The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1910-05-07
.SNEAD MURDER
CASE PUzzLINC
Trial Opens Wednesday and Prom
ises to Develop Many New
Features
TO SOLVE BATHTUB MYSTERY
Indications Point to Fact That Defense
Will Leave No Stone Unturned to
Free Three Women Held for
Awful Crime.

Newark, n. j., May 7.-Interest in
the mysterious death of Mrs. Ocey
Wardlaw Martin Snead at East Or
| ange, n. j., in November last has been
revived by the near approach of the
date set for the opening of the trial of
Miss Virginia o. Wardlaw, Mrs Caro-
line b. Martin and Mrs Mary w. Snead
who are charged with the murder OF
the victim of the famous bathtub ira
gedy. The case has been called for
trial on Wednesday OF next week and
there is every indication that the case
will be strongly fought and will go
down i'm the annals of criminal history
as one of the most puzzling and pecu-
liar cases ever known i'm this country.
Found Dead in Bathtub.
Mrs. Ocey Snead was found dead in
the bathtub of the house No. SO West
Fourteenth street. East Orange, on
November 29. 1909, and so peculiar
were the circumstances surrounding
her death that the authorities began
an investigation to ascertain the true
facts in the case. In the afternoon of
November 29 some woman called up
the police of East Orange, asking for
the address OF the coroner. When the
woman was informed that there were
no coroners in New Jersey, she inform
ed the police that woman had COM
mitted suicide in No SO West Four
teenth street. DR.. H. NJ. Simmons,
one OF the deputy county physicians,
was sent to the house and found the
body of the young woman in the bath
tub. The tub was full of water and
the entire body of the woman was sub
merged. At first the physician did not
suspect that there was anything wrong,
especially as he found, pinned to the
clothes of the woman, a note stating
that she had committed suicide. Closer
convinced him. however,
that the woman had been dead more
than twenty four hours. As the bath
room was the only one in the house 1t
seemed strange that the body had not
been found sooner. The explanations
offered by the three women in the
house did not satisfy the physician
and upon his report a careful investi-
cation was begun by the police author
tiles.
Is Well Bred Woman.
1t was ascertained that the victim |
of the tragedy and her aunt. Miss Vir-
ginia Wardlaw. had moved into the |
house on West Fourteenth street ten
days before the finding of the body. |
They had no furniture excepting a cot |
and a soap box, which served as a ta-
BILE. The two women had no money |
and had subsisted on milk, biscuits and /
a few oranges. The investigation was
continued and an amazing mass of
material was brought to light II ap- |
peared that the three women indicted /
for the murder of Ocey Snead were
near relatives of the victim. The aunt
of the dead woman, Miss Virginia
Wardlaw, comes from a well connected
southern family and at one time was
president of Soule college, at Murfrees-
boro, Tenn, and later a member of the
family of Roanoke college. Salem. Va.
The exact circumstances which led to
the decline of the family fortunes are
not known, but 1t seems that Miss Vir-
gnia Wardlaw, accompanied by Mrs.
b. w. Martin. the mother of
Ocey. and Mrs. Mary w. Snead, mother
of Ocey's husband. Fletcher w. Snead,
came to New York some years ago
in the hope OF recovering their
fortune. At first they lived at the Wal
dorf- Astoria, later at the Manhattan
hotel, but as their funds began to run
low, they rented a modest house in
Flatbush. After two months they
moved to an even less pretentious
house in Brooklyn and after few
weeks to the house in East orange.
What became of Ocey's husband has
not yet been definitely ascertained. He
has not been seen for long time and
his next of kin pretend to know moth
ing of his whereabouts.
In Financial Difficulties.
II has been ascertained that the wo-
men have been in desperate financial
for several years and have
borrowed from many wealthy persons,
giving their rotes as security. AS a
strong moment of suspicion is consid
cred the fact that the life of the vic
tim of the bathtub tragedy was insured
in ten companies for an aggregate of
s32, 900. The insurance companies at
first suspected that the body OF the
Young woman in the bathtub was not
that of Ocey Snead. but the body was
positively identified by several per-
sons. among them by the doctor who
treated Ocey when her baby. which
iied about year ago, was born. An {
,ther strange feature is the fact that !
six or seven Wills. purporting to have {
been signed by Ocey Snead. and maxi {
ng her aunt and some other relatives ]
he beneficiaries.
Notwithstanding their poverty the I
hree accused women have been able {
% obtain most able counsel Miss Vir- 5
yinia wardlaw will be defended by Mr.. {
w. Fort. the son of Governor a