The San Francisco call., 1909-02-18
GIRL KIDNAPPED,
BOUND ANDl[FT
ALONE TO DIE
Young Lace Worker in Few RAJ
tionaI Moments Claims to Be
Victim of Fiendish Plot
Asserts She Was Attacked by
Man and Woman and
Thrown Into Cab
Mystery Wells Case and Detec=
tives Puzzled as to Real
Solution


CHICAGO. Feb. 17.-one of the most
mysterious cases with which the Chi
cago police have had to deal in many
years developed in the Wellington
hotel. a standard downtown hostelry,
today when the unconscious form of
Miss Ella Gingles. a 1s year old girl,
was found lashed to the supports of a
bath tub. Whether she was the victim
Of plot, as she incoherently alleged
in her few conscious moments. or in
tending suicide chose fantastic means
to retaliate upon woman whom she
believed to be her enemy, forms a puz-
zle which the police at once set about
to solve.
When a chamber maid reached the
house bathroom on the fourth floor she
found the door locked from the inside
with a bolt. Later the house carpenter,
removing the transom, entered the
room which was dimly lighted by a
candle that had nearly burned out.
Upon the floor he found Miss Gingles.
clad only in a nightgown.
Girl Bound to Tub
Attempting to move her, the carpen-
ter found her hands tied with a light
binding cord, and fastened to the
legs at the head of the tub. A second
cord, drawn tightly about the knees,
was fastened to the lower legs of the
tub. Her face showed cuts and bruises
She was also apparently suffering from
laudanum poisoning. A two ounce bot
tie. which had contained the liquid, was
found in the room, and n@r it an empty
claret bottle. towel was tied tightly
under the girls jaws and wet cloth
stuffed in her mouth Her clothes
even t0a little brown fur trimmed hat
were found in a corner of the room.
Restoratives were administered by
Doctor Watson, the house physician,
but Miss Glngles recovered only suf-
iciently 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 occurred
in her talk.
Attacked Near Home
Later in the day, at the Frances
Willard hospital. she recovered con-
seriousness for several minutes. Chief
of Detectives ~O'Brien was at her bed
side. and to him she told a strange tale
of having been attacked near her home,
474 La Sale avenue. last night. by
man and a woman. One of them
struck her and the other threw pepper
in her eyes, she said. According to her
story, she was then hustled into cab,
which apparently had been waiting.
She knew no more, she said, until she
regained consciousness at o'clock at
night in a strange room She recog-
nized 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 penciled note on the
envelspe. asking some bellboy" to mail
it. The letter ran:
''Mary-Will be killed at wellington
hotel. Come quick.-Ella."
1t was this note which set the police
on the trail today. 1t reached Miss
Joyce at o'clock in the morning in the
Office where she is employed as stem
ographer to P. H. o'Donnell, attorney
for Miss Gingles At the hotel the de-
tectives found that no ELLA Gingles'
was registered there.
Mystery Surrounds Note
cred later the police were notified. No
one could be found who had seen the
young woman enter the place, although
this might easily be explained owing
to the location of the stairways and
elevators. The night elevator man.
however, was positive that he had taken
no such person up in the car. No bell
boy could be found who had picked up
any letter and mailed it, as described
by Miss Gingles.
Manager McClintock of the hotel de-
clared that the girls story and the
postmark on the letter received by
Miss Joyce were inconsistent. The
postmark showed that it had been
stamped at, the postoffice at o'clock
last night According to this, he said,
it must have been mailed in the box at
the hotel not later than 1880 O'Clock,
an hour and half before Miss Gingles
said she had regained consciousness
The name of Miss Agnes Barrett was
brought into the case in the course of
Captain O'Brien's talk with the patient
Miss Gingles said that she recognized
as Miss Barrett the woman who helped
get her into the cab. Miss Barrett con-.
duets lace shop in the Wellington
hotel building and a lew weeks ago
caused the arrest of Miss Gingles on
charge of stealing $50 worth of lace
from the store.
Miss Gingles came to Chicago two
Continued on Page 2, Column 4