The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-02-18
PUzzLING CASE
FOR THE POLICE
Beautiful Irish Girl Victim of
Diab0IiCaI Plot or She At
tempted Suicide.
CHICAGO HOTEL INVOLVED
STRANGE, INCoHERENT STORY
OF ELLA GINGLES.

OF ELLA GINGLEs.
Chicago, Feb. T.-One of the most
mysterious cases with which the Chi
cago police have had to deal in many
years developed in the Wellington no.
| tel, standard downtown hosiery, to-
day, when the unconscious form of Miss
Ella Gingles was found dashed 10 the
supports of a bathtub. Whether she
twas the victim OF a plot. as she inCoher-
emily alleged in her few conscious mo-
ments, or chose fantastic means, in
tending suicide, to retaliate upon wo-
man whom she believed to have been
1 her enemy, formed a mystery which the
police set about to solve
Found Tied to Bathtuh.
! When a chamberInaid reached the
public bathroom on the fourth floor,
she found the door locked from the in
side with a bolt. Later the house car
penteT, removing the transom, crawled
into the room, which was dimly lighted
| by candle that had nearly burned out.
| Upon the floor ne found Miss Gingles,
clad only in a nightgown. The bathtub
was half filled with bloody water, and
the sink was in the same condition. At
tempting to move her, the carpenter
found her hands tied with a light bind
ing cord, and fastened to the legs at the
head of the tub. a second cord, drawn
tightly about the knees, held that por-
ton of her body to the lower legs of
the tub. Her face showed cuts ana
bruises, and it was later determined
| that she had been mistreated.
Laudsnum Used.
| She was also apparently suffering
from Iaudanum poisoning. A two-ounce
bottle which had contained the liquid
was found in the room, and near it an
empty claret bottle. a towel was tied
tightly under the girls jaws and wet
cloth stuffed in her mouth. Her clothes,
even to the little brown fur-trimmed
hat, were found in corner of the room.
| Restoratives we're administered by
| DR.. watson. the house physician, but
Miss Gingles recovered only sufficient
ly to. babble Historically:
| Don't let her come nearer: don't let
her make me drink any more. 1t will
kill me-"
The words cab" and pepper oc-
CURED in her talk.
Story of Young Woman.
Later in the day at the Frances Will
lard hospital she recovered conscious
ness for several minutes. Chief of De-
tectives O'Brien was at her bedside,
and to him she told d strange tale of
having been attacked near her home
474 La Sale avenue, last night, by
man and woman. One Of them struck
her and the other threw pepper in her
eyes. She was then hustled into a cab
which apparently had been waiting
She knew no more she said, until she
lregained consciousness at o'clock at
night in a strange room. She recognized
the apartment as belonging to the
Wellington hotel, she said and wrote
a note to her friend, Miss Mary Joyce.
She threw it over the transom, she
added, with a pencil note on the en-
velOpe asking some bellboy'' to mail
it. The letter ran:
Mary: Will be killcS at Wellington
hotel. Come Ella"
Police ST. IN on Trail.
1t was this note which set the police
on the trail today. 1t reached Miss
Joyce at 9 a. m. in the office where she
is employed as stenOgrapher to P. H.
lO'Donnell, attorney for Miss Gingles. At
the hotel the detectives found that no
Ella Gingles" was registered there
When her senseless form was discov-
cred later the police were notified. No
one could be found who had seen the
young woman enter the place. although
this might easily have happened owing
to the location of stairways and eleva-
tors. The night elevator man. however.
was positive that he had taken no such
person up in the car. No bellboy could
be found who had picked UP any letter
and mailed t as described by Miss Gin
giles
Apparent Inconsistency.
Manager McC1intock of the hotel de-
clared the girls story and the postmark
on the letter received by Miss Joyce
were inconsistent. The Dostmark
showed that it had been stamped at
the pOstoffice at 9 p. m. last night. Ac-
cording TO this. he said, it must have
been mailed in the box at the hotel not
later than 1870 o'clock, an hour and a
half before Miss Gingles said she re-
gained consciousness.
The name of Miss Agnes Barrett was
brought into the case in the course Of
Captain O'BTien's talk with the pa
tient. The latter said she recognized as
Miss Barrett the woman who helped
get her into the cab. The latter con-
ducts a lace shop in the Wellington
hotel building, and few weeks ago
caused the arrest of Miss Gingles on q
! charge of stealing $50 worth of lace
from the store.
Recently From ireland.
Miss Gingles came to Chicago two
months ago from Ireland and being ar
expert lace maker, found employment
with Miss Barrett. This employment
ceased with the theft charge. The ca
was not pressed, but the Irish Fellow
ship club believing the immigrant's
story that she was being prosecuted
took up the matter. An indictment
charging the theft was brought in or
der, it was planned. that the girls
name might-be cleared. Mr.. O'Donnel
was retained to defent her. and she
often called there at his office and his
home. She spoke indefinitely at times
, of being prosecuted. and of fearing
bodily harm would be done her. Little
attention was paid to her talk. how.
ever. as it was ascribed to a nervous
condition due to her recent troubles
with Miss Barrett.
Lawyers Story.
Mr.. O'DonHel's version of his client.
trouble is strange as fiction.
We were just about to go to tho
states attorney with details of as fou
u conspiracy as ever existed he de.
. eiared. Suddenly the chase was end.
( ed. Now we must see that the punish
ment is swift and sure. A horrible ac
has been perpetrated and the law o.