Los Angeles herald., 1909-02-18
GIRL VICTIM OF
FIENDISH CRIME
FOUND POISONED, BOUND AND
BADLY BURNED
Piled WITH DRINK, is TORTURED
AND BODY SLASHED
Irish Laeemaker in Chicago Evidently
Fought Desperately Against
AssaiIants-Case Is
Mysterious
rBy Associated Press.l

lieved to indicate f1endiSh crime was
found today when the unconscious form
Of Ella Gingles, an Irish la,cemaker
was found in a, room at the Wellington
hotel, a downtown hostelry of good
repute. The girl was bound securely
was suffering from Iaudanum poison
ing and apparently had been assaulted
One leg was tied to the bedstead, the
other to a washstand and her hands
were tied above her head. A pnysteri-
Gus letter signed in Miss Gingleis name
but which may not have been written
by her and in which she said She was
about to be or was being murdered
figures in the case.
The police are working on the theory
that the girl was lured to the hotel
piled with drink and ultimately made
the victim of a horrible attack. Evl-
dence that the young woman was sub
jected to extraordinary tortures and
that she fought with desperation was
shown in the burns, bruises and cuts
about her body and head.
Burned with Candle
A lighted candle is believed to have
been used in the attempt to subdue her
struggles A bottle in which guam
tity of laudanum remained was found
While being taken to the hospital the
young girl rdVed, frequently hlSAIlo-lliAS 8
a man and a woman.
'Take her away!" she cried. Don't
let her give me any more to drink.
Don't let her tie my hands. She is
coming back after me. Lock the door
and don't let her hurt me- She has tied
my hands and is going to kill me"
The letters signed by Miss Mary
Joyce, a stenographer in the office OF
Patrick H. O'Donnell, who was Miss
GLADYS Gingle's attorney, read as fol-
lows:
sMary-WilI be killed at the Yelling
ton hotel. Please come quick.
ELLA"
This letter was turned over to Chief
of Detective O'Brien, who made hur-
ried trip to the hotel. There he was
told by the clerk that Miss Gingles was
not in the house.
Later he received a second message
stating that Miss Gingles had been
killed there. A search disclosed the
crime. which is believed to have been
committed before daybreak.
Recently from ireland
Miss Gingles is supposed to have come
to this country from Ireland few
months ago.
She was maker of laces and was
employed by Miss Agnes Barrett, who
had a, shop in the hotel building.
Miss Barrett recently accused her
young employe of theft, and the girl
was held to the grand jury.
The Irish Fellowship club came to
her aid and an attorney was retained
to defend her.
young man about 25 years old and
well dressed called at the hotel early
today and asked for Miss Gingles.
"There is no woman of that name
registered here the clerk is said to
have replied.
81 know a d. sight better" the
visitor retorted angrily. The latter
me he had made an appointment with
Miss Gingles to meet him at the hotel
this morning" the clerk said. He said
that Miss Gingles was to wait for him
in the corridor near the main entrance
and that they were to engage rooms. !
never saw the man about the hotel be-
fore"
One Theory of Police
Whether the girl was the victim of a
plot, as she incOherently alleged in heI
few conscious moments, or chose fan
tastic means intending suicide, to re-
taliate upon a, woman whom she be-
lieved to have been her enemy, forms
a mystery which the police have SET
about to solve.
When a chambermaid reached the
house bath room on the fourth floor she
found the door locked from the inside
with a bolt. Later the house carpenter
removing the transom, crawled into the
room, which was dimly lighted by g
candle that had nearly burned out Or
the floor he found Miss Gingles, clothed
only in a night gown. The bath TUX
was half filled with bloody water and
the sink was in the same condition.
On attempting to move her the car
penter found her hands tied with g
light binding cord and fastened to the
legs at the head of the tub. A second
cord, drawn tightly about the knees
held that portion Of her body to the
lower legs of the tub. Her face showed
cuts and bruises, and it was later de-
termined that she had been mistreated
She also was apparently suffering
from laudanum poisoning. A two ounce
bottle which had contained the liquid
was found in the room, and near it ar
empty claret bottle A towel was tieG
tightly under the girls jaws and wei
cloth stuffed in her mouth. Her clothes
even to the little brown fur trimmed
hat, were found in a corner Of the
room.
BabbIes Historically
Restoratives were administered by
Or. Watson, the house physician, but
Miss Gingles recovered only sufficiently
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.
Later in the day at the Frances VIII
lard hospital she recovered conscious
ness for several minutes. Chief of De
tectives O'Brien was at her bedside
and to him she told a strange tale o.
having been attacked near her home
474 Lasalle avenue, last night, by Z
man and woman. One of them strucI
her and the other threw pepper in hel
eyes.
She was then hustled into a cab
which apparently had been waiting. Sht
knew no more, she said, until she re
gained consciousness at o'clock a
night in a strange room.
She recognized the apartment as be
longing to the Wellington hotel, sh'
said, and wrote note to her friend
Miss Mary Joyce. She threw it ove
ciled note on the envelope asking "som,
bellboy'' to mail it. The letter ran:
MARY: Will be killed at Wellington
hotel. Come quick Ella
1t was this note which set the polio,
on the trail today. 1t reached Mis-
Joyce at 9 a. m. in the office where sh
Is employed as the stenographer of p
H. O'Donnell, attorney for Miss Gin
giles.
The hotel detectives found no Ell;
Csingles was registered there.
When her unconscious form was dis
covered later the police were notified
No bellboy could be found who hat
picked up any letter and mailed 1T. a.
described by Miss Gingles, and Man
Bger McClintock of the hotel declares