berg? If she committed suicide, where
are the diamonds now? The coroner's
jury tried to answer these, questions.
They adjourned confessedly baff1ed. To
a number of friends Mabel Engberg is
said to have announced that she knew
who gave her sister the diamonds, but
was not going to tell. To the coroner's
jury she said, Il do not know 1 can
not tell.''
Jurors Will Trace the Jewels.
The jury did not return a verdict It
is said the jurors are waiting to learn
who gave the girl the diamonds. The
inquest was secret. Pittsburg anxious
ly awaited news People are talking OF
the mysterious death of Mrs. Anna
Luke who was beaten to death in the
heart of Pittsburg and the slayer never
found. They talk of the assault on
Lena Barino, the pretty Italian girl at
Chicopee, four miles away, and of the
murder of the Bork family on the lone
ly F'rontenac road about a week ago.
The Engbergs are a simple family
The father is a coal miner. The family
lives in a Groom cottage. Friday night
about o'clock the father was smok-
ing a last pipe in the kitchen before
going to bed. Mabel. Goldie's older
sister was away at lodge social and
Goldie had gone to bed unusually early.
The only light in the cottage glowed
in the kitchen stove before which sat
the father smoking.
Five, may be ten minutes. elapsed
when screams were heard from the
porch The father is deaf and heard
nothing, but the frightened mother ran
to the door to see what was the mat
ter. Goldie lay writing on the porch.
An empty carbolic acid bottle lay by
her side
The Police Were Not Summoned.
.My God, they poisoned me.
They've poisoned me. They've dragged
me out and stolen my earrings" the
girl screamed. She died afte- fifteen
minutes.
Mabel was the only person sum- |
moned to the bedside of the dying |
girl. The police were not notified. A
doctor was not called until Mabel
reached home and sent in a call for
DR.. w. S. Osborne and when he ar
rived the girl was dying. 1t was not
until twenty minutes later that Park
Gassaway, a policeman, heard of the
death of the girl. He went at once to
sister, pleaded with the officer not to
call headquarters, saying that her sis
ter was already dead and it would do
no good to make a general alarm.
premises for traces of a murderer. Not
footprint could be found in the
ground softened by recent rain.
DR.. C. A. Dudley, the coroner. held
an examination over the body and he
described Miss Engberg's condition by
saying "Her mouth was burned as if
a hand covered with acid hal been
pressed over it, he said. There
were no other wounds or bruises upon
her body"
Everybody said suicide. But what
of the missing earrings which every
member of the family and several of
the neighbors saw Goldie wear as late
as Z o'clock the evening of her death.
The suicide theorists say Miss Eng
berg had had trouble with her sweet
heart, that she had thrown her ear
rings away to avert suspicion of
suicide and then ended her own I'M
happy life by taking carbolic acid.
Miss Engberg was one of the
popular girls of Pittsburg. She was
formerly a clerk in one of the dry
goods stores, but quit her position
several months ago and visited in
Newton, Wichita and Great Bend.
With her sister. Mabel. she returned
home three weeks ago. A week after
she returned she received the mys-
FERROUS earrings.