Los Angeles herald., 1910-07-11
VENICE MYSTERY
PUZZLES POLICE
Clothing of Woman Bather Who
Fails to Return Found
in Bath House

VENICE, July 10.-Disappearing COM
pletely after renting room and batL-
| ing suit at the Venice salt water
plunge. a woman supposed to be Char
| lotte Hitchcock of 709 West Fortieth
place, Los Angeles, was sought by the
police and life guards today. Whether
she is at the sandy bottom of the Pa
cific or in hiding as the chief actor in
hoax perpetrated on her friends and
family is a question yet to be solved.
Her complete outfit of clothing which
she wore at the time she entered the
bath house either Friday or early Sat-
urday morning was found in the bath
room today by attendants.
A thorough search of the bath house
and vicinity was made today by Super
intendent v. I. Reuter-, assisted by
Capt. Tom Wilde and members of the
Venice Volunteer Life Saving corps.
Expert divers dragged the bottom Of
the big plunge and investigated the
surf and breakers where it is consid-
cred probable the girls body will be
found if she has been drowned in
the sea.
FIND NOTE
With the clothing "a the bath house
was note written on both sides of a
small sheet of note paper with lead
pencil, i'll which shs announced to a
friend her Intention of attempting tt
SWIM to the float and back wearing d
corset for a wager of $40. The letter,
which was unfinished, began with the
salutation "Dear Grace" and the writer
claimed to have scribbled it while COM
ing to Venice or a car. The spelling of
number of words was careless, while
the writing was so legible that those
who have examined it decline to belieN G
it was written on G. moving train. This
is the letter:
"709 w. 40 Place. Los Angeles, Cal,
July g. 1910.-Dear Grace: Oh, oh, I'll
bet you would like to kill me or some
thing just as bad, but honey really l
been so busy doing nothing). Our
family has gone to the bust up COM
pletely. Abbies married, Johnnie's
married, mama and papa gone to Mex
leo and so Charlotte is left to bum for
herself.
"I had a job as office girl for a
Spanish teacher, but go sore at him, SO
just hil1ed and am going to the beach.
l am on the car now and guess I'll ar
rive in safety. l was at Long Beach
for a week and learned how to swim a
little. Well, good enough, so that j
took bet of $40 that 1 couldn't swim
with my corset on out to the float and
Lack. So [ am going to try it. If /
get the ten. / am afraid of the water,
though, since the old fortune teller told
me I'd be drowned and never founded
(joke, laugh), but I'm going to try it
anyway.
Harold has gone to Denver. He Is
the same good-natured old kid, or
rather was I am at Venice now viii
finish this after l win that ten"
NO RATS" FOUND
Included in the bundle of wearing APP
parel at police headquarters are a
black straw sailor hat, two-piece suit
of dark gray with thin dark blue
stripes, white shirtwaist, corsets and
black button shoes. The coat is long
and the entire outfit, according to the
police, is such as might be worn by a
woman of ordinary size No rats
were left to indicate the shade of the
Woman's hair, although a large supply
of hairpins were left on bench. A
copy of a current magazine with the
name charlotte Hitchcock" written in
lead pencil on the cover, was also
found.
1t is thought the woman could not
have attempted to swim to the float
without being seen by the life guards
stationed by the bathhouse manage
kment on the beach throughout the day.
Stanley Townsend, George Wilde and
Adoplh Toenjes, all of whom spent part
of Friday and Saturday on duty there,
said tonight they had witnessed no
such feat as that spoken of in the let
ter. Women attendants at the bath
house say they do not remember see
ICOntinued on Page TwOi