Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-01-31
WOODBURY. STREET HAS MYs-
rERy IN UNEXPLAINED LEAV-
aNc OF BERTHA ROBERTS.
LEFT CLARK HOUSE AT
"a. M; NOT SEEN SINCE
Mrs. r. J. Clark, at Whose Home Miss
Roberts Lived, Fears She May Have
Lost Her Reason and Killed Herself
Police and Neishbors Search But
Find No Trace of Her.

"A disa ppearance mystery, Whlch mas
neither heen explained nor unraveled
ND to this afternoon, has come down
over the neighbortood centerlng near
Woodbury. street and Fifth avenue, and
fears are held in some quarters lhap
when the peculiar circumstances sur
rounding it are unfolded Miss Bertha
Nav Roberts, aged 20, will be touno
dead.
Miss Roberts, who is employed in the
home of Mrs. Robert j. Clark, 4-9
Woodbury. street, disappeared as tho
By magic shortly after o'clock TINS
morning, and has not yet been found.
Mrs Clark fears she has committed
suicide. This dread has come TO Mrs.
Clark because she thinks the girl might
have lost her reason.
Police Search Develops Nothing.
The neighborhood has been searched
by Mrs. Clark, her friends, neighbors,
and by the police. but the hunt had de-
yeloped nothing up 10 l o'clock, In
addition Deputy Marshal Michael Clark
ransacked all OF that part of town this
morning He also searched the Iowa
river for a long distance both above
and below the Third avenue bridge,
but found it frozen solid, with no
place where the girl could have
drowned herself A second and more
extended search was made by Clark
and Chief of Police Nicholson this at
4ernoon AS it was still dark and 50
early that few people were astir, the
girl was not seen in the neighborhood
this morning at about the time she
left the house.
Girl Was Scantily Clad.
So far as Mrs. Clark is able to reck-
on. from search made for the girls
garments in the house, Miss Roberts
was scantily clad. Aside from under
garments, two heavy skirts, shoes and
opeshoes Mrs Clark believes the girl
left with nothing else on No dress
waists. jackets, cloaks or other outer
garments and no hats. bonners Or caps
are gone from the house. Mrs. Clark is
convinced that il the young woman do
have on an enlargement covering this
upper part of her body that It was
some thin old waist that held little
warmth. The scanriness of her attire
is another cause for her mistress
worry.
Arose From Bed and Left.
Mrs. Clark said she called Miss Rob
erts at o'clock to get up and bulk
the fire in the hard coal stove. which
had gone out during the night, anC
prepare TO get the family washin!
started early The hour was an un.
usual one for the household TO b,
astir, but il was made necessary be
cause Mrs. Clarks sister was stoppin,
with her, and she was, 10 go away o.
an early train.
When called Miss Roberts got III
and Mrs Clark heard her say that tn
fire would have TO be rekindled Mr..
Clark says she dozed off and, awakin
again in a few minutes, she heard II
sound Of the girl moving about. Whe
she called her name she got no re
Spouse. Then she arose, but on goin
to Miss Roberts room found it empt,
"A search OF the house and the outbuild
ing also developed nothing Early
the forenoon the police were notified
No Reason For Suicide.
There is no known reason for III
theory that the girl might have corr
mitted suicide, except the one contain
ed in Mrs. Clark's suggestion tns
there was a possibility that the gi
might have suddenly become bereft
her reason. Sunday and during the ez
ening Miss Roberts was in her usu;
frame of mind, and Mrs. Clark is cor
fident that the girl had no love affair
Has Been Here Three Years.
Miss Roberts has been a member
the Clark family for almost three year
She is former Hardin county your
woman. Her father, Charles Robert
lives about a mile east of E,ldora, ar
sister, Mrs. Henry Lush. resides ne
Steam boat Rock.
The girl is described as Of mediu
height, of rather peculiar appearan
and of equally peculiar gait when s.
walks She IS rather stout. being We
full thru the chest, and her hair
cut short. Her complexion is dark.
MRS. MARY KRoGER DEAD.