Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1911-01-07
NO ARRESTS IN CASE
Cumberland Tragedy a Mystery to the
Authorities-Hss Baffed All Ef-
forts to Unrsvel Crime.


Miss Grace .Elosser and Charles Il.
Twigg, who were to have been mar
ried last Sunday might, were found by
Mrs CLOSER on the sofa in the parlor
OF the Elosser home. Save for h al
most self-eyident facts, such as that
the two died from the effects Of poi
soning by cyanide OF Potassium, the
authorities are precisely whers they
started In their efforts to solve the
mystery Of the two deaths. Rumors
and theories are abundant. almost to
the point Of grotesqueness. Blu: of IL
Illuminating facts, not a single ole has
been brought forward. While no
arrests were made last night. the au-
thorties claim they are slowly but
surely unraveling the mystery sur
rounding the death OF Miss Grace Eaos
ser and Charles Edward Twigg. of
Keyser, w. Va, at the home OF Miss
Elosser in South Cumberland On Sat
urday night last, the eve of their in
tended marriage.
Twigg's mother gave out the state
ment that one CT her sisters commit
ted suicide some years ago on the eve
81 her intended marriage, and also
that Twigg was engaged TO marry
Miss Lula Dye, an Indiana girl, until
some months ago, when the engage
nent was broken off. Miss Dye send.
Zig him back % diamond ring with the
request that he give it to another If
he should decide TO marry. She says
that Twigg visited Miss Dye and
found her so highly educated and her
home surroundings OF such luxuri-
Gus nature, that he gave UP the idea
Of marrying her and rturned home. II
is known that they were engaged a
year ago and that she often spoke of
him to friends in Keyser.
There is a growing belief in Key
ser that Twigg caused the girls death
and his own. He was horticultural
list, and had been getting the govern
ment reports, OF which large num-
Der We're found at his house. 1t is
said that he had been studying them
with view of getting at the best
poisons Tor spraying and otherwise
treating fruit trees in an effort to
prevent their Injury or destruction by
insects. He was familiar with the use
OF potassium cyanide and with other
deadly poisons and used them in his
own orchard.
He could easily have gotten hold of
the poison in large quantities without !
IN the least arousing suspicion In
fact, he may have had a considerable |
quantity of the poison on hand for
use at his orchard or at other points. |
But the motive is missing, unless at |
tention is paid to rumors, and there is
enc that will not down. That is TO !
the effect that some friend of Twigg |
told him on Friday evening last or /
on Saturday morning that Miss Elos- |
ser, his bride-elect, had been seen in |
in company with her for
mer husband, Maurice Wilson.
1t is known that Twigs called her |
up on the telephone and said he was
coming down to see her; that he had
something to tell her
Rumor says that Miss CLOSER want |
ed him to ten her over the telephone |
what he had 70 say, that she was very |
busy making final aTange ments for !
the wedding. He persisted in wanting |
to come to her home, and she final. |
y told him to come. He did come, |
and the tragedy followed. When he |
left Keyser there was nothing in his |
bearing to indicate trouble, neither
was there any indication in his de- |
meanor at the Elosser home.
Miss Elosser's friends assert that |
she was not in the company of her
former husband on the occasion men
toned or at any other time after |
she procured her divorce from him.
The belief of The authorities that it |
was murder and not suicide is stin |
as strong as ever. They do mot oc-
cept the theory that Twigg in some !
administered the poison to |
manner administered the poison to
her and then took a fatal dose him |
self They believe that boh were |
murdered as they sat together on a |
settee in the home of Miss Elbsser on
Saturday.